SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jamie Moyer, at 49 years old, has made the Colorado Rockies’ starting rotation.
Moyer, who is entering his 25th major-league season, posted a 2.77 ERA this spring and beat out 22-year-old Tyler Chatwood and 28-year-old Guillermo Moscoso for a rotation spot.
“I think he can still be very, very effective,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “He has incredible know-how. He’s an incredible pitch maker. When he’s right, he can carve a strike zone up.”
Moyer will start the Rockies’ second game of the season, April 7 against the Houston Astros. If he wins, he’ll be the oldest player in big-league history to earn a victory.
The last player to play in the majors at 49 years old was infielder Julio Franco, who finished out the season with the Braves in 2007.
Moyer, who turns 50 in November, has a career record of 267-204 with a 4.24 ERA in 686 games. He was an All-Star in 2003 with Seattle. He made his major-league debut on June 16, 1986 with the Chicago Cubs.
New deal for KC’s Gordon
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Alex Gordon, who had a breakout 2011 season after a mediocre first four years in the majors, agreed to a $37.5 million, four-year deal with the Kansas City Royals. The deal includes a player option for 2016. Gordon hit .303 with 23 homers, 45 doubles and 87 RBI last season. He also won his first Gold Glove, setting a franchise record with 20 outfield assists.
Ramirez: Charges dropped
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida prosecutor has dismissed a misdemeanor domestic battery charge against baseball star Manny Ramirez because his wife won’t cooperate in the investigation.
Ramirez had pleaded not guilty to slapping his wife, Juliana Ramirez, in the Sept. 12 incident, in which she said her head struck a bed headboard.
Ramirez, The 2004 World Series MVP with the Boston Red Sox, is at spring training with the Oakland Athletics. He must sit out the first 50 games this season because of a violation of MLB drug policy.
Padres sign Luebke
PEORIA, Ariz. — The San Diego Padres have signed pitcher Cory Luebke to a four-year contract worth $12 million. Luebke was 6-10 with a 3.29 ERA in 46 games (17 starts) as a rookie last season.
“Cory’s been a little bit of a late bloomer,” Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said. “He’s a guy who seems to be getting better and better.”
Luebke is the third player, along with outfielder Cameron Maybin and catcher Nick Hundley, who has signed a long-term deal with the Padres this month. Maybin received a five-year deal worth at least $25 million with a $9 million option for 2017. Hundley received a three-year deal worth $9 million with a $5 million buyout for 2015.
“We view these guys as core players and we get to keep them beyond six years,” Byrnes said.
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