>>Cardinals Exercise 2015 Option On Lackey
(St. Louis, MO) -- The St. Louis Cardinals are exercising the 2015 option on pitcher John Lackey. The 36-year-old right-hander will earn the league minimum 500-thousand-dollars after making 15.25-million each of the last three seasons. Lackey was acquired from Boston at the trade deadline and his contract had a clause allowing for a league-minimum option after missing the entire 2012 season due to elbow surgery. He went a combined 14-and-10 with a 3.83 ERA in 31 starts.
>>Youkilis Retires From Baseball
(Boston, MA) -- Former Boston Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis [[ YOO-kih-liss ]] is calling it a career. His agent says the 35-year-old is retiring from pro baseball. Youkilis played parts of nine seasons with the Red Sox, winning World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. He went on to briefly play for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees before heading overseas to play in Japan. Youkilis was a career .281 hitter with 150 home runs in 10 big league seasons.
>>Cubs Decline Option On Fujikawa
(Chicago, IL) -- The Cubs are declining their 2015 option on pitcher Kyuji Fujikawa. He will be a free agent. He had Tommy John surgery in 2013 and returned late in 2014. Fujikawa pitched in just 15 games in 2014.
