The active New York Mets filled two more holes Thursday, signing utility infielder Joey Wendle and reliever Austin Adams to one-year contracts. Wendle, an All-Star in 2021 with Tampa Bay, gets a $2 million salary with the opportunity to earn another $500,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances, according to a person familiar with the deal. Wendle, who turns 34 in April, spent the past two seasons with Miami and helped the Marlins reach the playoffs this year.
Reliever Liam Hendriks and outfielder Cody Bellinger were selected Major League Baseball's Comeback Players of the Year on Tuesday. The pair, both free agents, were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers. Hendriks, a 34-year-old right-hander, made his season debut on May 29 following treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Free agent right-hander Kenta Maeda and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a $24 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. Maeda, who turns 36 on April 11, spent the past three years with the Minnesota Twins. After giving up career highs of 10 runs and 11 hits against the New York Yankees six days later, he went on the injured list because of a strained right triceps, an injury that sidelined him until June 23.
Shōta Imanaga, who got the win for Japan in this year's World Baseball Classic final against the United States, will become a free agent Tuesday and major league teams can sign him through 5 p.m. on Jan. 11. Naoyuki Uwasawa, a 29-year-old right-handed reliever with the Pacific League's Nippon Ham Fighters, also will become a free agent Tuesday and be available through Jan. 11. Imanaga, a 30-year-old left-hander, was 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA in 22 starts this year for the Yokohama BayStars of Japan's Central League.