Archive for April, 2007

Indians sign Westbrook to 3-year extension

Friday, April 13th, 2007

Jake Westbrook signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension through 2010 on Friday with the Cleveland Indians, who locked up a key starter before possibly losing him as a free agent. Westbrook would have been eligible for free agency following this season.

The 29-year-old has been one of the AL’s most reliable pitchers the past three seasons, winning 44 games. Since 2004, only Westbrook, teammate Cliff Lee, Minnesota’s Johan Santana and Detroit’s Kenny Rogers have won at least 14 games in each season. Westbrook is also one of just eight starters to pitch at least 210 innings in the last three years. He went 15-10 last season, winning a major league-high eight games after Aug. 1. The right-hander has a 56-53 career record with a 4.40 ERA. He was named an All-Star in 2004.

Now that Westbrook is signed, the Indians can focus on possible new deals for designated hitter Travis Hafner and left-hander C.C. Sabathia.

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Chris Young gets $14.5 million, four-year contract

Tuesday, April 10th, 2007

The 27-year-old right-hander has impressed the San Diego Padres enough to earn a $14.5 million, four-year contract that would be worth $23 million if the team exercises a 2011 option. Young already was under contract for this season, with a club option for next year. He gets an immediate raise for this year, from $600,000 to $750,000, plus a signing bonus of $500,000. He locks in a salary of $2.5 million for next year. Under his old deal, the 2008 option would have been between $1.8 million and $2.5 million, depending on innings this season. He’ll get $4.5 million in 2009 and $6.25 million in 2010. The club option for 2011 is worth $8.5 million and could go as high as $11 million, depending on accomplishments in the previous two seasons.

Chris Young hasn’t been beaten on the road in nearly two years and is the only Padres pitcher to win a playoff game since 1998. Dating to June 25, 2005, Young is 9-0 with 16 no-decisions in 25 starts on the road. Only one other pitcher in big league history went undefeated in 25 straight road starts, with Allie Reynolds also accomplishing the feat during the 1948 and 1949 seasons.

Young, who starred in baseball and basketball at Princeton, is 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA in two starts this year. He allowed Bonds’ only homer of the season so far last Wednesday in San Francisco, getting a no-decision in a 5-3 Padres win.

Young was 11-5 with a 3.46 ERA last season, when he came within two outs of the Padres’ first no-hitter on Sept. 22 against Pittsburgh. He also took a no-hit bid into the eighth against Colorado in May.

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