ESPN.com is reporting that the Chicago White Sox and starting pitcher John Danks have reached an agreement on a five-year contract extension worth $65 million.
The deal is expected to become official next week after Danks passes a physical, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported.
According to the report, the White Sox made the deal after losing star left-hander Mark Buehrle , who signed a four-year, $58 million contract with the Miami Marlins, earlier in the month of December.
Espn also pointed out that by agreeing to terms with Danks, the White Sox avoid an arbitration hearing that would’ve likely cost the team between $9 million and $10 million in 2012.
Danks, 26, is coming off an underwhelming 2011 season in which he went 8-12 with a 4.33 ERA. In addition to a 54-56 lifetime record and a 4.03 ERA, the hard-throwing southpaw’s career strikeout-to-walk ratio is 3:1, considered an outstanding number.
Originally drafted by the Texas Rangers as a first-round pick in 2003 and obtained by Chicago in a trade on Dec. 23, 2006, John Danks would have been eligible for free agency after next season.
In the following clip, watch as Danks takes a line drive off the back off his head, in what was a scary moment for MLB fans and players alike.
