BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox agreed to terms with outfielder Jonny Gomes on a two-year contract that would reportedly pay him $10 million.

The Red Sox have not announced the deal. But a baseball official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because Gomes had yet to take his physical, said on Monday that the terms were agreed to.

Gomes is a career .244 hitter who batted .262 with 18 homers and 47 RBI for the Oakland Athletics last year.

A part-time player for most of his 10-year career, Gomes has played both right and left field. 

RAYS: Evan Longoria and Tampa Bay agreed to a $136.6 million, 10-year contract that adds six guaranteed seasons and $100 million.

“I always wanted to be kind of a benchmark player … the guy that you could think about or associate with the organization,” Longoria said. “My goal from Day One was to be the first player that played their whole career here, to be the first guy that came into the organization and went out in the organization, and played all the years in between. There’s no better place for me.”

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The agreement with the three-time All-Star incorporates the remainder of the 27-year-old’s existing contract, which called for him to earn $36.6 million over the next four seasons. The new deal includes a team option for 2023 that could make the deal worth $144.6 million over 11 years.

Longoria said a no-trade provision is not included in the deal, although after 2017 he would have a right to block trades as a 10-year veteran who spent his last five years with the same team.

Longoria became just the seventh player with a contract guaranteed through 2020. 

METS: Left-hander Tim Byrdak is remaining with New York, agreeing to a minor league contract.

The 39-year-old was 2-2 with a 4.40 ERA in 56 relief appearances this season, his second with the Mets. 

ATHLETICS-METS: Oakland sold infielder Brandon Hicks to New York.

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The 27-year-old was claimed off waivers from Atlanta on March 13 and hit .172 with three homers and seven RBI in 22 games. He also hit .244 with 18 homers and 61 RBI at Triple-A Sacramento. 

CUBS: Chicago hired former Milwaukee Brewers slugger Rob Deer as an assistant hitting coach.

Deer, who has spent time as a roving hitting instructor for San Diego, hit 230 home runs in 11 major league seasons. He played with Cubs Manager Dale Sveum in Milwaukee and will work under hitting coach James Rowson. 

REDS: A person familiar with the negotiations said reliever Jonathan Broxton has been involved in “substantial talks” with Cincinnati over a multiyear deal.

Broxton also is talking to several other teams, looking for a good fit for the next few years.

The Reds got Broxton in a trade with Kansas City last July to solidify their bullpen. 

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YANKEES: Catcher Eli Whiteside and New York agreed to a one-year contract worth $625,000 in the major leagues and $200,000 in the minors.

The 33-year-old, claimed off waivers from San Francisco on Nov. 5, was 1 for 11 in 12 games for the Giants this year. 

BLUE JAYS: DeMarlo Hale is leaving Baltimore to become bench coach for new Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons.

Hale spent one year with Baltimore after six seasons with Boston, where he served as third base coach from 2006-09 followed by two years as bench coach. He was Texas’ first base and outfielder coach from 2002 to 2005. 

PLAYOFF SHARES: A full postseason share for the World Series champion San Francisco Giants was worth a record $377,003, breaking the mark that had stood since the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals.

In the first year of the expansion of the playoffs from eight teams to 10, the players’ pool was a record $65.36 million, Major League Baseball said. The previous mark of $59.1 million came in 2009.

All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera, suspended for the final 45 games of the regular season and the division series, automatically received a full share without his teammates having to make a decision.

Under baseball’s joint drug agreement, he was eligible for his share because his suspension ended in time for him to be on the active roster for a majority of the Giants’ postseason games, even though San Francisco decided not to use him. Under Major League Rule 45, he gets a full share because he was with the team from June 1 on.

 


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