THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Reliever Kyle Farnsworth and the Kansas City Royals completed a US$9.25 million, two-year contract on Saturday.
"Kyle Farnsworth’s power arm blends in well with the rest of our bullpen," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "We feel his presence will impact our bullpen and make it very strong."
Farnsworth and the Royals had reached a preliminary agreement earlier in the week.
Traded July 30 from the New York Yankees to Detroit for catcher Ivan Rodriguez, the hard-throwing right-hander went 2-3 with a 4.48 ERA and one save in 61 appearances overall last season, then filed for free agency.
Farnsworth, of Wichita, Kan., will get $4.25 million next year and $4.5 million in 2010. The deal includes a $5.25 million club option for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout, and Farnsworth could make an additional $750,000 per season in performance bonuses.
.The 32-year-old Farnsworth has a 30-48 record and a 4.47 ERA in 612 career appearances in 26 starts for the Chicago Cubs, Detroit, the Atlanta Braves and the Yankees. Since the 2003 season, he has posted 441 strikeouts, the seventh-most in the majors among relievers.
The six-foot-four, 235-pound right-hander split the 2008 season between the Yankees and Tigers, posting a 1-2 mark and a 3.65 ERA with New York in 45 games and a 1-1 record with a 6.75 ERA in 16 outings for Detroit.
