Sources: Twins will bring back pitcher Michael Pineda on 2-year deal
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 06: Michael Pineda #35 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning of the game on SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Starting pitcher Michael Pineda will return to the Twins in 2020, sources tell FOX 9, on a two-year deal.
FOX 9's Pierre Noujaim reports the deal will pay the coveted free agent pitcher $20 million over the two-year span.
Pineda accrued 11 wins over 26 games with Minnesota in 2019 with an ERA of 4.01. However, he missed the end of the season when he was suspended in September after testing for a banned substance, Hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic.
After the suspension was announced, Pineda said he had been taking an over-the-counter prescription to maintain his wait which contained the substance.
Unfortunately for the Twins, the suspension came as Pineda was peaking during the season. In the two months prior to his final game, he had collected seven wins with a 2.88 ERA.
Pineda remains suspended for the first 39 games of the 2020 season.