John Lackey plans on pitching for St. Louis Cardinals in 2015
By Josh Hill
The St. Louis Cardinals managed to grab John Lackey from the Boston Red Sox at the MLB trade deadline and in doing so they acquired one of the only players traded who is club controlled through next season.
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While he’s under contract through 2015, there is still a question of if Lackey would be open to pitching for the Cardinals next season when he can request a release and sign anywhere he wants to in the winter. According to MLB.com’s Jen Langosch, Lackey plans on honoring his contract and will pitch for the Cardinals in 2015 just like he would have with the Red Sox.
"As a result the Cardinals can retain Lackey next season for a salary that should be just a bit over $500,000. There were reports earlier this season that Lackey would consider retiring if that club option wasn’t nullified with an extension. Upon reporting to Busch Stadium on Friday, he said that wouldn’t be the case.“I’m absolutely going to [pitch],” Lackey said. “As long as I stay healthy, I’m going to.”"
There wasn’t a whole lot of doubt as to whether Lackey would return to the team he was under contract to, but that team was going to be the Red Sox until Thursday rolled around.
While Jon Lester is open to returning to the Red Sox in free agency, the situation is different for Lackey as he is club controlled by the Cardinals through 2015 and he plans on honoring that as long as he’s healthy enough to.
Be sure to stay glued to FanSided’s MLB Rumors page to stay up to date with the latest action and rumbling from the baseball hot stove this trade season.