Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Red Sox have signed free agent first baseman Carlos Delgado to a minor league contract.
As a condition of the agreement, the veteran slugger must be in the major leagues by September 1 or he can become a free agent. He’ll receive a pro-rated portion of a $3 million salary if or when he joins the active roster. The Red Sox have also agreed to not offer him arbitration this winter.
Mike Silverman of the Boston Herald reports that Delgado is expected to join Triple-A Pawtucket either today or tomorrow and begin playing as soon as possible. The 38-year-old first baseman hasn’t played in the majors since last May due to multiple hip surgeries.
Now that Kevin Youkilis is lost for the season due to thumb surgery, the Red Sox have been in the market for a left-handed compliment to Mike Lowell at first base. Neither are the most durable of options at this point in their respective careers, but Delgado did bat .298/.393/.521 over his first 94 at-bats last season. This is your classic case of a low risk, high-reward type move.
