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| RHP Jered Weaver just signed a five-year, $85 million extension with the Angels. |
The Angels just signed RHP Jered Weaver to a five-year extension for $85 mil, a sum critics say underprices the starting pitcher by a lot.
So let me break this down. Weaver's receiving $17 million per season, which would pit him in a tie (with Red Sox RHP Josh Beckett, no less) for the 19th-highest-paid MLB player, according to 2011 paystubs. L.A. is an expensive place to live, sure, but I'm pretty sure $17 mil can cover the costs of a plush L.A. gated mansion and trust funds for his future kids to go to, say, UCLA. Since he's the only guy crazy enough to call L.A. "home."
Regardless, this is awesome. Weaver may have had his controversial moments, but recall his resume: led the league in strikeouts last season, currently boasts a personal-best 2.10 ERA for the season, started the All-Star Game, is 14-6.
Finally, a top-tier athlete doesn't care (that much) about the number on his paycheck.
"If $85 (million) is not enough to take care of my family and other generations of families then I'm pretty stupid, but how much money do you really need in life?" Weaver said Tuesday. "I've never played this game for the money. I played it for the love and the competitive part of it. It just so happens that baseball's going to be taking care of me for the rest of my life."
In a day and age when money and contractual bargains cause unnecessary hold-ups in all professional sports, here's a guy who's content with where he is, and doesn't mind being paid so-called chump change that the rest of us would love to find in between our couch cushions. So thank you, Jered Weaver, for being normal.
PS (taking a cue from Beyonce): Can you see his halo, CC Sabathia?
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