Michael Pineda agrees to two-year, $20M deal with Minnesota Twins

Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Right-handed pitcher Michael Pineda will return to the Minnesota Twins after agreeing to a two-year contract with the club.

League sources told ESPN and FOX 9 of Minneapolis that Pineda reached an agreement with the Twins on a two-year, $20 million deal.

Pineda had 11 wins and a 4.01 ERA over 26 starts with the Twins last season before missing the remainder of the 2019 campaign due to suspension. MLB initially handed the pitcher an 80-game ban after he tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, which can mask other banned substances.

After an appeal, Pineda had the penalty reduced to 60 games. He will begin the 2020 season serving the remainder of the suspension that started in early September. He has about five weeks of the ban left to serve.

In 14 starts before the suspension, Pineda had a 10-4 record with a 2.96 ERA and 87 strikeouts across 82 innings.

Since making his big league debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2011, Pineda is 51-46 with a 4.04 ERA and 827 strikeouts in six seasons with the New York Yankees, Twins and Mariners. He finished fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and was an All-Star selection with the Mariners in 2011.