<TABLE width="100%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD class=vaLabel vAlign=top rowSpan=5 width=100 align=middle>
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Jays lock up Ricky Romero with five-year deal </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Ricky Romero - S - TOR - Aug. 14 </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=3>The Blue Jays have signed Rickey Romero to a five-year, $30.1 million extension, according to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.
The deal runs from 2011-15 and, as Rosenthal points out, is the largest guarantee ever for a pitcher with less than two years of service time. Romero went 13-9 with a 4.30 ERA in 29 starts as a rookie last year and is 9-7 with a 3.53 ERA in 23 starts thus far in 2010. It appears rather early to commit this much guaranteed money to the young lefty, but Toronto obviously wants to lock up its young core. The deal buys out the first year of Romero's potential free agency years and includes an option for 2016.
Source: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter
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The deal runs from 2011-15 and, as Rosenthal points out, is the largest guarantee ever for a pitcher with less than two years of service time. Romero went 13-9 with a 4.30 ERA in 29 starts as a rookie last year and is 9-7 with a 3.53 ERA in 23 starts thus far in 2010. It appears rather early to commit this much guaranteed money to the young lefty, but Toronto obviously wants to lock up its young core. The deal buys out the first year of Romero's potential free agency years and includes an option for 2016.
Source: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter
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