Free agent flame thrower, Joel Zumaya, who has battled an array of arm injuries since making his MLB debut in 2006, has agreed to join his former team's biggest rival in the Central Division, the Minnesota Twins:
After throwing for teams in December and holding out for a roster spot and the right situation, Zumaya has agreed to terms with the Minnesota Twins, the reliever told MLB.com. The two sides spent Saturday putting together a deal that could pay him anywhere from $800,000 to $1.7 million if he reaches incentives.
A Twins official would neither confirm nor deny the deal to MLB.com, but said they’ve been in negotiations since December.
Zumaya weighed what he called "good offers" from three other clubs, but the Twins included guaranteed money rather than a minor-league deal with a Spring Training invite.
Zumaya's last pitch was in a Tigers uniform at Target Field where he fractured his elbow on a pitch in June 2010. Zumaya made attempts to pitch last season, but the screws that were placed in his elbow were causing discomfort and ultimately shut him down for the season. If healthy, he's amongst the elite, but he's rarely been the former. Before being injured in 2010 he had 34 strike outs in over 38 innings and a 2.58 ERA.
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