Butler native Matt Clement agreed to a three-year deal with the Boston Red Sox worth about $25 million Friday.

The veteran right-handed pitcher still has to pass a physical, but the contract is expected to be signed in the next few days.

"I'll probably go up there some time next week to get everything done," Clement said Friday.

MLB.com reported that Clement, 30, chose Boston over Anaheim. The offers were similar monetarily.

"The Angels were one of the teams, but the Indians were a tough team to say no to as well," Clement said. "All of the organizations treated us with a lot of respect. They were all very classy and we wanted to be the same way with them.

"The money was pretty similar with all of the offers. It was just presented in different ways. I wanted to get this done this week because I didn't want to hold up the plans of the other teams I didn't sign with," he added.

After visiting Cleveland a few weeks ago, Clement visited Arizona, Los Angeles and Anaheim earlier this week.

Ultimately, he said he chose the Red Sox because they represented the best chance of reaching postseason play.

"I experienced that with the Cubs for the first time in my career, and it was fantastic," Clement said. "I want another shot at going to the World Series.

"Being able to pitch at Wrigley Field for three years and now, hopefully, being able to pitch at Fenway Park for three years is incredible."

Clement was 9-13 with a 3.68 earned run average with the Cubs last season. His 190 strikeouts and .229 batting average against ranked among the National League's top 10.He won a career-high 14 games with the Cubs in 2003, including Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.Clement's contract will include some performance bonuses, but not a no-trade clause.Once a number of teams were competing for his services, Clement admitted playing for a team in the eastern part of the country became a big factor."It really didn't matter at first," he said. "But when it came right down to it, (staying in the east) was something I really wanted to do."Paul Clement, his father, said he was "thrilled" with Clement's choice."It couldn't be better, as far as I'm concerned," the elder Clement said. "I think he made the right decision."The Red Sox have been busy sorting through player personnel this off-season, signing free agent pitcher David Wells and shortstop Edgar Renteria along with Clement.Boston lost free agent pitcher Pedro Martinez to the New York Mets Tuesday."I'm sure that (losing Martinez) played a part in this," Clement said. "But the Red Sox have always maintained interest in me. They tried trading for me this past summer."The Red Sox are still trying to re-sign catcher Jason Varitek, also a free agent.

"I'm hoping they get that taken care of," Clement said. "But if they don't, (Doug) Mirabelli, their backup, is another great catcher to pitch to, from what I hear."Boston is a winning organization. I know they're going to stay that way."Clement said switching to the American League was never a concern."I pitched in Boston once before, and I've pitched in interleague games," he said. "I know that's not much of a barometer. … Hopefully, I'll be able to adjust well."Because the Cubs offered Clement arbitration, the Red Sox must surrender a second-round draft choice as compensation.Boston will be the fourth stop for Clement in his seven-year major league career. He previously pitched for San Diego, Florida and Chicago."My closest friends in baseball are on that pitching staff," Clement said of the Cubs. "This is the tough part of this business, leaving that behind."I'll never forget the Cubs fans. They were always good to me, always stuck with me. Cubs fans are very passionate about their team, as are Red Sox fans. I'm looking forward to continuing to pitch in that type of atmosphere."Clement admitted that making the final decision became difficult at the end."There were so many teams involved at the end and that made it tough," he said. "But overall, this (free agency) period was an incredible experience. It's something I'll never forget for the rest of my life."I didn't know what to expect going into it. A lot of teams were interested and everybody treated me unbelievably well. I feel blessed - truly blessed."