Kyle Farnsworth and Kelly Johnson will be suiting up for Tampa Bay this season. (Getty Images) |
The Rays on Tuesday moved to shore up their bullpen and infield, respectively, by signing Kyle Farnsworth and Kelly Johnson, each to a one-year major-league contract.
Per CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, Farnsworth's deal will pay him $1.25 million with the chance to earn another $1.35 million in incentives. The 36-year-old right-hander is coming off a season in which he posted a 4.00 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 34 appearances for the Rays. Farnsworth missed almost half the season with an elbow strain. For his career, he owns an ERA of 4.24 across parts of 14 seasons.
As for Johnson, last season he batted .225/.313/.365 for the Blue Jays and spent more than 1,100 innings at second base. In parts of seven major-league seasons, the left-handed-hitting Johnson, age 30, has a slash line of .255/.338/.429 with 108 homers. His deal will pay him $2.45 million for the 2013 season.
In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated for assignment infielders Reid Brignac and Elliot Johnson.
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