Jake Westbrook of the St. Louis Cardinals reacts to giving up a home run against the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Veteran right-handed pitcher Jake Westbrook and the Cardinals have agreed on a contract extension that will lock up Westbrook through next season.
Jake Westbrook seems to have found the perfect home.
Westbrook, a 34-year-old sinkerball pitcher, and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed on a contract extension that includes 2013, along with a mutual option for 2014. Financial terms have not been disclosed, but Westbrook is earning $8.5 million this season.
(Actually, Westbrook's prior deal included a mutual option for 2013, so essentially that option's being exercised, with another mutual option tacked on for the following season.)
Westbrook joined the Cardinals in a trade-deadline deal in 2010. His numbers improved immediately -- not surprising, considering how many veteran ground-ball pitchers have rejuvenated their careers in St. Louis -- but he struggled in 2011, arguably the worst season of his career.
This season, though, Westbrook has bounced back in a big way. In 24 starts, he's gone 12-9 with a 3.50 ERA and one of the better strikeout-to-walk ratios in his career. Westbrook is exactly the sort of pitcher who has thrived with the Cardinals in past seasons, so this contract extension seems relatively safe for the club.
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