The Cleveland Indians and their star pitcher, Justin Masterson, agreed to a one year contract, avoiding arbitration, Tuesday.
The contract is worth $9.7625 million, according to CBS Sports. The two sides agreed to a contract just two days before they were scheduled to have an arbitration hearing, which was scheduled to be held Thursday. They could not agree on a dollar amount during negotiations during the offseason.
CBS Sports reports that Masterson filed for arbitration asking for $11.8 million while the Indians were offering $8.05 million.
It was very important for the Indians to sign Masterson as he was a key player in their surprisingly good season in 2013 in which they made it to the American League's wild card game. Also because they lost another key pitcher from their 2013 season, Ubaldo Jimenez, after he signed with the Baltimore Orioles Monday.
Masterson had a very good season in 2013 earning himself a trip to the All-Star Game. He went 14-10 with an ERA of 3.45 and led the Indians in strikeouts with a total of 195 in the 2013 season, according to MLB.com.
Now that the two sides have finished negotiations, they can put their focus back on having another good year in 2014 as they start spring training in Goodyear, Ariz.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
