A's, Doolittle Agree to Contract Extension

Bob Levey/Getty Images

The Oakland Athletics and left handed reliever Sean Doolittle have agreed to a new five-year contract that will take him from this season through the 2018 season the club announced Friday. The contract includes club options for 2019 and 2020. The first five years of the new contract take Doolittle through his first three years of arbitration. If the club decides to utilize their options for 2019 and 2020 it will cover his first two years of free-agency. No financial terms of the contract were announced but should be within days.

Doolittle was converted from a first baseman to a pitcher in just 2011 and primarily only threw a fastball for his first two seasons in the majors. He made the fastball work for him by starting very far to the first base side of the rubber as well as having an unusual release point right next to his ear. It made it hard for players to see the pitch clearly and it has worked for him nicely.

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Contract Year: Time for Big Decisions for Scherzer, Lester

A lot of players right now are talking contracts. Whether it means they are in a contract year like the Boston Red Sox Jon Lester or the Detroit Tigers Max Scherzer or they are being offered long term extensions with their current teams, such as the Atlanta Braves’ Freddie Freeman,Julio Teheran and Craig Kimbrel. These players are left with a lot of decisions to make. Of course every major contract is a gamble for every team, but major contract years/offers put a lot of pressure on players to make what could be life changing decisions.

For example, maybe Max Scherzer should have thought a little harder about the six-year $144 million contract the Detroit Tigers offered him to stay. Scherzer is going into a contract year with the Tigers and had the option of taking their offer or most likely becoming a free agent at the end of the 2014 season. He turned it down and now it appears that the offer is most likely not just off the table but far from it. Less than a week after not completing the deal with Scherzer, the Tigers’ agree to an astronomical 10-year, $292 million contract extension with one of the leagues best hitters and the 2012 Triple Crown Winner, Miguel Cabrera.

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Sports Unbiased - I am now the Lead American League Writer for the League Feed!!

So I've been informed that I will now be in charge of a part of The League Feed on Sports Unbiased. Which means a couple of things (and in a way it is more responsibility so really it is a promotion!!!!) - I will NOT be posting every article I write on this blog. All feature articles will be posted here on my blog with their respective links, but The League Feed on Sports Unbiased covers specifically breaking news, trades/transactions, contract signings/extensions and injury reports. So if you want to know what the latest is in Major League Baseball's American League be sure to remember this link:  

http://sportsunbiased.com/articles/league-feed/ 

I am going to be covering all of those breaking stories as they happen for the American League. It will also be featured on all MLB pages associated with Sports Unbiased. You can even subscribe to The League Feed if you like! 

Just wanted to put this new development in my budding writing career out there so you won't miss a beat. To be honest it is hard to post EVERYTHING on my sites (Sports Unbiased and OutsidePitchMLB) and on my blog. Especially when some of them are short, breaking stories where there is actually little information available! 

So PLEASE if you enjoy my writing and want to keep updated on the latest news for the American League - subscribe to the feed and I PROMISE to keep you informed .... Having just received this promotion today I will post the link to my first American League piece on Sports Unbiased League Feed. 

Here is the direct link to my first post as the American League writer for 

The League Feed: Twins Sign Closer Perkins to Four-Year Extension

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Thanks for giving a crap and here's to the 2014 Major League Baseball Season! 

AL West Updates: Rangers & Ron Washington, Angels & Mike Trout - Talk Extensions

Rangers, Ron Washington Agree to One-Year Extension

The Texas Rangers and manager Ron Washington have agreed on a one-year contract extension through the 2015 season. Washington will be entering his eighth and what would have been, without the extension, his final season with the Rangers.

Washington is the most successful manager in Texas Rangers’ history. He took the team all the way to the World Series in both 2010 and 2011. Those two appearances were the only World Series appearances the Rangers have ever made. Unfortunately for Washington and the Rangers both appearances ended in defeat. The Rangers were defeated by the San Francisco Giants in 2010 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011.

He has 611 wins in seven seasons with the Rangers which is the most ever for a Rangers’ manager and is also the fourth most of any manager since 2007.  His .538 winning percentage is yet another Texas Rangers record.

According to the Rangers’ general manager, Jon Daniels, there was never a question of whether or not Washinton’s contract would be extended.  Discussions between Washington and the club regarding the extension were ongoing throughout last season and the off season. They were not finalized, however, until last week. The announcement was officially made Monday after the team’s intrasquad game. The financial details of the extension have not yet been made available to the public.

Angels, Mike Trout Talk Six-Year Extension

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Mike Trout, 22, is arguably one of the best players in Major League Baseball. It shouldn’t be surprising that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are thinking about taking a page out of the Atlanta Braves’ playbook, wanting to lock down their young talent. According to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, the two parties have been discussing a six-year contract extension worth $150 million.

Really this appears to be a good deal any way you look at it for both the Angels and for Trout. Under the current circumstances, Trout will not even be eligible for salary arbitration until next year and won’t have free-agent status until 2017. As a young player without the extension, Trout, who has finished second in the American League MVP voting to the Detroit Tiger’s Miguel Cabrera his first two years in the league, won’t even make $1 million in 2014. His services and talent are, at least by the current going rates, worth much more than that.

With an extension the Angels are getting a young, healthy, MVP caliber player and Trout would end up making around $25 million next season alone. Another plus for Trout would be that once hitting free-agency he would only be 28-years old. At that age he will have made as much as many players make in a career and still be in his prime.

Last season Trout hit .323 with 39 doubles, nine triples, 27 homers, 97 RBI, 33 stolen bases and 109 runs scored. Players with numbers like that do not come along very often and the Angels should follow the Braves’ example. The Braves recently extended contracts with several of their young, talented players who like Trout will be eligible for free agency even with the extensions while still in their primes. A contract extension for Trout at this time seems like a win-win for both the player and the ball club.

For More Check Out Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source For Sports

Indians, Michael Brantley Agree to Four Year Contract Extension

Getty Images

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer,  Michael Brantley gave up his arbitration eligible status Monday to commit himself to the Cleveland Indians for the next four years. It must be pretty good being a member of the Cleveland Indians these days, getting a long-term and lucrative deal like this. The two had been in arbitration talks and this deal brings those to an end before the arbitration hearing that was scheduled for February 17th.

The contract is huge for Brantley. Prior to this contract Brantley had asked the Indians for $3.8 million while the club was offering him$2.7 million. Now, he stands to make up to $36 million. It is a guaranteed $6.25 million a year for the first four years and there is a club option for 2018 worth another $11 million if it is picked up.

Brantley has been in MLB for five years totaling three full years of service and this was his first time being eligible for arbitration.  He only made $526,900 in 2013.  At just 24 years old this gives Brantley stability for a good portion of his career.

The Indians seemed to have made the right decision in locking down Brantley, not unlike the Atlanta Braves locking down young stars like Freddie Freeman and Jason Heywood.

Freddie Freeman, Getty Images

Brantley is a healthy young kid who has only once, in five years, been on the disabled list. He has a career batting average of .277 with 26 career home runs and 212 career RBI. He stole 17 bases last season and his speed also helped him on defense as he split time between left and center field. His career fielding percentage is .994. In his five years with Cleveland he has only recorded seven errors and 21 outfield assists. He played in 151 out of 162 games in 2013 hitting .284 with 10 home runs, 73 RBI and .728 OPS.

For More News From Around the League Check Out MLB Nation!

Athletics, Coco Crisp Ink Two Year Contract Extension

Yes! Finally some news about my A's and not just news but I know for A's fans FANTASTIC NEWS! COCO IS LOCKED UP FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS, MAYBE EVEN 3!!

The Oakland Athletics had already exercised their $7.5 million option on CF Coco Crisp, 34, earlier this winter. Crisp was scheduled to become a free-agent next off season. As it seems, much to the delight of A's fans everywhere, Crisp will be wearing an Oakland uniform for at least the next two years.

The news was announced earlier this morning by the team and the contract details came through The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser. According to Slusser the deal is worth $22.75 million with a club option for 2017 based on plate appearances.

Crisp is coming off a career year in 2013. In 131 games with the Athletics he batted .261 with 22 doubles, a career-high 22 home runs, 21 stolen bases and 61 walks (compared to just 66 strike outs). He's been a stellar lead-off man for the Athletics and have great defensive capabilities.

As the news was posted on Facebook this morning the reaction to the news from A's fans sounded like this,

Larry Medina: Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
Randy T. Montgomery Jr.: #faithinbeane
Randy Smith: Hell ya love Coco!
Brad Washburn: I am HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!! I had to play the Bernie Lean song! Coco is the heart of this team!

And my personal reaction was "HELL F*CKING YEAH" ... coming from me that is shocking I know! LOL!

So Crisp definitely will be welcomed back with open arms by his fans. He has been quite a leader, cheerleader and creative comedian for the Athletics in recent years. He was the creator of the "Bernie Lean" craze of 2012 that took over Northern California and is seen by many as the heart and soul of the team. 

 This is not just coming from the fans. Before last fall's playoffs Manager Bob Melvin said, 

"I think everybody feeds off of Coco here, not necessarily just experience, just how good he is. I've said often when we're playing well, he's playing well. He sets the tone for us, and you've seen he's taken his game to a whole new level this year as far as the power dynamic goes."

Even former Detroit Tigers manager, Jim Leyland, said multiple times last season that the key to defeating the A's was containing Crisp. Crisp has a career .278 batting average in 30 post season games with both Boston and Oakland. 

Providing the A's with such team leadership and now power hitting along with defense, it is no wonder the Athletics want to keep him around for a while. 

For More on the Latest News Around the League visit MLB Nation

NFL: Jets, Rex Ryan Agree on Multi-Year Extension

Check it out guys! It is my second NFL article in a month! I must be branching out of my comfort zone! Woohoo! LOL!

It’s official, well almost, Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan is no longer a lame duck. Although it was confirmed in December by the Jets’ owner, Woody Johnson, that he intended to keep Ryan on for the 2014 season, thus leaving Ryan to coach into the last year of his contract, it appears that things have changed. It has been reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Ryan and the Jets have come to an agreement on a multi-year contract extension. The details of the contract are not yet public but what is known is that Ryan will be with the Jets for at least the next three years.

Image courtesy of Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Ryan was hired in 2009, taking on a Jets team that was coming of of consecutive non-playoff seasons. In the next two seasons he led he Jets to two straight AFC Championship games, losing one to Indianapolis and the other to Pittsburgh. In 2011, expectations for the Jets were high but they ended up at what was then a disappointing 8-8 season. The 2012 season brought about more disappointment for the Jets. The signing of quarterback Tim Tebow became a huge distraction and when quarterback Mark Sanchez played, he had an alarming number of turnovers. The Jets finished the 2012 season at 6-10.

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