MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have agreed with right-hander Mike Pelfrey on an $11 million, two-year contract, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal, filling another spot in their revamped, veteran-heavy rotation.
The contract was reached over the weekend, pending a physical, the person told The Associated Press on Monday on condition of anonymity because the team had yet to finalize the deal.
Pelfrey made $4.1 million last season in a one-year deal with the Twins, including $100,000 in a performance bonus for surpassing 150 innings in his first season back from elbow ligament- replacement surgery.
He made only three starts for the New York Mets in 2012 before the injury, but he recovered in time for 2013, taking the mound at Target Field on April 4 just 11 months after the operation. Pelfrey picked up the win that day in his American League debut, but the rest of the year was rough, not an uncommon occurrence for pitchers following Tommy John surgery.
Pelfrey finished 5-13 for a 66-96 team, with a 5.19 ERA and 53 walks in 152 2-3 innings. Opponents batted .300 against him over 29 starts.
The Twins, though, took an opportunity to buy relatively low and bank on an improvement by a former first-round draft pick who made at least 31 starts for the Mets for four straight seasons from 2008-11. He was 15-9 with a 3.66 ERA over a career-high 204 innings in 2010 with only 12 home runs allowed.
Pelfrey still posted a personal-best strikeout rate of six per nine innings, despite his struggles. The soon-to-be-30-year-old is on track to be the Twins’ fourth starter.
Minnesota previously signed right-handers Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes for the top of the rotation, bringing its newly committed money for starting pitching this offseason to $84 million guaranteed over the next four seasons. Kevin Correia, the best of a bad bunch last year, is the only holdover who appears to have a spot.
The first four starters will have an average opening-day age of 30. Samuel Deduno, Scott Diamond, Kyle Gibson and Vance Worley, for now, are the front-runners for the final slot. Twins starters had a majors-worst 5.26 ERA last season.
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