FanHouse Contract Extension

Last Sunday word leaked out from Yahoo!'s Jeff Passan that the Boston Red Sox had signed Jon Lester to a five-year contract extension. Passan had cited "a source close to the team" in his report. On Monday a source even closer, Jon Lester himself, said no deal had been agreed upon.

Lester expressed at the same time his desire to work out a long-term deal with the team, and now he's gotten his wish.

There haven't been a lot of things that have gone right for the Baltimore Orioles in recent years as the team just hasn't been able to find a way to compete with the big dogs of the AL East despite repeated attempts to buy legitimacy in free agency. It seems as if the Orioles haven't paid much attention to the fact that while big free agents are nice additions to a ballclub, a team can't win if it doesn't accumulate young talent and keep those kids in town.

Which is why Orioles fans are going to be happy to hear that Nick Markakis will be manning right field in Camden Yards until sometime in 2014, or the end of the world, whichever comes first. According to the Baltimore Sun, the team is on the verge of signing Markakis to a six-year extension.

The Indians have signed Jake Westbrook to a three-year extension worth $33 million. That's Michael David Smith money! The team plans to hold a press conference at 4:30PM Est. to announce the deal.

The Tribe began contract negotiations with Westbrook, who would have been eligible for free agency after the '07 season, during Spring Training. The two sides had enough momentum toward a deal to prolong the talks into the season.

Westbrook's 44 victories between 2004-06 were tied for fifth-most among American League pitchers, behind Johan Santana (55), Kenny Rogers (49) and Jon Garland (48). He's one of just four AL pitchers to post at least 14 wins in each of the last three seasons, joining Santana, Rogers and teammate Cliff Lee.

The Indians had also been looking to work out deals with C.C. Sabathia and Travis Hafner this spring, and there's no telling what this deal means for those two. One of the reasons that Westbrook may have received a deal before Sabathia is his durability.

While it's pretty obvious that Sabathia has the superior stuff, he's also had trouble staying on the mound in recent seasons. That's not the case with Westbrook.

Westbrook has pitched at least 210 innings every year since 2004. Sabathia has only pitched 210 innings once, and that was back in 2002.

I'm not too sure that the Indians will re-sign Sabathia. They are still talking with Travis Hafner about a new deal, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear news about that in the coming weeks, but after they make that deal I'm not sure the economics of the situation will allow the Indians to keep Sabathia. Especially with the amount of money a left hander like Sabathia could command on the free-agent market.


Previously at the Fanhouse:
The Indians Are Giving Money Away, Seriously
Sabathia Looking To Cash In

Yuniesky Betancourt's journey to Seattle, Washington was a long one. Three years ago the 25-year old was floating on a makeshift raft from Cuba to the United States. On Wednesday he received the award for his struggles as he signed a three-year extension with the Mariners.

"It is a pretty big change, and I want to thank the organization for giving me this opportunity and not having to go anywhere else," Betancourt said through an interpreter. "This is the first team that I signed with, I like the city, I like the team and I really enjoy my teammates. It would be really sad if I had to leave."

"I was surprised at how fast this came together," he said, "but this is where I wanted to be, so there was no reason to wait any longer. I'm sure [my family is] very happy, but up until today, I didn't know much about it."

Betancourt always impressed the Mariners with his solid defense, but in his first full season as a Major Leaguer he also showed that he's becoming a complete player. Yuni hit .289 for Seattle last season with 42 extra base hits and 47 RBI.

Under his current contract, he currently makes $450,000 annually, and the extension will keep him in Seattle through 2011, with a club option for 2012. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but Yuni should be able to afford a better boat if the desire to return to Cuba ever surfaces.

Ironically, it's because of Betancourt's raft trip to the States that he won't be able to play in Seattle's next game on Friday in Cleveland. That's because he'll be in Miami to testify at the trial of Gustavo Dominguez. Dominguez is the man accused of smuggling Betancourt and 52 other players from Cuba to the United States.