SAN FRANCISCO — Left-hander Drew Pomeranz agreed Wednesday to a $1.5 million, one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, a deal that includes $3.5 million in possible roster and performance bonuses.

He is very familiar with the NL West, having pitched for Colorado and San Diego, and also knows the Bay Area. He spent the 2014-15 seasons with Oakland.

Pomeranz pitched the past three years with Boston. He won a career-high 17 games for the Red Sox in 2017. But he went 2-6 with a 6.08 ERA last season and was limited to 11 starts and 26 appearances for the World Series champions because of two stints on the disabled list – first with a strained left forearm followed by biceps tendinitis in his pitching arm.

He did not pitch in the World Series but was on the roster.

MARINERS: Ichiro Suzuki has agreed to a minor league deal with the Mariners, paving the way for the 45-year-old to play in the Mariners’ season-opening series in Japan.

Suzuki’s agent, John Boggs, confirmed the agreement on Wednesday and said Suzuki’s deal would become a major league contract if he is added to Seattle’s expanded roster for the two games the Mariners will play against Oakland to open the season in March in Tokyo. Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto has said Suzuki is expected to be on the roster for those games.

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ORIOLES: The Orioles hired Don Long as hitting coach and Doug Brocail as pitching coach under Manager Brandon Hyde.

BREWERS: The Brewers promoted GM David Stearns, adding president of baseball operations to his title and giving him a contract extension after the team came within one win of the World Series.

2020 HALL OF FAME: Mariano Rivera sailed into the Hall of Fame without a single dissenting vote. Next year, it’s Derek Jeter’s turn – and don’t expect much opposition then, either.

Jeter headlines the group of candidates who will be newly eligible for the Hall next year, and now that Rivera has become the first player elected unanimously it won’t be a surprise if another transcendent New York Yankees star does the same.

With 3,465 hits to his credit – not to mention five World Series titles – Jeter shouldn’t have much to worry about when the results are announced.

Whether he goes in unanimously is another matter. After his longtime teammate broke ground as the first player selected on 100 percent of the ballots submitted, some baseball writers might be more willing to vote strategically: Nobody is allowed to pick more than 10 players, so for some it could make sense to leave off a certain inductee if a vote would mean more for a player on the bubble.

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But nobody left off Rivera this time, and Jeter’s stature in the sport is similar.

Jeter may be the only first-ballot Hall of Famer next year, but there are a handful of other new candidates who distinguished themselves as well. Cliff Lee won a Cy Young Award and Jason Giambi has an MVP. Alfonso Soriano accomplished a rare 40-40 season in 2006.

Edgar Martinez made the Hall this year in his last chance on the ballot. Fred McGriff did not. Next season, it’s Larry Walker who will be up for the 10th and final time. Walker’s vote percentage shot up this year from 34 to 55. He’ll need another increase like that to get in.

Four players were elected this year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and with only Jeter standing out among the newcomers, the ballot might feel a bit less crowded next year. That could be good news for players like Walker, Curt Schilling (61 percent this year) and Omar Vizquel (43 percent). Schilling and Vizquel have an opportunity to make progress in 2020 and then again in 2021, when the group of newcomers appears less formidable.


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