Baseball, Mlb Contracts | featured news

Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers have reached agreement on a new contract that could exceed $202 million, according to sources. Verlander's deal, which would make him the highest-paid pitcher in the game, is for seven years and worth $180 million, sources said. A vesting option for an eighth year could push the deal to $202 million.

Allen Craig, coming off a breakout season with the St. Louis Cardinals, agreed Friday to a $31 million, five-year contract that could be worth $43 million over six seasons....

Outfielder Josh Hamilton and the Los Angeles Angels have finalized their $125 million, five-year contract.

Kevin Youkilis and the Yankees have finalized their $12 million, one-year contract, giving New York a third baseman for the first half of next season while Alex Rodriguez recovers from hip surgery....

The New York Mets, saddled by bad contracts, poor performance and financial woes in recent years, apparently never wavered in identifying David Wright as the player to help lead them out of this dark period. Early Friday, that notion became official when the club finalized a $138 million contract extension with their third baseman and all-time hits leader that will keep him in Flushing for the next eight years.

Last night the buzz coming from the winter meetings was that Albert Pujols wasn’t anywhere near making a decision, but either that was wrong or things changed dramatically overnight. Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reports that Pujols has agreed to sign with the Angels, getting a 10-year contract worth between $250 million and $260 million.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com confirms previous reports that the Marlins have offered Albert Pujols a 10-year contract and adds that the two sides are meeting again to address Pujols’ demand for a no-trade clause.

The suddenly splurging Miami Marlins landed their second big free agent in a matter of days, agreeing Sunday night to a $106 million, six-year contract with All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press....

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Philadelphia Phillies and closer Jonathan Papelbon have agreed to a $50 million, four-year contract.

For CC Sabathia, there's no better place to pitch than Yankee Stadium. The big left-hander decided to stay with New York rather than test the free-agent market, agreeing Monday to a new deal that adds $30 million and one season to his existing contract, giving him a package that pays $122 million over the next five years.