Jered Weaver Has No Regrets About Angels Contract, States ‘I Wouldn’t Change A Thing’

Jered Weaver is proud of the contract extension he signed with the Angels, despite the scrutiny he has faced from fellow players and baseball agents.

The Tucson Citizen reports that when the star pitcher’s contract came up for renewal with the Los Angeles Angels, Weaver had the option to be prince of New York City after the Yankees attempted to woo him with a very lucrative contract.

Weaver, on the other hand, had a better (to him) idea. He stated, according to USA Today, that:

“I know people still talk about it, and how big some people still think it is. But honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s tough for me saying the contract is a discount. Come on, it’s $85 million. It’s more money than I ever thought I would make in my life. I’m happy with my decision, and I can just concentrate on playing baseball, which is more important to me.”

And perhaps other sports stars should be more like Jered Weaver, because instead of money, one of the leading contenders for the American League Cy Young award chose an $85 million five-year contract with the Angels last August, instead of picking the team who offered more money, simply because he was happy where he was (and probably missed out on about $60 million more).

The Tucson Citizen notes that Weaver also stated:

“I’m happy. My family is happy. The fans and my teammates are happy. If we play like we’re capable of in the second half, and win this whole thing, that’s all the happiness I need.”

Weaver enters the second half of the season 10-1 with a league-leading 1.96 ERA. He also threw a no-hitter in May and limited his opposition to a mere .188 batting average. Despite all of this, Jered Weaver is content to stay with the Angels, saying:

“I get to stay at home. I get to pitch in front of my mom and dad and friends and family. And I live in Southern California where the weather is beautiful. Come on, is that so bad? You can’t put a dollar-figure on happiness.”

What do you think about Jered Weaver’s decision to stay with the Angels, despite the fact that he could have earned up to $60 million more somewhere else?

[iframe src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/a8CnZgncups” width=”420? height=”315?]