Red Sox officially re-sign Nunez to 1-year deal
It took a little longer than both sides might have liked, but Eduardo Nunez is back in Beantown.
The Boston Red Sox announced Sunday they have re-signed the utility man to a one-year contract with a player option for the 2019 season.
Nunez will reportedly earn $4 million this season, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. His player option will also pay him $4 million in 2019 if exercised, or $2 million if it's bought out, meaning he's guaranteed to pocket $6 million. It also contains incentives and escalator clauses based on plate appearances in both seasons.
Boston structured the deal in this manner so it could stay under the luxury-tax threshold should the team sign another free agent before Opening Day, reports Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.
Based on number of 2018 plate appearances, Nunez can boost his 2019 base salary by up to $1M, and then he can earn up to $1M in 2019 bonuses based on 2019 plate appearances. Those escalators/bonuses would have implications only for 2019 luxury tax, not 2018.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) February 18, 2018
Nunez and the Red Sox reportedly reached an agreement Thursday, but it took several days to make things official. The 30-year-old was spotted at Red Sox camp Saturday despite having not officially signed his deal.
Though third base is his primary position, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday he'll begin the season utilizing Nunez's super-utility abilities by playing him in a variety of spots.
Cora on Nunez: 'We don't have to rely so much on other guys ... This guy brings more than the second, third and short situation' pic.twitter.com/7LHDH2XXfT
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) February 18, 2018
Last season, Nunez hit .313/.341/.460 with 12 homers, 58 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases in 114 games split between the Red Sox and San Francisco Giants. He spent time at five positions defensively, but the majority of his appearances with Boston came at second base.
Nunez suffered a PCL strain during Boston's ALDS loss to Houston. In January, he worked out for team doctors in the Dominican Republic and was given a clean bill of health.
An All-Star with the Minnesota Twins in 2016, Nunez is a career .282/.320/.415 hitter over eight seasons with four teams.