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Sports Briefs: Phillies pick up $9 million option for staff ace Lee
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Published: November 7, 2009
Updated: 11/07/2009 12:15 am
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies have picked up Cliff Lee's $9 million option for 2010, announcing the expected move yesterday. Lee's contract expires after next season, but General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said that the team is open to signing him to a long-term deal.
Lee, 31, was acquired from the Cleveland Indians on July 29 for four minor leaguers, and quickly became Philadelphia's ace. He posted a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts for the Phillies, then went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five postseason outings, including a 2-0 record in the World Series.
Lee might command a deal similar to the seven-year, $161 million contract that the Yankees gave C.C. Sabathia. Lee told MLB.com on Thursday that he's interested in staying with the Phillies but had not given much thought to his contract.
The Phillies have until Monday to decide whether to pick up a $5 million option on third baseman Pedro Feliz, who batted .266 with 12 homers in 2009, hitting mostly seventh in the lineup.
With Lee in the fold next season, the Phillies have $104.5 million committed to 12 players, and are expected to give raises to four salary-arbitration eligible players -- Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Carlos Ruiz and Chad Durbin.
More baseball
■ The Arizona Diamondbacks exercised Brandon Webb's $8.5 million option yesterday, a vote of confidence that he can come back successfully from shoulder surgery. Webb, 30 and a former Cy Young Award winner, was the team's opening-day pitcher but didn't take the mound again the rest of the year and had surgery on his pitching shoulder Aug. 4.
Arizona would have had to pay a $2 million buyout if it had declined the option. Webb won the 2006 NL Cy Young Award and was second in voting the next two years. He is 87-62 with a 3.27 ERA in seven seasons.
■ Tim Belcher, formerly a Cleveland Indians' special assistant, is the team's new pitching coach, the first member of Manager Manny Acta's staff. Belcher has spent the past eight years working with pitchers at all levels of Cleveland's farm system and has scouted other teams. Acta, hired as Cleveland's manager Oct. 25, is expected to fill out the rest of his coaching staff in the next few days.
■ The Minnesota Twins acquired shortstop J.J. Hardy yesterday and sent speedy outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade. The move relieves a crowded outfield for the Twins, who also have Delmon Young, Denard Span and Michael Cuddyer.
Hardy, 27, batted .229 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs in 115 games for the Brewers this year. He has a career batting average of .262 with 75 home runs and 265 RBI in 571 games.
■ The Chicago White Sox have declined the mutual option on Jermaine Dye, a veteran right fielder and former World Series MVP and have cleared the way for him to become a free agent. Dye will get a buyout of $950,000 instead of $12 million he could have made in salary next season. Dye batted .250 with 27 home runs and 81 RBIs in 141 games this season.
■ The New York Mets have declined an option on reliever J.J. Putz, making him eligible for free agency.
Putz was scheduled to make $9.1 million in 2010. Instead, the Mets decided to pay him a $1 million buyout.
Putz was 1-4 with two saves and a 5.22 ERA in his first season with New York. The Mets got him a trade with Seattle last offseason to be the setup man for Francisco Rodriguez.
■ Manny Ramirez is coming back to the Los Angeles Dodgers next season.
The team said yesterday that the slugger exercised his $20 million contract option for 2010. Agent Scott Boras said that he told Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti of the decision.
Ramirez hit .290 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs in 104 regular season games.
■ The Milwaukee Brewers have declined a $3.7 million club option on reliever David Weathers for next season.
Weathers arrived in Milwaukee in a trade with Cincinnati in August and went 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA the rest of the year. He gets a $400,000 buyout and is eligible for free agency.
Basketball
■ Deon Thompson had 23 points and eight rebounds to help No. 6 North Carolina beat Belmont Abbey 107-59 in an exhibition game last night in Chapel Hill.
Tyler Zeller scored 17 points for UNC, while Ed Davis added 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks. The Tar Heels shot 57 percent and held a 56-36 advantage on the boards.
The Tar Heels will open the regular season Monday against Florida International.
Richard Barbee scored 15 points for the Crusaders.
■ Donald Sims scored 33 points to lead Appalachian State past Mars Hill 94-81 in an exhibition game last night in Boone. Sims was 11 of 13 from the field.
Miscellaneous
■ Long shots ruled the opening day of the Breeders' Cup yesterday in Arcadia, Calif., with American horses winning three races and European horses winning two.
Jockey Julien Leparoux rode two winners.
Man of Iron opened the card with a thrilling nose victory over 9-year-old gelding Cloudy's Knight in the $500,000 Marathon, the day's only race featuring males.
Man of Iron covered 1 3/4 miles in 2:54.11 under John Murtagh, giving Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien his fourth career Breeders' Cup victory.
Midday gave Europe its other victory, winning the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf by a length.
She Be Wild charged along the rail to win the $2 million Juvenile Fillies by three-quarters of a length under Leparoux.
The $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf was won by Tapitsfly, who held off Rose Catherine by a half-length.
Informed Decision won the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint by 11/4 lengths over defending champion Ventura, giving Leparoux his second win of the day.
■ New Mexico has indefinitely suspended soccer player Elizabeth Lambert for her actions in a Mountain West Conference Tournament semifinal. Lambert, a junior defender, is shown in video highlights throwing elbows, taking out BYU players at the legs and finally yanking BYU's Kassidy Shumway to the ground by pulling her ponytail.
Highlights have been airing nationally since Thursday night. Lambert issued an apology yesterday, saying she let her emotions get out of hand during the BYU's 1-0 win.
She wasn't alone. One of the highlights shows Lambert taking an elbow to the ribs from a BYU player during a dead ball, then responding with an elbow to the back.
■ The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected Claudia Pechstein's request to compete in speedskating World Cup races while she awaits a ruling on her appeal of a doping suspension. Pechstein is a five-time Olympics champion from Germany.
, is appealing a two-year ban imposed by the International Skating Union for suspected blood doping. She had been told she cannot race before the court delivers a verdict, which is expected within two weeks.
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