The 34 year old Eric Gagne, who earlier in his career was one of the most dominant relievers of all time, is headed back to the Dodgers, says Ken Gurnick:
Eric Gagne Returns To Dodgers With A Minor League Contract
The Dodgers and free-agent reliever Eric Gagne have reached a tentative agreement on a Minor League contract with an invitation to Major League camp. Gagne, 34, also had an offer from the Colorado Rockies, but preferred to return to Los Angeles, where he enjoyed his greatest success.
Yahoo’s Tim Brown checks in with contract details:
If Gagne returns to big leagues with Dodgers, it will be for $500,000 with a chance to make another $500,000 for games and games finished.
It’s been a long fall for Gagne ever since his 2002-2004 stretch of 152 saves, a 1.79 ERA, and a 13.3 K/9. Elbow surgery, back surgery, and a slight rotator cuff tear took him from Los Angeles all the way down to the independent Can-Am League’s Quebec City Capitales, where he worked as a starter. While his results weren’t great, he generated enough interest and looked sufficiently adequate in a tryout to earn another shot at the big leagues.
Gagne’s fastball hasn’t worked in the mid- to high-90s since 2004. Still, despite the velocity drop, he did manage to strike out a batter an inning from 2005-2008, so it’s within the realm of possibility that he could have something left to contribute. With Gagne, though, nothing is ever to be assumed.
Read how Dodger fans are reacting at True Blue LA.
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