Koji Uehara, Red Sox Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

Closer Koji Uehara will turn 40 by the start of the 2015 MLB season, but that didn't scare away the Boston Red Sox.    

The team announced Thursday that the reliever was re-signed to a new contract:

WEEI.com's Alex Speier announced the terms of the deal:

After spending the first four seasons of his MLB career primarily as a setup man, the Red Sox utilized the Japanese star as their closer in the middle of the 2013 campaign. That move was a rousing success, as he posted a 1.09 ERA and converted 21 of his 24 save opportunities.

Uehara was also lights out in the 2013 playoffs. He surrendered just one earned run in 13.2 innings while nailing down seven saves en route to a World Series championship.

The Red Sox took a huge step backward in 2014, but Uehara was still a bright spot. Boston's struggles limited him to just 26 saves, although he registered a solid 2.52 ERA in 64 appearances and was named to the American League All-Star team for the first time in his career.

Perhaps the one concern about Uehara following the 2014 campaign was his poor play down the stretch. After struggling to the tune of a 5.56 ERA in August, the splitter-throwing righty proceeded to put up a 6.23 ERA in September.

That type of regression late in the year is always a red flag when it comes to older pitchers, but Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington insisted that he wasn't particularly worried about it, according to Jason Mastrodonato of MassLive.com:

"

He's obviously been a huge part of our success last year and our team this year. His performance you guys see. He's certainly someone we'd like to have. ...

[It's] not really a concern. ... This couple of weeks or whatever, it's not the level he's used to, but I think it's more the outlier.

"

Cherington wasn't the only one confident in Uehara's ability. Per Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal, Red Sox manager John Farrell shared his belief that the organization would be aggressive in trying to keep the closer in the fold moving forward:

The importance of a strong bullpen was on full display this season, as the Kansas City Royals rolled all the way to the World Series due largely to their excellent relief pitching. With that in mind, Uehara figures to play an important role in Boston's quest to become a contender next season.

Uehara may not be the most highly publicized signing this offseason, but he could be one of the most important if he can deliver quality relief innings for the Red Sox in 2015.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.