Major League Baseball roundup
(The Sports Xchange) - Kevin Youkilis, a three-time All-Star known affectionately as Yoooouuuuk in Boston and "the Greek God of Walks" in the book "Moneyball," announced his retirement Thursday. The 35-year-old was limited to 21 games in Japan last season due to plantar fasciitis. Youkilis spent most of his 10-year major-league career in Boston, where he was part of World Series champions in 2004 (as a rookie) and 2007. - - The Red Sox re-signed right-hander Koji Uehara to a two-year contract on Thursday. The deal was reported by WEEI.com to be worth $18 million. - - Right-hander Yovani Gallardo will remain with Milwaukee next season after the Brewers exercised a $13 million contact option on Thursday. The 28-year-old Gallardo posted an 8-11 record with a career-best 3.51 ERA in 192 1/3 innings and 32 starts this past season. The option was part of a five-year, $30 million contract he signed in 2010. - - The Cincinnati Reds picked up right-hander Johnny Cueto's $10 million contract option Thursday, keeping the 20-game winner for another season. The Reds reportedly opted against keeping outfielder Ryan Ludwick and infielder Jack Hannahan -- paying half the value to buy out Ludwick's $9 million option and Hannahan's $4 million option. - - The Washington Nationals exercised a $9 million option on center fielder Denard Span for next season. Span, 30, is coming off his best season since 2009, when he was with Minnesota. In 2014, he led the National League with 184 hits, batted .302 with a .771 OPS and stole 31 bases. - - Right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma will return to the Seattle Mariners next season on a $7 million option. After missing the first month of the 2014 season, he went 15-9 with a 3.52 ERA in 28 starts. - - Angels reliever Huston Street won't be hitting the street during the offseason after the team exercised a $7 million contract option for 2015 on Thursday. Street, who came to the Angels in a trade during the season with the San Diego Padres, finished 2014 with a career-best 41 saves between the two teams with a 1.37 ERA in 59 innings. - - John Lackey will be back with the St. Louis Cardinals for 2015 after the team exercised a one-year option in the veteran right-handed starter's contract. Lackey's 2015 contract calls for him to earn the veteran's minimum of approximately $510,000. - - Alex Rodriguez is back on the 40-man roster of the New York Yankees. Rodriguez served a one-year suspension on the restricted list and the 39-year-old third baseman is owed $61 million for the next three seasons. - - FOX drew a 15.2 overnight rating for the San Francisco Giants' 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday, according to Sports Business Daily. The rating was 8 percent lower than the World Series Game 7 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers in 2011, but the rating is expected to be FOX's best for a non-NFL program since that 2011 deciding game. (Editing by Frank Pingue)
