Results tagged ‘ Jake Westbrook ’

Terms on Westbrook’s deal

A source close to the negotiations has confirmed the terms of Jake Westbrook’s new contract with the Cardinals.

Westbrook will receive $16.5 million guaranteed — $8 million in 2011 and $8.5 million in 2012. Following that, he has a mutual option.
After the 2012 season, Westbrook has the right to opt out of the deal. If he does so, he’s a free agent with no additional money coming his way — so it is possible that the bare minimum he will receive on the deal is $16.5 million. 
If he does NOT opt out, the option then goes to the Cardinals. They can exercise his 2013 option at a value of $8.5 million, or buy the option out for $1 million. So he would receive $17.5 million total if the club buys out the option, and $25 million total if the third year is exercised.
Additionally, Westbrook received blanket no-trade protection. There are no incentive clauses in the deal.
–Matthew Leach

Cardinals, Westbrook agree

The Cardinals can scratch item No. 1 off of their offseason shopping list.

St. Louis locked up right-hander Jake Westbrook on Tuesday, signing the veteran starter to a two-year deal with a mutual option for 2013. The club did not announce the financial terms.
“Having Jake signed is a great start to our off-season,” general manager John Mozeliak said in a release issued by the club.  ”We witnessed first-hand last season what a terrific competitor he is and how well he fits in with our pitching staff.”
Westbrook, who turned 33 shortly before the season ended, pitched very well for St. Louis after he was acquired in a trade from Cleveland at the non-waiver Trade Deadline. He went 4-4 in 12 starts with a 3.48 ERA, striking out 55 against 24 walks.
Getting Westbrook under contract means that the Cardinals’ starting rotation for 2011 is set for the time being. Westbrook joins Cy Young runner-up Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia and Kyle Lohse in what should be one of the National League’s better starting fives.
It’s still possible that the Cardinals will look to acquire a veteran swingman to provide extra insurance and rotation depth.
– Matthew Leach

Roundup: Trade Deadline comes and goes


That’s it. The non-waiver Trade Deadline has now passed, and the dust
has settled. Several big-name players — like Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt,
Dan Haren and Lance Berkman — wound up switching teams, while
several notable trade candidates — such as Adam Dunn, Jayson Werth,
Scott  Downs, Brett Myers and Prince Fielder –
stayed put. 

Here’s a look at what did
happen Saturday … 

* The Dodgers acquired the best remaining starting pitcher on the
market, post-Oswalt, by swinging a deal for Lilly of the Cubs in
the afternoon. In the deal, the southpaw — a free agent after this season and
making $12 million in 2010 — infielder Ryan Theriot and $2.5 million go to Los Angeles, while infielder Blake
DeWitt and Minor League right-handed-pitching prospects Kyle Smit
and Brett Wallach head
to Chicago. 

* The Cardinals officially acquired Indians pitcher Jake
Westbrook in a three-team deal with the Indians and Padres. Westbrook
was scratched from his Saturday start as the deal was set into motion. The
Padres acquired Ryan Ludwick from the Cards, while Padres prospect
Cory Kluber was sent to
Cleveland and pitcher Nick Greenwood went to St. Louis.

* The Yankees made some big moves (surprised?). They solidified the designated-hitter role by
getting Berkman from the Astros, bolstered their outfield with the
acquisition of Austin Kearns from the Indians, and on Saturday, added an arm to the bullpen by getting
another Cleveland piece, closer Kerry Wood (acquired for a player to be
named later or cash). 

* A few other relievers were dealt just before the 4 p.m. ET Deadline.
Coveted left-hander Will Ohman went to the Marlins in exchange for Minor
League right-hander Rick VandenHurk; Pirates closer Octavio Dotel
was dealt to the Dodgers for right-hander James
McDonald and Minor League outfielder Andrew Lambo; Dotel’s
teammate, lefty Javier Lopez, was sent to the Giants for a couple of Minor
Leaguers; and the Giants got Ramon Ramirez from the Red Sox. 

* Just before the Deadline, the Red Sox got catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia from the
Rangers in exchange for two prospects — right-hander Ramon Mendez and
first baseman Chris McGuiness — and a player to be named later or cash. 

* The Braves bolstered their bullpen and got some needed help in
the outfield by swinging a last-minute deal with the Royals, one
that brought right-hander Kyle
Farnsworth and outfielder Rick Ankiel (along with cash
considerations) to Atlanta in exchange for outfielder Gregor Blanco,
right-hander Jesse Chavez and Minor League lefty Tim Collins. 

* The Diamondbacks acquired outfielder Ryan Church,
infielder Bobby Crosby and reliever D.J. Carrasco from the
Pirates in exchange for catcher Chris Snyder and Minor League shortstop Pedro
Ciriaco. 

* Looking to strengthen their bullpen, the
Rays nabbed veteran right-handed reliever Chad Qualls from the D-backs. 

* In what would have been a true Deadline blockbuster, FoxSports.com is reporting on Saturday that
the White Sox had been trying to acquire Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers,
but the Dodgers didn’t bite on the first attempt. 

– Alden Gonzalez and Bailey Stephens

Bay to DL signals status quo for Frenchy

The byproduct of Jason Bay’s assignment to the disabled list Friday is that the Mets can no longer afford to trade Jeff Francoeur for pitching. As long as Bay remains disabled, the Mets will need Francoeur to man right field for them, meaning they cannot deal him for anything other than another outfielder — and, barring a salary dump, there isn’t much point to that.

With Francoeur off the block, the Mets don’t appear primed to do much before Saturday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline. Unable to acquire one of the three top-flight starting pitchers available on the market, the Mets are hardly enthused with the prospect of dealing for a lesser starter — a Jake Westbrook, Ted Lilly, Paul Maholm type. And they — like every other team — have experienced sticker shock on the few quality relievers available.

For the Mets to make the playoffs, then, it appears they’re going to have to win with what they have.

–Anthony DiComo

Roundup: Berkman close to joining Yanks

The Yankees now look poised to land Lance Berkman from the Astros, a source told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. 
Berkman has the right to reject any trade as a 10-and-5 player (10 years in the league, five with one team), but he was approached by general manager Ed Wade a couple of days ago with a list of eight teams be to and approved four, including the Yankees. 
According to The New York Post, the deal is done, though it won’t be official until another 24 hours. 
The 34-year-old Berkman is making $14.5 million this season and has a $15 million club option for the 2011 season, with a $2 million buyout. With the Yankees, he’d likely serve as a designated hitter — a revolving door for the club all year — but he can also fill in at first base and in the outfield corners if needed. 
With Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline looming overhead, here’s more from around the league … 
* The White Sox acquired some depth for their starting rotation on Friday afternoon, when they swung a deal with the Diamondbacks to bring right-hander Edwin Jackson to the South Side. In the trade, Chicago parted ways with one of its top pitching prospects, righty Daniel Hudson, and Minor League lefty David Holmberg. 
* The Rangers, in need of second-base help with Ian Kinsler on the disabled list, acquired veteran middle infielder Cristian Guzman for prospects. Guzman is making $8 million in the final year of his contract this season. 
* Baseball sources told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick that the Dodgers and Cubs have been discussing a deal that would send left-handed starter Ted Lilly back to Los Angeles. The Dodgers would also like to include infielder Ryan Theriot in the deal and would want Chicago to eat up some of Lilly’s remaining contract, according to FOXSports.com. Lilly, the best starting pitcher remaining in the market, has $4.3 million left in his expiring contract. 
* The Blue Jays acquired Mets Triple-A first baseman Mike Jacobs for a player to be named later. Jacobs will report to the Blue Jays’ Minor League affiliate. 

* While looking at what happened today and what could happen before 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, we’ll also look back. Roy Oswalt to the Phillies, Jorge Cantu to the Rangers, Miguel Tejada to the Padres and Matt Capps to the Twins were the biggest moves made prior to Friday, in what has still been a rather slow-moving Trade Deadline. 

– Alden Gonzalez

Indians’ options not drawing great deal of interest

It’s been a quiet trading season for the Indians, relative to 2008 and 2009, because the club doesn’t have the commodities (read: CC Sabathia, Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee, among others) it had in those years.
The blister that landed closer Kerry Wood on the disabled list means Wood is doubtful to be dealt before the July 31 Trade Deadline. But Wood’s $10.5 million contract makes him an obvious candidate to clear waivers and be dealt in July. If the Indians are willing to pay all or a portion of his remaining salary, then Wood’s stuff might be attractive to a contender looking for setup help.
Starter Jake Westbrook, making $11 million, could also be dealt in August.
Third baseman Jhonny Peralta has received little to no interest, though FOXSports.com, without citing any sources, claimed Peralta could be a bench option for the Yankees.
There was some interest among contenders in Austin Kearns last month, but his bat has slowed and he’s now dealing with a knee injury.
–Anthony Castrovince

Roundup: A Lowell-to-Rangers revival?

One of the biggest surprises of the offseason came when the Rangers nixed a proposed deal to acquire Mike Lowell, which led to one of the more uncomfortable situations in baseball, considering Lowell knew the Red Sox were looking to deal him and just couldn’t find a match. Well, according to a report by WEEI.com, we may have Lowell to Texas Part II. The Web site attributed an unnamed Major League source that the Rangers “continue to monitor” the status of Lowell — currently on the DL with soreness in his surgically repaired hip — and could have “increased interest” in a deal. 
The Red Sox and Rangers have continued to talk throughout the season about the possibility of bringing the previously vetoed deal back to life, according to the site. Texas would be interested because it just dealt Justin Smoak to the Rangers to acquire Cliff Lee, and current first baseman Chris Davis (.203 batting average, zero home runs in 19 games) is struggling. Still, the Rangers, according to WEEI.com, will continue to look for other trade options before pulling the trigger on another Lowell deal. 
Here’s more from around the league … 
* The Mets, as a surprise to no one, are in the market for starting pitching. ESPN’s Buster Olney named Jake Westbrook, Ted Lilly and — wait for it — Brett Myers as rotation candidates they’ve kept tabs on. 
* The Marlins could be on the verge of making a move, considering manager Edwin Rodriguez said Thursday that he’s thinking about plugging Emilio Bonifacio into the leadoff spot, even though there’s seemingly no position for him at the moment. Can that mean Cody Ross, Jorge Cantu or Dan Uggla are moved relatively soon? As MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes, this homestand could decide what course of action Florida takes in regards to the non-waiver Trade Deadline. 
* Struggling left-hander Dontrelle Willis was prepared to sit out the rest of the 2010 season, but the Giants gave him another shot with a Minor League contract, and the Alameda, Calif., product accepted. 
* A couple of rather notable bullpen moves were made late Thursday afternoon. The Reds signed 41-year-old right-hander Russ Springer, and the Phillies designated 36-year-old righty Nelson Figueroa for assignment. Meanwhile, GM Walt Jocketty may not be done tweaking the Reds’ bullpen just yet, writes MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. 
* Could Joba Chamberlain be next? That’s a question being posed by ESPNNewYork.com’s Andrew Marchand, who believes Chamberlain’s struggles (a 5.79 ERA in 37 1/3 innings) could lead to him being replaced before the Trade Deadline. 
* The Mariners signed three international prospects on Friday, according to Baseball America — Dominican outfielder Phillips Castillo ($2.2 million), Colombian right-hander Jose Torres ($851,000) and Venezuelan third baseman Yordyn Calderon ($477,500). 
* The Giants have long been linked to Royals outfielder David DeJesus. But it might be his teammate, Jose Guillen, who they end up acquiring, writes MLB.com’s Chris Haft. 
– Alden Gonzalez

Padres: Thumper wanted (and a pitcher) …

As the Padres open the second half of the season on Friday, they do so with a two-game lead in the National League West and a short list of ‘wants’ to add to their 25-man roster.

Pecking order? It’s something like 1a and 1b, as the Padres are having, what first-year general manager Jed Hoyer says, are “a lot of discussions” with teams.

The Padres seek another starting pitcher for their staff, as they’re watching the innings of not only 22-year-old Mat Latos but Clayton Richard and Wade LeBlanc. Could Jeremy Guthrie, Ted Lilly or Jake Westbrook fit here?

The Padres have said they’ll add payroll if needed.

The Padres also covet a bat, preferably someone who can help a lineup that has the third-worst home run total in the National League (behind Houston and Pittsburgh). Maybe Miguel Tejada makes sense? Sure, he’s not the thumper he once was but the Padres would love to get more offensively from the shortstop position and have someone to spell Chase Headley at third base on occasion.

Stay tuned, things could get interesting.

– Corey Brock, MLB.com, Twitter: @FollowThePadres Facebook: Follow The Padres

Indians open for business

The Indians already fired their first shot of the Trade Deadline season on Saturday, when they dealt Russell Branyan to the Mariners. They’re certainly not done.
The Tribe is open to trading left fielder Austin Kearns, third baseman Jhonny Peralta, closer Kerry Wood and right-hander Jake Westbrook, all veterans in the last year of their contract. Peralta has a $7 million club option for 2011 that likely won’t be exercised.
Interest in the above names has been marginal, at best. Kearns, making just $750,000 and having a resurgent season, is attractive to some contenders as a fourth outfielder type, but the Indians currently value him as an everyday player and have the asking price to match. The Red Sox are one club that has inquired about Kearns.
Westbrook has been inconsistent this season and is making $11 million. He could be a guy who passes through waivers unclaimed because of his salary and is still eligible to be dealt in August. But the Indians will certainly see if there’s a market for him beforehand, as he could be a nice back-end rotation option for a contender.
– Anthony Castrovince
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