Rickie Weeks declares negotiations deadline to Milwaukee Brewers – MLB News
The Milwaukee Brewers are under a little pressure as Rickie Weeks has recently announced a deadline for contract extension negotiations up until the start of Spring Training.
In other words, the Brewers have very little time left if they want to extend Weeks contract for the next few seasons.
It looks like Weeks wants to focus on his performance as Spring Training starts and that is the main reason for the negotiation deadline. The player understands the importance to stay focused on his performance rather than cause distractions for the team
with constant negotiations of his contract extension.
After the 2011 regular season, Weeks will be eligible for free agency. It looks like the stalemate on his contract extension is due to the fact that the he wants $7.2 million where the Brewers are offering to pay him $4.85 million. Weeks had a tremendous
performance last season with 83 RBIs, 29 home-runs and he batted .269. He has overall batting averages of .253 and slugging percentage of .429 with 265 RBIs and an amazing 88 home-runs.
Although the Brewers are looking to sign Weeks for a multi-year contract, they are currently trying to get a one-year deal with him first. Rickie is adamant about not negotiating during Spring Training.
"No chance, after spring training," Rickie said. "I want to aim at my performance in the season.”
“I am happy to hear his statement,” Brewers’ assistant general manager Gord Ash said. “Players need to be like him. Forget about everything once you enter into the play ground.”
The Brewers seemingly appreciate the fact that Weeks is concentrating on his performance and does not want to be a distraction for the team with negotiations and media attention. The team understands the importance of Spring Training as it gives them the
opportunity to finalise their rotations and line-up for the upcoming regular season.
It will be interesting to see what the Brewers offer Weeks before Spring Training begins. The team will be looking to retain one of their top players as the regular season is creeping around the corner.
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