Pierre Noujaim of Fox9 Minneapolis reports that the Twins and free agent starter Michael Pineda have agreed on a two-year contract. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes confirms Noujaim’s report and adds that the deal is for $20 million.
Pineda, 30, signed with the Twins in December 2017 while he was in the process of recovering from Tommy John surgery. He missed the entire 2018 season but began the 2019 season on time. Pineda went on to post a 4.01 ERA with 140 strikeouts and 28 walks across 146 innings. He was suspended 60 games in early September after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. There are 39 games remaining, so he won’t make his season debut next year until mid-May.
Pineda will rejoin a Twins rotation that features José Berríos and Jake Odorizzi. The Twins are likely not done hunting for rotation help.
