Vicente Padilla Agrees to Deal With Red Sox, Adding Yet Another Veteran Arm to Spring Training Mix

by Didier Morais on Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 2:56PM

After days of negotiations, Vicente Padilla will continue his major league career with the Red Sox.

Boston came to terms with the 34-year-old hurler on a minor league contract Monday, according to Peter Gammons.

The deal includes an invitation to spring training. If Padilla makes the major league squad, he is due to make $1.5 million, the Boston Herald reports.

Padilla adds to a growing list of veteran pitchers the Red Sox have stockpiled through free agency. Carlos Silva, Aaron Cook and Justin Germano are among the other veterans that will compete to potentially earn a spot in the rotation.

Just two years ago, Padilla received the nod as the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter. Last season, the Nicaraguan made nine appearances out of the bullpen for the Dodgers, recording three saves and posting a 4.15 ERA. But his season ended abruptly in June, when he underwent surgery to repair a disk in his neck.

During his stint in the Nicaraguan Winter League this past offseason, Padilla has continued to impress, reportedly throwing 95-96 mph en route to going 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA, 13 strikeouts and one walk in 16 innings.

But Padilla is notorious for throwing at batters. From 2002-08, he plunked at least 15 batters during four different seasons. For his career, Padilla has hit 106 batters during his 13 years in the majors.

His knack of hitting batters has sparked retaliations and bench-clearing brawls — including incidents with Yankees sluggers Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira — and ultimately prompted the Rangers to cut ties with Padilla in August 2009.

Shortly after being released by Texas, Padilla joined the Dodgers, where he posted a 4-0 record in the regular season and notched a victory in the National League Division Series to eliminate the Cardinals.

In 13 seasons with the Diamondbacks, Phillies, Rangers and Dodgers, Padilla has compiled a 104-90 record with a 4.31 ERA and 1,070 strikeouts.

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