Cleveland Signs Carmona to Long-Term Deal

Last season with the Indians, Caromna won 19 games and finished fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

Fausto Carmona Photo courtesy: MLB.com/Cleveland Indians

CLEVELAND - Fausto Carmona's first full season in the Indians rotation saw him win 19 games and finish fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

Where can Carmona go from there? The Tribe can't wait to find out.

The Indians have signed Carmona to a historic long-term contract that has the potential to be seven years long. The first four years of the pact are guaranteed, with three individual club options for 2012, '13 and '14 tacked on. The deal will be announced at a press conference at Progressive Field on Thursday afternoon.

The value of the four-year guarantee was not immediately known. But it is known that if the deal goes the distance, Carmona will earn $43 million over the seven years, with escalators pushing its potential value to $48 million.

It is the highest-ever guarantee to a pre-arbitration-eligible starting pitcher and the highest-ever guarantee to a starting pitcher with only one full year of service time. It is similar to the contract the Rays recently gave to starter James Shields, albeit with a higher potential value.

Carmona, 24, wasn't even expected to be in the Indians rotation at the outset of last season. An abdominal injury to Cliff Lee opened up a spot for him out of Spring Training, and a similar injury to Jake Westbrook in May allowed him to stay.

It's safe to say Carmona is in the mix for good now. He was outstanding in 2007, going 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA in 32 starts. He was phenomenal in the AL Division Series against the Yankees but labored in the AL Championship Series in two starts at Fenway Park.

Carmona's ERA was the second-lowest in the AL, behind the Angels' John Lackey (3.01). And the 19 wins, the same number posted by staff ace C.C. Sabathia, were the most by an Indians pitcher since Bert Blyleven's 19 wins in 1984.

With potential free agent Sabathia's contract status still in limbo, Carmona might be counted on to be the new ace of the staff in 2009 and beyond. This deal ensures he'll have financial stability if and when that becomes the case.

In the early stages of '08, Carmona has shown no signs of any letup from his breakout season. He is 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two starts, against the White Sox and Angels.

The Indians signed Carmona and placed him in their Dominican Republic academy in December 2000, when he was 17 years old. He made his big league debut in '06, working as both a starter and reliever that season.

Carmona has certainly come a long, long way from the disastrous week he spent as the Indians closer in the summer of '06. And now, it's safe to assume he'll be pitching in an Indians uniform for a long, long time to come.

Story by: Anthony Castrovince

Courtesy: MLB.com/Cleveland Indians

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