Padres Decline Pitcher Josh Johnson's 2015 Option
Thomas Spetter, a regional key account manager for Bristol Myers Squibb's Market Access Division, follows both baseball in his free time. In particular, Thomas Spetter cheers on the San Diego Padres. On October 30, 2014, the San Diego Padres organization officially announced its decision to decline pitcher Josh Johnson's $4 million option for 2015. Included as part of the one-year, $8 million contract Johnson signed in 2014, the option stipulated that it would trigger should Johnson pitch fewer than seven games in the 2014 season. After an injury in spring training that resulted in the second “Tommy John” ligament repair surgery of his career, Johnson was unable to throw a single pitch this past regular season, and his current prognosis suggests that he may not be able to start pitching again until after the start of the 2015 season. The Padres have shown interest in negotiating a lower-value contract, an arrangement that some reports indicate the 30-year-old Johnson may consider.