The Boston Red Sox have officially signed 12 free agents, one of whom is former Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Silva to minor league deals. All of 12 have been invited to Spring Training as non-roster players. If he reaches the majors, Silva is projected to earn exactly $1,000,000.
The entire list of players includes pitchers Silva, Rich Hill (reported earlier), Brandon Duckworth, Will Inman, Doug Mathis, Tony Pena Jr., Chorye Spoone, Jesse Carlson (reported earlier), Charlie Haeger, Justin Thomas as well as infielders Pedro Ciriaco and Nate Spears. While some of these names are recognizable, none are more so than Silva.
Silva, 32, has been in the big leagues since 2002 and has pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies (2002-2003), Minnesota Twins (2004-2007), Seattle Mariners (2008-2009) and Chicago Cubs (2010). In 2011, Silva was released by the Cubs and signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees, where he was 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA between double and triple A. He was later released because of some nagging health problems.
Silva's major league track record is a respectable one, to say the least. In his nine seasons in the majors, Silva is 70-70 with a 4.68 ERA with over 1,200 innings pitched. Silva owns a staggeringly low 1.7 BB/9 rating for an innings eater. His best season came in 2004 with the Twins (14-8, 4.21 ERA), but his 2010 campaign was a close second (10-6 4.22 ERA). The Red Sox have been looking for low cost options to build depth in their pitching rotation, so this move was really right up their alley.
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