Associated Press
The baseball roundup..
NEW YORK ó Three days before the opening of the free-agent market, the Cleveland Indians acquired pitcher Derek Lowe from the Atlanta Braves for minor league left-hander Chris Jones on Monday in the first significant trade of the offseason.
Rather than become a free agent, CC Sabathia agreed to a new deal with the New York Yankees that adds an additional season and $30 million in guaranteed money, bringing the left-handerís total over the next five years to $122 million.
Several teams exercised contract options on pitchers, among them Tampa Bay on James Shields ($7.5 million), Texas on Colby Lewis ($4 million), Kansas City on Joakim Soria ($6 million) and the Chicago White Sox on Jason Frasor ($3.75 million).
LA RUSSA RETIRES
ST. LOUIS ó Tony La Russa waited until after the championship parade and then called a team meeting with his players.
ěWe didnít know what to expect,î said pitcher Chris Carpenter, who won Game 7 of the World Series against Texas on Friday night. ěI think we all figured it was just going to be like, ëThataway guys. Great year. Way to battle!í Instead, he dropped that on us. I think everybody was caught off-guard.î
And with that, the 67-year-old La Russa said goodbye to baseball and became the first manager to retire immediately after leading his team to a Series title ó the third of his career.
“I think this just feels like it’s time to end it,” he said Monday. “When I look in the mirror, I know I’d come back for the wrong reasons, and I didn’t want to do that.”
La Russa said he told general manager John Mozeliak of his decision in August ó before the Cards rallied from a 101/2-game deficit in the NL wild-card race to upset Philadelphia and Milwaukee in the playoffs.
LOWE GOES TO CLEVELAND
CLEVELAND ó Derek Loweís durability ó and price tag ó were too much for the Cleveland Indians to resist.
The club acquired the 15-year veteran pitcher from the Atlanta Braves on Monday for a minor leaguer, a low-risk move designed to bolster Clevelandís starting rotation.
The Indians got the 38-year-old Lowe, who has 166 career wins, in exchange for left-hander Chris Jones. As part of the deal, the Indians will only have to pay Lowe $5 million of the $15 million heís scheduled to make in 2012.
Lowe signed a four-year $60 million deal as a free agent with Atlanta before the 2009 season.