The Red Sox signed reliever Alan Embree to a minor league deal that could pay the lefty about $1.1MM if he makes the major league roster and reaches his incentives for games pitched. Embree will earn $500K for making the big league club, and he'll have the chance to opt out of his contract on April 15th to reassess his situation. This marks Embree's second stint with the team, as he joined the Red Sox in a 2002 trade and pitched for them until his '05 release.
Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe added the opt-out details; Alex Speier of WEEI.com added the salary Embree will earn if he's on the major league roster and Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston added specifics about the incentives (Twitter links).
Embree, 40, posted a 5.84 ERA, 4.4 K/9, and 4.4 BB/9 in 24.6 innings for the Rockies last year. His season ended in July when a line drive fractured his tibia. Checking Embree's FanGraphs splits, his recent work against lefties has been spotty.
The Sox already have lefty relievers Hideki Okajima and Fabio Castro on the 40-man roster and Brian Shouse in camp on a non-roster invite.
