The San Diego Padres reached an agreement with free-agent starter Josh Johnson on a one-year guaranteed $8 million deal. The deal includes an additional $1.25 million in performance bonuses and Johnson makes 26 starts.
Johnson did not receive a qualifying offer from Toronto. Johnson, 29, is 58-45 with a 3.40 ERA in parts of nine seasons with the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays. He went 2-8 with a 6.20 ERA in a injury-plagued 2013 season with Toronto, and had been looking for a short-term deal to re-establish himself before going back on the open market next winter.
Johnson will join Ian Kennedy, Andrew Cashner, Eric Stults and Tyson Ross in San Diego’s projected 2014 rotation.
The Pittsburgh Pirates were among several teams interested in Johnson.
