Josh Hamilton is heading to the Angels, lured with a $125 million, five-year contract that steps up the migration of high-profile stars to Southern California.
The Angels persuaded the free agent outfielder to leave the Rangers with their third big-money offseason signing in as many years. Hamilton heads to Anaheim after first baseman Albert Pujols came West for $240 million last December along with pitcher C.J. Wilson — Hamilton’s Texas teammate — for $77.5 million. Still, the Angels failed to make the playoffs for the third straight year.
They had bulked up their pitching staff earlier in the offseason with the additions of starters Joe Blanton and Tommy Hanson, along with relievers Sean Burnett and Ryan Madson.
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‘‘It’s a great day to be an Angel/Angel fan!’’ Wilson said on his Twitter account.
Hamilton’s $25 million average salary matches Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard for the second-highest in baseball, trailing only Alex Rodriguez’s $27.5 million average with the Yankees. The agreement came just days after the Dodgers added pitchers Zack Greinke and Ryu Hyun-jin, boosting their payroll over $200 million.
Ichiro, Yankees are close
Ichiro Suzuki and the Yankees are closing in on a contract that would guarantee the outfielder between $12 million and $13 million over two years. Acquired from Seattle on July 23, the 39-year-old Suzuki revived his career in New York. The Yankees also planned to finalize a $12 million, one-year deal Friday with Kevin Youkilis.
Twins sign Correia
The Twins finalized a $10 million, two-year contract with righthander Kevin Correia to fill a rotation spot after their starters posted the second-worst ERA in the majors last season. Correia, 32, an All-Star in 2011, went 12-11 with a 4.21 ERA for the Pirates last season . . . Outfielder Andres Torres is returning to the Giants after one season with the Mets, agreeing to a $2 million, one-year contract . . . The Reds and free agent infielder Jack Hannahan finalized a $4 million, two-year contract . . . According to multiple reports, the Cubs offered pitcher Anibal Sanchez a five-year, $75 million contract. Sanchez, who helped the Tigers win the AL pennant last season, reportedly will give Detroit a chance to counter the Cubs’ offer.
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