Apparent Wells, Padres $3 Million, One Year Deal With Possible Incentives Worth $4 Million
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It looks as if David Wells and the San Diego Padres have apparently expedited agreement to bring Wells into the Padres fold.
However, the Padres should not count him in just yet, until after the physical and until after his signature is on the dotted line. This blog picked up the earlier report by Union-Tribune’s Bill Center which stated;
This is the third time Towers has negotiated with Wells. Each has had a different twist.
Towers signed Wells as a free agent on Dec. 31, 2003, after the Yankees believed they had received a verbal commitment from the pitcher on a minor league deal. The Point Loma High product went 12-8 with a 3.73 ERA for the Padres in 31 starts in 2004.
Towers believed he was close to an agreement with Wells the following winter, when the pitcher changed his mind at the last moment and signed a two-year contract with the Red Sox.
At any rate, AP Sports’ Bernie Wilson reports on Yahoo’s Sports page;
The Padres and Wells’ agent agreed in principle Friday to a $3 million, one-year deal that gives the 43-year-old left-hander the chance to make another $4 million in incentives.
Padres general manager Kevin Towers said the two sides need to finalize some contract language and Wells must pass a physical. He expects the deal to be finalized by Monday or Tuesday.
Wells’ agent, Gregg Clifton, said the deal was 98-percent done, but that he needed to talk with his client one more time.
Wells’ return comes a little more than a month after the Padres signed 40-year-old Greg Maddux to a $10 million, one-year deal.
Wells will anchor a rotation that includes Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Clay Hensley and Maddux, a four-time Cy Young Award winner.
“I think it’ll give us one of our better pitching staffs probably since 1998, with a great blend of experience as well as young starters,” Towers said.
With Kevin Brown as their ace in 1998, the Padres reached the World Series before being swept by Wells’ New York Yankees. Wells won Game 1 at Yankee Stadium.
“It also gives us a left-hander, which we think was much-needed,” Towers said. “In talking to him last Thursday, I think this guy is dedicated and focused, somebody who can put together a good season for us.”
The Padres obtained Wells from Boston for the stretch run on Aug. 31. He went 1-2 with a 3.49 ERA in five starts for the two-time NL West champions before losing Game 2 of the division series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
If Wells does in fact sign on with the Padres, their pitching staff on paper would among the most imposing in baseball and would give San Diego a leg up on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, even with the Diamondback pitching staff’s recent addition of Randy “Big Unit” Johnson.
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January 21st, 2007 at 5:17 am
[…] If Wells does in fact sign on with the Padres, their pitching staff on paper would among the most imposing in baseball and would give San Diego a leg up on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, even with the Diamondback … – More – […]