Weaver will pitch for Padres
Right-hander Jered Weaver has agreed to a $3-million, one-year deal with the San Diego Padres after 11 seasons with the Angels.
Weaver and the Padres confirmed the deal Saturday, pending a physical.
The 34-year-old Weaver had spent his entire career with the Angels, going 150-93 with a 3.55 earnedrun average and three All-Star selections. The Angels didn’t re-sign him after Weaver went 19-24 over the last two seasons with the two worst ERAs of his career and stark declines in his velocity.
Weaver will join the jumbled competition for a rotation spot with the Padres, who have no established returning starters. Manager Andy Green said Saturday that there are at least 10 candidates for San Diego’s rotation entering spring training.
Weaver reacted to the deal on his new Twitter account, posting a photo of himself at Angel Stadium. He wrote: “Want to thank all the Angel fans for your support over the years! Wish we could have brought a trophy to the city of Anaheim! Much Love!”
With his fastball velocity stuck in the mid-80s last season, Weaver relied on breaking balls, precision and guile to retire hitters. He was remarkably resourceful in getting through a team-best 178 innings without missing a start due to injury, but his 5.06 ERA and 1.46 walks plus hits per inning pitched were the worst of his career.
Weaver pitched in four postseasons with the Angels after joining the big league club in 2006. He threw a no-hitter in May 2012, and his 150 wins are the second-most in Angels history, behind only Chuck Finley’s 165. “When someone has made the imprint that Jered has made in our organization and accomplished so much, it’s always strange and difficult to see guys when they move on,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said recently.
Weaver is a Southern California native who grew up in Simi Valley and played at Long Beach State. His desire to stay close to home contributed to his decision in August 2011 to sign an $85-million, fiveyear deal with the Angels, probably less than what he could have made on the free-agent market. With San Diego, Weaver could be a valuable veteran presence in one of the youngest clubhouses in the game.
Mike Trout of the Angels has been in contact with Weaver. “It’s going to be tough,” Trout said. “He’s one of those guys you can’t replace . ... Great teammate, and off the field, you could do anything with him. We could go to dinner, he always treated. He was professional as it gets.”
Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Maness is like many pitchers in spring training, trying to earn a bullpen job. Maness also is a willing guinea pig, coming off a new surgical procedure that has the baseball industry’s attention. Maness opted to pass on Tommy John surgery to repair the right elbow that blew out last season and try a different procedure that could cut the recovery time significantly. It normally takes 12 to 18 months to return from the Tommy John surgery.
St. Louis orthopedic surgeon George Paletta suggested another procedure, called “primary repair,” to Maness and was cautiously optimistic that he could be back pitching when the season opened or soon afterward. If he had the Tommy John, Maness in all likelihood would have missed the entire season. After having the new surgery in mid-August, Maness hopes he is close to returning. He would not speculate if he will be ready for the April 3 opener.
A St. Louis Cardinal last season, he is now on a minor league contract with the Royals but will receive $1.25 million if he makes the club and could earn another $750,000 in incentives. Maness was a mainstay in the Cardinals bullpen from 2013 to 2016. His last outing was Aug. 13 against the Chicago Cubs, when he faced three batters and retired none.