Jonathan Broxton spent the first seven years of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now the relief pitcher will spend next season with a team whose uniform kind of looks like the Dodgers. The burly former closer has signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals on a one-year deal, the club announced today.
The deal is worth a guaranteed $4 million plus up to an additional $1 million in incentives, per Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. Broxton made $7 million in 2011 in the final season of a two-year deal signed before the 2010 campaign. On Monday, Broxton's agent BB Abbott said the reliever would not be returning to the Dodgers, and now we now why.
"We are delighted to add someone as talented as Jonathan to our bullpen," Royals GM Dayton Moore said in a statement. "He will be used in a set up role to closer Joakim Soria and will help solidify what we feel is a young and talented bullpen."
Broxton was limited to 14 games last season for the Dodgers, shelved by an elbow injury that eventually required surgery. He did not pitch after May 3. In 386 games for the Dodgers, Broxton was 25-20 with a 3.19 ERA, 84 saves, and 503 strikeouts in 392 innings.
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