State Sports Roundup: Gomez will be a Brewer through 2017

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Carlos Gomez is not going anywhere. The Milwaukee Brewers’ center-fielder signed a three-year contract extension yesterday worth 24-million dollars. The deal runs through 2017. The 27-year-old Gomez had signed a one-year contract in January to avoid salary arbitration. And it appeared that Gomez would hit the free-agent market after this season. But instead, agent Scott Boras pursued a longer deal with Milwaukee – and he decided not to play in the World Baseball Classic with the Dominican Republic so he wouldn’t jeopardize his deal. Gomez hit a career-high 19 homers for the Brewers last year with 37 stolen bases and 51 R-B-I’s with a .260 batting average in 137 games. And he leads the Milwaukee regulars this spring with a .529 batting average in eight games, with a staggering .652 on-base percentage. The Brewers acquired Gomez from Minnesota in 2009, in a trade that eventually sent shortstop J-J Hardy on to Baltimore.

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The Brewers got crushed by Arizona, 7-to-nothing last night in an exhibition game in Scottsdale. Gerardo Parra hit a lead-off homer off Yovani Gallardo – but Gallardo then retired the next 12 batters he faced, striking out five of them. Brewers’ reliever Jim Henderson got tagged for four runs in the sixth inning, when he faced only five batters. And newly-acquired Brewers’ reliever Burke Badenhop gave up his first two earned runs of the spring. Parra led the Diamondbacks’ offense with three R-B-I’s. The Brewers fell to 7-and-10 in Cactus League play. They’re off today, and will play Cleveland tomorrow.

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The Brewers kept paring down their Major League roster last night. First baseman Hunter Morris was sent to the team’s minor league camp, along with catcher Adam Weisenburger and outfielder Kentrail Davis. Second baseman Scooter Gennett was optioned to Triple-“A” Nashville along with outfielder Josh Prince and pitcher Jesus Sanchez. Morris was mentioned as a possible candidate to replace the injured Mat Gamel at first base until Corey Hart returns in May. But Brewers’ manager Ron Roenicke said it would have been a big jump for Morris to make from Double-“A,” after he was the Southern League player-of-the-year last season. Roenicke said Morris needs to go to Triple-“A” this year to improve his defense, and have another big year at the plate.

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Some Green Bay Packers are getting some extra money from the N-F-L this week. Twelve players are getting over 100-thosuand-dollars each, as part of the league’s performance-based pay program. Each team was allocated almost three-and-a-half million dollars to reward players who performed well beyond what their salaries would indicate. Left tackle Marshall Newhouse got the largest benefit check, at just over 214-thousand dollars. He played all 11-hundred-three snaps for the Packers in the 2012 regular season. Rookie safety Jerron McMillian was awarded the second-highest amount, almost 174-thousand. The performance pay was adopted in 2002, but was not conducted the previous two seasons due to expiration of the league’s old collective bargaining agreement and the resulting owners’ lockout.

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Former Packers’ safety Charles Woodson met for several hours last night with the San Francisco 49’ers, but there was no word on a contract agreement. The Niners are scrambling to replace All-Pro Dashon Goldson, who signed a free agent deal with Tampa Bay yesterday. Woodson, an eight-time Pro Bowler, was cut by the Packers last month. The move cut about 10-million dollars off Green Bay’s salary cap.

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