Righthander Mike Pelfrey has agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract to return to the Twins, according to a person with knowledge of negotiations. He becomes the third starting pitcher the Twins have signed this month.
The deal, according to the source, includes incentives.
It is not clear if the Twins are done signing starting pitchers. They were busy all week at the recently-completed winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. speaking with agents for Pelfrey, Matt Garza, Bronson Arroyo, Johan Santana and others. Several sources confirmed their interest in Garza, one of the top remaining free agents.
The Twins had offered Pelfrey a two-year, $10 million deal before increasing it Tuesday night. Scott Boras, Pelfrey's agent, said on Wednesday that other teams began to call about his client, and it was reported that the Giants and Texas were two of those teams.
Pelfrey was very comfortable in the Twins clubhouse last season and expressed a desire to return every time he was asked about his future. He was popular with players, and least one Twins player called Pelfrey in recent days, urging him to sign.
