Willingham Signs 3-Year, $21M Deal With Twins
Veteran outfielder Josh Willingham passed his physical with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, completing his agreement of a three-year, $21 million deal with the club.
The Twins announced the agreement Thursday morning.
Willingham can earn an additional $1 million in the third season if he reaches 525 plate appearances in the second year of the deal, a league source said.
Willingham, 32, is a career .262 hitter with 132 home runs for the Marlins, Nationals and Athletics. He batted .246 with a career-high 29 homers and 98 RBIs for Oakland in 2011.
The Twins were looking for more power from the right side of the plate after trading Delmon Young to the Tigers last season. Willingham has topped 20 homers four times in six full major league seasons.
His signing could mean the end of Michael Cuddyer’s run in Minnesota. Twins GM Terry Ryan said this week that the team has not ruled out Cuddyer’s return.
Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Colorado and Boston were among the other clubs that expressed interest in Willingham during the free-agency process.
Jerry Crasnick | ESPN