Phil Hughes fell one out short of a $500,000 bonus from the Twins last season. He probably won't miss it much now.
Hughes, who won 16 games in his first season in Minnesota, has been rewarded with a three-year extension that will pay him an additional $42 million, the team announced Monday. The righthander's $8 million salary in each of the next two seasons has been increased to $9.2 million, and he will earn $13.2 million per year from 2017-2019. That makes the Twins' total commitment to Hughes $58 million over the next five seasons. "I didn't want it to be a deal where I came in for three years, saw this team get back on the right track, and then [say], 'Thanks for everything, thanks for having faith in me, and see you later,' " Hughes said in a conference call to announce the extension. "I want to be part of this for years to come. I believe in the process and the direction this team is going. I'm very excited that I can be a part of that change." Hughes' new contract is the longest commitment the Twins have ever made to a starting pitcher, but it represents a mild risk for both sides. The Twins will be paying Hughes through the 2019 season, a gamble that he stays healthy and effective. And for the 28-year-old California native, it means locking himself into a salary that, considering the rapid inflation of pitching contracts, will look like an enormous bargain if he continues to pitch at the level he reached in 2014, when he finished seventh in Cy Young Award voting. "If you look at the market, it's a reasonable deal for us," said general manager Terry Ryan. "It's something perceived from Phil and [agent Nez Bolelo] as being fair. ... But there's some risk for both parties." Not as much as a year ago, when the 28-year-old starting pitcher, coming off an ugly 4-14, 5.19 ERA season with the Yankees, agreed to a three-year, $24 million free agent contract. But Hughes responded with one of the strongest seasons by a Twins starter in the past decade, posting a 3.52 ERA in 32 starts. He struck out 186 batters and walked only 16, setting a major-league record with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 11.63. When late-season rain cost him a 33rd start and cut short his final appearance, he finished with 209 2/3 innings pitched -- one short of the 210 innings needed to collect a $500,000 bonus. The Twins offered to pitch him in relief during the season's final weekend, but Hughes turned down the offer, citing his desire not to risk injury. "That made an impact on me," Ryan said. "Knowing what kind of integrity Phil has -- don't think I didn't let that cross my mind. You're looking to invest in a player, you're always looking for a guy that's got makeup, and Phil has makeup. I don't think there's a better example than him giving up a half-million dollars." Hughes' new contract represents a career resurrection for the former first-round pick. He reached the major leagues with the Yankees as a 21-year-old in 2007, but after two subpar seasons, he was shifted to the bullpen. He returned to New York's rotation with an All-Star season in 2010, going 18-8, but after four straight seasons with an ERA above 4.00, the Yankees allowed him to leave as a free agent. "I made a lot of changes last year. I didn't feel like it was a shot in the dark and I got lucky," Hughes said of his bounceback season. "I have a more mature approach with what I wanted to do. I don't think there's any chance I can't repeat that." This is the third significant move made by the Twins during the off-season. They signed free agent pitcher Ervin Santana to a four-year, $55 million deal earlier this month, and added veteran outfielder Torii Hunter, who began his career in Minnesota before signing with the Angels as a free agent in 2007. Hunter will earn $10.5 million on a one-year contract. Those moves impressed Hughes. "We have the makings to be a good club, with guys like [Danny] Santana and [Kennys] Vargas coming up. What we've brought in this off-season, bringing in Ervin Santana and Torii Hunter, some veteran presence that will help those young guys," Hughes said. "You look at [some] clubs, they sit stagnant. They don't make the moves that are necessary. As an organization, we could have sat back and waited for the prospects, but to go out and sign guys, they made us better." Phil Miller * @MillerStrib
