Brewers, Weeks agree to 4-year, $38.5M extension with vesting option

[craigharmann]

I think this is fantastic! Now, if Marcum and Grienke (or at least one of the two) can be signed long term, maybe there's a shot at getting Prince. Anyway, there sure seems to be lots of hope for non-Bucks Wisconsin sports teams!

[splitterpfj]

I'm thrilled by this news! I'm chasing a comment...if I get one, I'll put it here.

[Iron Chef Napalm]

I've personally never been a big fan of Weeks, but I see how this is good deal for the team. I just wish they would have spent the money on a SS.

[Trowekamp]

he was getting 6.5 million this year anyway so in the event of a major injury / benching this turns into a 3 year / 32.5 mil deal.. that is worse case scenario..

 

I think the Brewers covered themselves pretty well... with Hart / Braun / Weeks / Gallardo I would be interested to see how much money they will have saved themselves by this deal. Braun alone will be a huge steal....

[PrinceFielderx1]

Rickie Weeks potentially left a lot of money on the table by signing this deal. If he repeated 2010 performance in 2011 he could have gotten 13 million a year.

[TooLiveBrew]

Stay healthy, my friend.

http://i.min.us/ijACoA.jpg

 

 

Took me a while to craft this (& it's not very good anyway)... but your well-wishes instantly made me think of The Most Interesting Man in the World.

[gregmag]

Great news. This is a highly rational deal -- I can't imagine how the years, dollars, and conditions could make a lot more sense. Congratulations to Rickie Weeks and the Brewers.

[fondybrewfan]

Details are out

 

2011- $4M Signing Bonus, $3.5M Salary

2012- $10M

2013- $10M

2014- $11M

 

Plus the 2015 option

[prophet]

Besides all the baseball related reasons I wanted Rickie to stay, I also have my own selfish reasons. I purchased a Weeks jersey during his rookie season, and I now have at least 4 additional years, and maybe more if he retires a Brewers' legend, to rock my Weeks jersey!

Dude, I totally understand your selfishness. I was afraid my Weeks jersey was going to go on the pile with my Sheets, Sexson, Turnbow, and soon Fielder jerseys. I can finally wear the same jersey for more than two seasons.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Awesome deal. Loving it more and more as we go.

[TooLiveBrew]

Details are out

 

2011- $4M Signing Bonus, $3.5M Salary

2012- $10M

2013- $10M

2014- $11M

 

Plus the 2015 option

 

Nicely done, Gord Ash. This is a great contract for both sides, but Rickie definitely seems to have given some form of hometown discount. Congrats to Rickie & his family. I just re-read the excellent story MLB.com did on the Weeks family in 2008. And, of course, it includes this picture of very young Rickie (standing) with Rickie Sr. & Jemile:

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2008/06/11/dQsSEkVC.jpg

[derflotr]

I love Rickie as a player as much as the next guy, but all of these guarantees for a guy who's played one nice, full season out of six? There's always a risk with long-term deals but I can't help but feel this one's as risky as any. But I'm truly happy for Rickie and his family. We all know he'll earn it as long as he's on the field.

[Point Beer Is Best]

Sweet, I just won a pool at work. I guessed 4/$36M with a $12M option (5/$48) and actual was 4/$38.5M with $11.5M option (5/$50M).

[Invader3K]

Apparently Gord Ash took a sort of dig at Prince Fielder while talking with the press, which Tom Haudricourt related:

 

Gord Ash said this of Weeks: "He's made a statement. He wants to stay here." We all took that as a reference to Prince Fielder.

[pretendastronaut]

Posted to the Brewers' Facebook page;

 

We want to show the fans in Milwaukee that we want to win as much as they want us to win. We are going to work hard all season. I want to win now," Rickie Weeks.

[logan82]

Apparently Gord Ash took a sort of dig at Prince Fielder while talking with the press, which Tom Haudricourt related:

 

Gord Ash said this of Weeks: "He's made a statement. He wants to stay here." We all took that as a reference to Prince Fielder.

Seems like a pretty standard GM statement to me. I think we probably heard something similar when Mauer, Sheets, Braun, Gallardo and Hart signed extensions. Pretty mush most players that resigned with their teams before free agency. I think TH and many other people have Fielder on the brain.

[Schlitz001]

This is great. It's going to make the Brewers look really smart when Rickie puts up another big season.

[prophet]

Great article Too Live. I hadn't read that before now, even though I knew the basic story. It really is no wonder that, with his family, Rickie is so grounded and has always seemed mature beyond his years. I wish the Crew could have signed his brother when they drafted him, but I wish him the best with Oakland. If he has any of Rickie in him, I'm sure he'll be successful no matter what. Really excited about this signing.

[WisconsinSportsRule]

Really happy about this. Didn't want to imagine what would have happened if we lost Prince AND Rickie in the same year.

 

I've a pretty big Rickie fan, but like most of us, just wanted him to stay healthy to see what he could do.

[joepepsi]

Great contract. Brian Roberts signed a 4 year/$40 million deal that started in his age 32 season. Roberts has been a very good player, but given Rickie's age and talent, this is truly a hometown discount.

[pitchleague]

pretty nice deal for the Brewers and for Rickie. Glad this ordeal is over, too.

 

Seems like just a week ago that I was reading here that things weren't looking too good.

[BrewCrewForever]

Love this deal. Rickie is just hitting his prime. Of course he hast to stay healthy, but if he does he will easily be worth every penny of this contract. Feels good to know we have Braun, Weeks, Hart and Gallardo all locked up.

[TooLiveBrew]

Of course he hast to stay healthy, but if he does he will easily be worth every penny of this contract.

 

Jack Moore, who also writes for FanGraphs & maintains the Disciples of Uecker blog, posted a blog piece for ESPN's Sweet Spot blog that addresses the value of the contract.

 

At close to $10 million per season, the Brewers are paying for fewer than two Wins Above Replacement (WAR) yearly out of Weeks once we account for long-term salary inflation. Weeks produced a whopping 6.1 WAR in the 2010 season, and even though that kind of production may just be a career year, Weeks is a good bet to eclipse the 2 WAR total on a yearly basis.

...

 

The Brewers will be able to escape with relatively little damage should the injury problems strike again, and Weeks is quite likely to be worth much more than his contract while he's on the field. Much like the deals the Brewers have in place with franchise cornerstones Yovani Gallardo and Ryan Braun, this deal gives the team the flexibility to continue to add talent while retaining a very good player for a long time.

[Gobias Industries]

Took me a while to craft this (& it's not very good anyway)... but your well-wishes instantly made me think of The Most Interesting Man in the World.

Well done! That's kinda what I was going for.

[dlk9s]

But can he pitch?