A Rainout Could Cost Phil Hughes a $500,000 Bonus

Believe it or not, you could make a semi-decent argument Phil Hughes has been one of the better free agent signings in all of baseball in 2014. The righty signed a reasonable three-year, $24 million deal with the Twins in the winter and has rewarded Minnesota with a 15-10 record (on a team 23-games under .500) along with a 3.56 ERA, 111 ERA+ and career-best 2.64 FIP. He’ also posted a league-best 0.7 walks per nine. However you want to couch it, Hughes has been a nice investment for the pitching-needy Twins.

His contract includes a clause for a $500,000 bonus should he pitch 210 innings in 2014. As the Pioneer Press reported, that bonus is in jeopardy following a rainout last Friday. Hughes pitched in Saturday’s double-header with the White Sox, going seven innings to push his season total to 194 2/3. He’s only scheduled to pitch twice more — on Saturday and Sept. 24. Yes, its conceivable he could reach 210 innings in two starts or he make a relief appearance to hit it in the final series of the season, without needing to pitch on three-day’s rest.

One way or another, it makes sense for the Twins to let Hughes pitch in some capacity in the final series of the season Sept. 25-28 vs. the Tigers. He would have hit 210 innings if not for Mother Nature and I’d find it highly questionable that the team would let a game get rained out just to avoid a $500,000 bonus. That’s a pittance in MLB finances.

Beyond that, behind the scenes stuff like this gets noticed by players and agents. Granted Minnesota isn’t usually a big-spender in free agency, save for retaining homegrown star Joe Mauer, but if the team opts for the nickel and dime route with Hughes it could give the team a bad reputation in the industry. Figuring out a way for Hughes to hit 210 innings, which it seems he would have done save for the rain-out, is probably good for the clubhouse morale, too. This isn’t quite the same as a team manipulating when it calls up a prospect to dance around service time for future salary arbitration. The Twins did have a reason to push Hughes rotation spot around, too, as they tried to get a couple more stars out of Tommy Milone, a pitcher they acquired mid-season with a good reputation but mixed results at the Major League level.

Something to consider is the Twins do play the Tigers in the final series. Manager Rod Gardenhire might not want to compromise the integrity of the game if Detroit is still involved in either the American League Central or Wild Card races, forcing Hughes into a situation just to pick up an inning or two in relief. Then again, Hughes has been the Twins best pitcher and he’s only allowed one earned run in 14 innings this season vs. the Tigers so starting him on short rest on the final game of the season might give the Minnesota its best chance to win.

The moral of this story? If you’re a professional athlete make sure you have a good agent to write in these sort of performance clauses in your deals.