DENVER -- Pitcher Denny Neagle reached a settlement Thursday
over his grievance against the Colorado Rockies, who terminated his
contract last winter after he was issued a citation for soliciting
sex from a prostitute.
Terms of the settlement were not released by Major League
Baseball and a staffer in the Rockies public relations office said
the team was not releasing any information.
"After much discussion, [Thursday] morning we reached a very
amicable settlement," Barry Meister, Neagle's agent, told the
Rocky Mountain News. Meister said both sides signed confidentiality
statements.
In 2000, Neagle signed a five-year, $51 million contract that
called for him to be paid $10 million in 2005. The deal contained a
$12.5 million team option for 2006 with a $9 million buyout.
It meant there was as much as $19 million riding on his hearing
with arbitrator Shyam Das this week.
The Rockies terminated Neagle's contract last Dec. 6, citing a
provision in the uniform language of the contract stating the team
can end a contract if the player shall "fail, refuse or neglect to
conform his personal conduct to the standards of good citizenship
and good sportsmanship."
Neagle has not pitched in a game since July 2003 because of
injuries.
After being cut by the Rockies, he agreed to a minor league
contract with Tampa Bay, then was released. He has a 124-92 career
record with a 4.24 ERA over 11 seasons, going 19-23 with a 5.57 ERA
for the Rockies.