Kansas City Royals re-sign Jeremy Guthrie for next season – MLB Update
Starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie has signed on a three year $25 million contract with the Kansas City Royals, reports a leading sports website.
The club made the official announcement on Tuesday evening, adding that the starter will be making $5 million in his first year, $11 million in 2014 and $9 million in 2015. He will also be eligible for performance based incentives.
Guthrie was acquired from the Colorado Rockies last season in a trade involving pitcher Jonathan Sanchez. He did not take too long to show the Royals the stuff he is capable of. Guthrie finished the season with a decent 5-3 record with a 3.16 ERA in 14 starts.
The Royals won 10 out of 14 games Guthrie started last season, including 10 wins in his final 11 starts. Guthrie ended the season on an extremely bright note, going 4-0 with an incredible 2.17 ERA in his final 11 starts.
"The way I pitched in Kansas City was much more indicative of how I've pitched over the course of my career," said Guthrie, who is 55-77 with a 4.28 ERA over parts of nine seasons.
"I'm happy to be part of it, and I'm happy they wanted me as one of their pitchers going forward," said Guthrie, who earned $8.2 million last season. "This gives them the ability to focus all their energies on getting another starting pitcher."
"I believe in myself," he said. "I made a couple of minor adjustments. I don't think I changed everything.”
The 33-year-old is one of the most durable and reliable pitchers in the game. Perhaps most importantly, he loves pitching at Kauffman Stadium. Guthrie went 4-2 with a sensational 2.40 ERA in nine outings at Kauffman Park last season.
It will be interesting to see if Guthrie can give similar results in the next season as well to help the Royals reach the playoffs. At least, this is what the skipper Ned Yost will be expecting from him.
Guthrie will be looking to put in a good performance for the Royals as they prepare during the offseason for the upcoming Spring Training sessions.
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