Gonzales, Mariners agree to $30 million deal for 2021-24
Astros hire Rays exec Click as GM
SEATTLE, Feb 4, (AP): Lefthander Marco Gonzales and the Seattle Mariners agreed to a $30 million contract covering 2021-24, a deal that includes a club option and could be worth $45 million over five seasons.
Gonzales is about to begin his third full season with the Mariners after arriving in 2017 via a trade from St Louis. Gonzales gets $1 million this year in the final season of a $1.9 million, two-year deal.
His new contract calls for a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $5 million in 2021, $5.5 million in 2022, $6.5 million in 2023 and $12 million in 2024, when he would have been eligible for free agency. The Mariners’ 2025 option is for $15 million with no buyout.
Gonzales
Right-hander Brandon Kinztler and the Miami Marlins have finalized a one-year contract that guarantees $3,275,000.
Miami also completed a $1.5 million, one-year deal with outfielder Matt Joyce, who can earn an additional $250,000 in performance bonuses.
Kintzler, 35, gets a $3 million salary next year, and the Marlins have a $4 million team option for 2021 with a $275,000 buyout. If he is traded, the option price would escalate to $5 million with a $500,00 buyout.
The Houston Astros hired James Click as their new general manager, taking the Tampa Bay Rays executive and putting him in charge of the scandal-ridden team a week before the start of spring training.
Click succeeds Jeff Luhnow, who along with manager AJ Hinch was suspended by Major League Baseball in the wake of a signstealing scam and then fired by the Astros.
The AL champion Astros hired Dusty Baker last week as manager.
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed four players to minor league contracts, including outfielder Jon Jay and pitcher Edwin Jackson.
The other two were catcher John Hicks and outfielder Trayce Thompson. All four have experience in the majors and were invited to big league camp this month.
The 34-year-old Jay spent part of the 2018 season with the Diamondbacks and played last year for the Chicago White Sox. He has a .285 batting average over 10 seasons and will compete for a spot on the Arizona roster as a versatile player who can handle all three outfield spots.
Jhoulys Chacín finalized a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins after a miserable 2019 season that saw him go from an opening day start to an August release.
The 32-year-old right-hander was 15-8 with a 3.50 ERA for Milwaukee in 2018 after signing a $15.5 million, two-year deal with the Brewers.
Michael Pineda will miss the first 36 games while completing a suspension for a positive test for a banned diuretic, and Rich Hill is not expected back until June following elbow surgery.