The Twins have re-signed right-hander Michael Pineda to a two-year deal, Pierre Noujaim of FOX 9 Minneapolis reports (Twitter link). The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports that Pineda will earn $20MM on the deal, which will become official after Pineda passes a physical. Pineda is represented by ISE Baseball.
Pineda will exactly double the two-year, $10MM deal he originally signed with Minnesota in the 2017-18 season, a contract that was really a one-year pact given that Pineda had undergone Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2018. This new contract also comes in the midst of some extenuating circumstances, as Pineda is still in the midst of a 60-game PED suspension and will miss the first 39 games of the 2020 season. That 60-game absence was originally an 80-game suspension, reduced on appeal since Pineda (who turns 31 in January) was able to provide evidence that the hydrochlorothiazide found in his system wasn’t being used as a PED masking agent.
While this situation could have made some teams wary about Pineda’s 2019 performance, and perhaps paved the way for him to return the team that knew him best, there was ample interest in his services. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News reports that the Blue Jays, Giants, Rangers, Braves, and White Sox also looked at adding Pineda in free agency. MLBTR ranked Pineda 17th on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents, and his contract fell just shy of the $22MM we projected he would land on a two-year deal.
In the wake of his TJ surgery, Pineda delivered arguably the best season of his career in 2019, posting a 4.01 ERA, 8.6 K/9, and 5.00 K/BB rate over 146 innings. It wasn’t an entirely smooth year, since he had two minimal injured list stints (for a triceps strain and knee tendinitis), and Pineda also had one of the game’s least-impressive spin rates.
Still, a 2.7 fWAR season coming off Tommy John surgery is certainly sturdy, and the Twins can expect even more from the righty once he returns in May. While multiple injuries and issues with the home run ball have dimmed the profile of a player who was considered one of the sport’s top pitching prospects, Pineda looks like a very solid mid-rotation candidate in this next phase of his career.
Facing one of the more dire pitching situations of any contender heading into the offseason, the Twins have now brought back both Pineda and Jake Odorizzi, who accepted the club’s one-year, $17.8MM qualifying offer. Getting Odorizzi and Pineda back at reasonable prices before the Winter Meetings is already a nice result for Minnesota, who still have up to two more rotation spots to fill beyond ace Jose Berrios. The next arm could come at a much higher price, as the Twins are making a push to sign Madison Bumgarner, and they also made Zack Wheeler an offer before Wheeler signed with the Phillies.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
please don’t be it, ugh.
Safe to say the market for pitching has improved a bit.
Solid 4th starter now we need one more top of the rotation guy. Also I wonder if the $20 million is before or after he loses some for the suspension.
I would guess before. When a player like Kuechel signed he signed for (making the actual numbers up) 20 million on a pro rated deal so he only received 10 for the half season.
Agreed, that should have been discussed in article.
The problem is until you know the breakdown by year there’s no way to know what the amount after accounting for the suspension would be. It doesn’t have to be $10 mil each year. If I was Pineda I’d have been pushing to backend load it as much as possible. That way less money would be lost to the suspension.
I’d be surprised if MLB allow such loophole to circumvent that.
Man I should’ve known smh
i know right. i said the same thing when i saw the headline.
The PED scandal made me think he wouldn’t get signed
lol
scandal? the league admitted it was taken for medical reasons.
Pineda is solid.. twins should be happy to have him back.
The overpays on pitchers this offseason are getting nuts
2 years for 20 million is an overpay for Pineda?
Considering he’s still suspended for PED’s, had a 4 ERA before that and has injury history, id say yes absolutely 10 million a year is an overpay.
You know he doesn’t get paid when he’s suspende, right?
But give him a little pine tar like his early yankees days and he can be an ace
And you realize it’s only about 40 more games. It’s not that much money saved
What are you talking about? YOU brought up the suspension as part of why it’s an over pay. Also the site you’re commenting predicted he would get more than he did. This is in no way an overpay.
its 1/4 of the season. 2.5 million isnt chopped liver.
Also injury history is a bit misleading as he wasn’t really hurt last year those were BS excuses so they could rest him.
Saw that live on tv, instant classic.
So if it’s 10 a year, he loses about 2.3 million to suspension.
10 mill a year for a 4 era in the american league is a steal. tanaka had a 4.45 era last year and is scheduled to make 23 mill. i know era isnt everything but id take that steal for sure
I honestly don’t mind this signing. He clearly needs to stay clean, but he improved as the year went on and signs indicate that trend to continue. This should not however exonerate them from continuing to pursue at least one front line starter, or preferably two.
Don’t think it will be two but agree with everything else you said.
This is awesome!!!
I agree man! What do you think about Madison Bumgarner? I still wish we could have got wheeler. I also think we should see what it would take to get Matthew Boyd from the tigers.
I am so glad that we passed on wheeler. Yeah he is really good but not worth 120 mil. I absolutely think we should sign bumgarner to like a 3/4 year deal. I don’t know if the tigers want to trade Boyd to a division team but if they get the right offer they’ll do it. And I also think they should legitimately sign Donaldson and move Sanó to 1st. Boom.
Yeah I agree man, I think Bumgarner is gonna take a 4 year deal minimum. I’m hopeful they will get it done. And yeah Donaldson would be awesome!
I would love to see Detroit extend Matty B to a 3-4 year deal. Unfortunately, I can’t imagine him remaining a Tiger; especially when teams start to get desperate on starting lefties. For what it’s worth, he sounds like such a great guy on and off the field.
I think he gets traded and he should bring back a beyond decent haul. I don’t think they’re gonna sign an extension with him
They should trade him, Just like they should’ve traded Fulmer when they had the chance. They are a couple years from possibly contending.
Yep. Look out October Yankees now!!!! Or not.
Ho-hum. Another prediction wrong.
We got our guy. Now to start some dumpster diving for the rest of the rotation.
Not a big fan of this guy. Never forget when he got caught red handed with the pine tar on his neck. That being said, he’s been pretty consistent over the course of his career and is still relatively young. Twins really needed three more starters and this checks one off the list. The hot stove is definitely warming up, good to see some early activity this year.
Madbum or Keuchel better be next.
I’d set your sights higher and say Strasburg or Cole better be next. Then Bumgarner. And no thanks on Keuchel.
Twins absolutely need 2 more arms. Not that they’ll ever do it but they should be looking at the elite guys first. Their window is open and they should strike now. Does Bumgarner make them better than last year? Maybe. But how much? He’s not the guy he used to be and isn’t near top of the rotation quality. Pineda was definitely needed but he’ll be out til May. I’m not some homer who says my team needs to sign every top guy out there but an ace is what the Twins need to go along with Berrios. “I’m sick of this nickel and dime stuff”!!!
Heater: Excellent post and agree with you 100%. If Pohlad group actually wants to WIN more than the AL Central they have the $$ to make a legit push and offer for Strasburg. I think Cole is out of their price range as he’ll likely get $250 mill deal. I’d rather have Bumgarner, but wonder if his “NL ties” (ie knowledge of hitters and bigger ballparks) will keep him from taking an offer. The “dumpster diver” days should be over!!
If they already have an ace, why do they need another one? Bumgarner is still a good #2-3 starter, which is all they really need and probably all they can realistically afford, anyway.
WSox same sentiments. Intriguing divisional battle with $ no issue for both clubs needing to bolster their rotation.
Look for Kuetchel to be their next Target I’d think
Not too happy about this. He sabotaged the team last year. He KNEW he was going to be suspended. Had he told management, they could have traded for a starter at the deadline.
Hope he has a more legal means of losing that fat this year
Notice the trend in guys that the Jays have been rumored to have high on their list of targets that sign the next day with another team. The rumor alone must scare common sense into them 🙂
Surprised he got two years.
It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just so far from being enough. Impact pitching is what Falvey said they would be targeting and hopefully that means starting pitchers as well as bullpen. The reality is they’re not signing Cole or Stras, so if they don’t sign Madbum or Ryu I just see it as another L for this FO.
Man, would’ve loved this for Phillies. Never reached early perceived potential, but still been both good and consistent. There’s a little injury risk, but at 2/20 you’re not committing much in length or annual salary. Should be a nice boost 40 games in.
Happy with this move as long as he ends up being the #4 guy. Time to go find a #1!
Using PEDs absolutely does pay. That’s the lesson to kids watching baseball.
Plenty of players blocked from the HOF due to PEDs. In those cases it doesn’t pay.
They made millions, so clearly it pays.
Got 6 right! Moved up to 11th
Good deal. Turns into 8.8 AAV (after suspension money taken out). He’s worth that. Surprised it was for two years though. Hopefully he’s smarter and asks if something is banned before he takes it.
He will hopefully be the Twins number 5 guy once he pitches but there isn’t a lot of appealing options out there when you take out Cole and Stras. Probably will be the number 4.
Sign Madison or ryu, then get Donaldson. And try getting boyd with rosario
And still get swept in the first round. They are getting anyone decent and aren’t winning anything soon.
Now that’s just crazy Larry & you know it!
Crazy. Oh wait…. You are crazy larry!
Pine tar, peds, multiple cheating=big bucks
I’m hoping there’s a chance they signed Pineda with the expectation of using him as trade material…
You aren’t a fan of the Twins if you are hoping for that. This is a contending team, they will be buyers not sellers, fool.
Willing to eat those words after the Pohlad Pocket Protector’s ‘Just miss’ on anyone worthwhile?? Just sayin’
Stop sayin.
A diuretic is not a PED. The guy is 280 lbs, and he somehow proved there were no PEDs involved. Not worried, he is a fine #4. I’m guessing there was some positive input from Baldelli and Johnson prior to this signing. Agreed they still need a 1-2 type. Robbie Ray?
Solid signing for a 4/5. Get it Twins