Tigers, Closer Todd Jones Reach Deal, Sabathia wins AL Cy Young Award

Nov 14

Tigers, Closer Todd Jones Reach Deal, Sabathia wins AL Cy Young Award

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The Detroit Tigers announced on Tuesday a deal to re-sign 39 year old veteran closer Todd Jones.Â

Jones, who had 38 saves for the Tigers last season; 117 saves over the last 3 seasons and 4 more in the 2006 post-season including their only win in the 2006Â World Series, signed a one year, $7 million dollar deal in what has to be an indicator of the going rate for the current crop of free agent and arbitration-eligible closers.Â In fact, MLB’s Ken Mandel indicates that newly acquired Phillies closer Brad Lidge may command in the $7 million range through the arbitration process.Â Lidge, however, bests Jones’ lifetime ERA by .63, Jones standing at 3.93 and Lidge at 3.30 ERA.

AP Sports Writer Larry Lage provides background for Yahoo sports;

“For us, he’s done a quality job for the last couple years and for us, a real big need for him to come back and fill that closer role,” Tigers president Dave Dombrowski said.

Re-signing Jones became even more important for Detroit when hard-throwing reliever Joel Zumaya had shoulder surgery, costing him at least the first half of the 2008 season.

MLB.com’s Jason Beck adds these comments from Jones about the deal;

“Ultimately, the team that I think had the best chance to win was Detroit,” Jones said. “And the team that I was most comfortable with is Detroit. And where my heart is, is in Detroit. It’s just great. I just appreciate the Tigers letting me kick tires and letting me look around with no hard feelings. Because in an industry where ultimately it can sometimes become a very harsh business, [president/general manager] Dave [Dombrowski] and I maintain a wonderful, professional relationship.”

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The American League announced on Tuesday that Cleveland lefthander C.C. Sabathia, with a 2007 season record of 19-7, 209 strikeouts, only 37 walks in 241 innings pitched and a 3.09 ERA, is their AL Cy Young Award winner.Â

AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick provides background for Yahoo sports;

C.C. Sabathia won the AL Cy Young Award… beating out several worthy contenders by a comfortable margin and becoming the first Cleveland pitcher in 35 years to earn the honor.

The Indians ace received 19 of 28 first-place votes and finished with 119 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Â Boston’s Josh Beckett was second with eight first-place votes and 86 points…

“I was excited. My family and everybody were around,” Sabathia said on a conference call from his home in California. “I was surprised. Beckett had a great year and an even better postseason.”

Beckett (20-7) became the only big league pitcher to win 20 games since 2005, compiling a 3.27 ERA in 200 2-3 innings…

Voting took place before the postseason, when Sabathia struggled while Beckett pitched the Red Sox to a World Series championship with a string of dominant outings.

The only other Cleveland pitcher to win the award was Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972. Now that he has one, Sabathia plans to display his trophy prominently at home.

Sabathia is the first black pitcher to win a Cy Young Award since Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets in 1985 — and the first in the AL since Oakland’s Vida Blue in 1971.

“That’s awesome to be mentioned with him,” said Sabathia, adding that he attended a recent meeting designed to foster ideas for how to generate more interest in baseball among black kids.

While the top four Cy Young candidates had similar statistics, Sabathia’s stamina apparently set him apart. After being sidelined by injuries the previous two seasons, the 6-foot-7, 290-pound left-hander stayed healthy all year and made 34 starts to Beckett’s 30. That helped account for their wide gap in innings pitched.

If balloting had included their October results, however, the outcome might have been different. Beckett beat Sabathia twice in the AL championship series and went 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA in four postseason starts, striking out 35 and walking two. Sabathia was 1-2 with an 8.80 ERA and 13 walks in three playoff outings.