As one of baseball’s most promising young starters, the Southern California native likely could have commanded an enormous contract as an unrestricted free agent after next season.
“How much more do you need?” said Weaver, who is 14-6 with a 2.10 ERA this season. “Could have got more, whatever. Who cares?”
Still, Weaver’s deal is comparable to recent contracts for Detroit’s Justin Verlander and Seattle’s Felix Hernandez. And he said he just wasn’t interested in chasing “CC Sabathia money.”
“If $85 (million) isn’t enough to take care of my family and other generations of my family, then I’m pretty stupid,” Weaver said, getting a laugh from his fiancée, Kristin Travis.
TRADE WINDS A-BLOWIN’
With second baseman Kelly Johnson in a season-long funk, and the Arizona Diamondbacks in dire need of an offensive spark, the D-Backs opted to trade Johnson to the Toronto Blue Jays for infielders Aaron Hill and John McDonald. Johnson, 29, has been Arizona’s starting second baseman the past two seasons but is hitting .209 with 132 strikeouts and 18 homers. Hill was an All-Star in 2009 but fell off the next season, hitting just .205, and has struggled this season, hitting .225 with six homers and 45 RBI in 104 games. … The Oakland Athletics traded third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and cash to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named or cash.
SHORT HOPS
The Nationals pushed back the start of their game against the Diamondbacks by 20 minutes Tuesday night because of the earthquake that rattled the East Coast. The team also delayed opening the gates to check the stadium for damage before letting fans in. … Season-ending surgery is among the options Cleveland is considering for designated hitter Travis Hafner, who is on the disabled list with a strained tendon in the bottom of his right foot. The club said the decision will be made in the next two days. … Phillies reliever Jose Contreras, sidelined since late June with a right forearm strain, will have season-ending elbow surgery. … The Orioles designated slumping outfielder Felix Pie for assignment, and recalled infielder Jake Fox and outfielder Matt Angle. … New York Yankees right-hander Mark Prior was scratched from his scheduled rookie-level rehab appearance because of shoulder discomfort. Prior is rehabbing a groin injury sustained at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in April.
