MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Josh Staumont on a one-year contract on Wednesday, the team’s first major league free agency move of the offseason.
Staumont, 30, pitched five seasons for the Kansas City Royals, saving eight games with a 4.01 ERA. The hard-throwing righty has 191 strikeouts in 168 1/3 innings.
He had a 5.40 ERA in 21 games for Kansas City last season before landing on the injured list on June 7 and missing the rest of the season. He later underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
It’s the first major league addition for Minnesota, which won the American League Central last season and advanced to the Division Series. The team signed right-hander A.J. Alexy and utility man Niko Goodrum, both former major leaguers, to minor league deals.
Meanwhile, the Twins have seen right-handed starters Sonny Gray — who was second in the Cy Young voting to Gerrit Cole — Kenta Maeda and Tyler Mahle sign contracts elsewhere this offseason. Gray agreed to a three-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, Mahle signed with World Series champion Texas and Maeda moved to division rival Detroit.
Right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan also elected for free agency and agreed to a two-year deal with Cincinnati.
Yamamoto meets with media
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just over six years after Yoshinobu Yamamoto watched a playoff game from the raucous Dodger Stadium stands and decided he absolutely had to play in the major leagues one day, the right-hander pulled on his white No. 18 jersey and a blue cap in the center field pavilion.
The consensus best pitcher outside North America reached one of his goals Wednesday, joining the Dodgers on a 12-year contract that’s reportedly the largest and longest ever guaranteed to a major league pitcher.
But the 25-year-old ace of Japan’s top league won’t be satisfied without many chances to experience the Los Angeles playoff atmosphere he absorbed as a teenager watching Kenta Maeda on the mound at Chavez Ravine in 2017.
While he plays alongside Shohei Ohtani with his star-studded new club, Yamamoto also intends to inspire any dreaming youngsters in the Dodger Stadium stands.
“From today moving forward, I promise to all the fans of LA that I will focus my everything to become a better player, and to become a world champion as a member of the Dodgers,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “I will stop simply admiring the players that I have looked up to, but rather strive to become the player that others want to become.”
Yamamoto has been Japan’s most dominant pitcher over the past few seasons, and he was coveted by teams across the majors after he elected to leave the Orix Buffaloes this offseason.
The big-budget, pitching-poor Dodgers landed Yamamoto to cap their prolific winter spending spree after signing two-way AL MVP Ohtani to a $700 million contract and inking right-hander Tyler Glasnow to a $136.5 million, five-year deal after his acquisition from Tampa Bay.
“This has been a monumental offseason for all of us,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s a privilege to be here, but I don’t think the expectations have changed. The roster has been bolstered with some good young players, but our goal is always to compete for championships.”
The Dodgers have big expectations for Yamamoto, a 5-foot-10 right-hander with the potential to become a major league ace after a stellar start to his career in Japan. The Dodgers didn’t disclose the value of the deal, but several media reports have tagged it at $325 million.
