Boston has a new arm to team up with Koji Uehara in pounding the strike zone.
The Red Sox have agreed to terms with reliever Edward Mujica on a two-year, $9.5 million deal, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan. The deal reportedly is pending a physical, which Mujica will take Thursday.
Mujica, who spent his 2013 season with the Cardinals, is known for his incredible control. He issued just five walks in 64 2/3 innings (0.7 BB/9) this past season, while posting a 2.78 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Mujica also struck out 46, saved 37 games and earned his first All-Star selection.
Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington entered the offseason with the hope of improving Boston’s bullpen. He added Burke Badenhop to the club’s relief mix, but opted to non-tender Andrew Bailey, who figured to garner just north of $4 million through arbitration. The Mujica signing certainly stabilizes a unit that was up and down at times with the exception of Uehara, who was dominant first as a setup man and then as a closer.
Mujica was the Cardinals closer in 2013 before being demoted from the role in favor of Trevor Rosenthal following some late-season struggles. The 29-year-old ended up appearing in just two postseason contests with St. Louis.
Mujica, who turns 30 in May, has also spent time with the Marlins, Padres and Indians over the course of his eight-year major league career. He owns a 3.75 ERA and has walked just 1.4 hitters per nine innings in his career.
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Photo via Facebook/Edward Mujica
