FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that the Padres and left-hander Eric Stults have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.75 million contract.
This is the first major payday for Stults, who has thrived since he was claimed off waivers from the White Sox in May of 2012, posting a 3.62 ERA over 47 starts and four relief appearances. The 33-year-old southpaw threw a career-high 203 2/3 innings this past season.
Stults is far from dominant, but he throws strikes and should do well enough as a backend starter as long as he calls PETCO Park home. As of now, he projects to enter 2014 with a rotation spot alongside Andrew Cashner, Josh Johnson, Ian Kennedy, and Tyson Ross, but that could change in the weeks ahead. Over the weekend, Bill Center of UT-San Diego speculated that the Padres could potentially deal Stults, Burch Smith, or Robbie Erlin to upgrade in other areas.