The Minnesota Twins added some depth to their rotation as 2019 turned to 2020 on Tuesday night, and they did that by signing two veteran pitchers to one-year contracts. The defending American League Central Champions gave Homer Bailey a $7 million contract and Rich Hill a $3 million deal. Hill's contract could reach up to $12.5 million with incentives, should he earn those throughout the 2020 campaign. These two will both play a role in deepening the Twins' starting rotation, which haunted them in an ALDS sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees last October.
The former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hill turns 40 on March 11th and is coming off a recent incident during the weekend before Christmas, as him and his wife were arrested at a New England Patriots game. That incident was centered around his wife having too big of a bag to enter Gillette Stadium with, which the couple was not happy about. He also is recovering from off-season primary repair surgery and is not expected back until mid-season. He will need to either make 15 starts or throw 75 innings to earn the $12.5 million salary. The veteran had to work through arm and knee injuries in 2019, but did end up pitching in the Postseason for the Dodgers. He is entering his 16th season in the major leagues, but had his best stretch from 2016 to 2018 when he won 35 games with a 3.06 ERA.
The 33-year-old Bailey finished last season with the Oakland Athletics, but started with the Kansas City Royals, as he was a Trade Deadline acquisition for the A's, who lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Wild Card Game. He went 13-9 combined between the two teams, while recording an ERA of 4.57 and 149 strikeouts. He got red hot in September to help the A's make the Postseason, posting a 2.21 ERA with 21 strikeouts in four starts that month. He ended up with 31 starts for the season, which was his largest total for a single year since 2013. Bailey is mostly known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent the first 12 seasons of his career and held a record of 67-77 over 212 starts with a 4.56 ERA and his only career no-hitter.
The former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hill turns 40 on March 11th and is coming off a recent incident during the weekend before Christmas, as him and his wife were arrested at a New England Patriots game. That incident was centered around his wife having too big of a bag to enter Gillette Stadium with, which the couple was not happy about. He also is recovering from off-season primary repair surgery and is not expected back until mid-season. He will need to either make 15 starts or throw 75 innings to earn the $12.5 million salary. The veteran had to work through arm and knee injuries in 2019, but did end up pitching in the Postseason for the Dodgers. He is entering his 16th season in the major leagues, but had his best stretch from 2016 to 2018 when he won 35 games with a 3.06 ERA.
The 33-year-old Bailey finished last season with the Oakland Athletics, but started with the Kansas City Royals, as he was a Trade Deadline acquisition for the A's, who lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Wild Card Game. He went 13-9 combined between the two teams, while recording an ERA of 4.57 and 149 strikeouts. He got red hot in September to help the A's make the Postseason, posting a 2.21 ERA with 21 strikeouts in four starts that month. He ended up with 31 starts for the season, which was his largest total for a single year since 2013. Bailey is mostly known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent the first 12 seasons of his career and held a record of 67-77 over 212 starts with a 4.56 ERA and his only career no-hitter.
