Johnson signed a 1-year deal worth 8 million dollars with some bonuses attached for 2014 and a possible deal for 2015.
Seriously. This signing. I like it. Nay, love it. Yeah, I'm loving it. And not because I semi-jokingly predicted it 2 weeks ago.
@AvengingJM@baseballpro Josh Johnson is ours. Easily.
— Friar Fever (@FriarFever) November 6, 2013Yeah, you're welcome, San Diego.
Or that in prior threads I've talked about how he would be a great pickup if the price was right. Granted, I was giving him a 2-3 year deal, but this deal is very good.
I love this signing because it gives us a new face on the mound. We have had 1 year deals with guys like Jon Garland, but signing Josh Johnson is a different kind of deal. It's a deal that makes me feel good to see happening to the team right now. I could throw some statistics at you about how he has had a down year or two. His struggles with injuries are another factor, but it has always been something that I personally choose to ignore on occasion. It's a bit more freeing that way sometimes, especially in a moment like this. Plus, if he does run into some troubles, there may be an interesting plot twist in the story.
According to Jeff Passan, Johnson is guaranteed to make 8 million dollars next year. Signed, sealed, delivered. It's his. If he makes 26 starts, he could make 1.25 million more. But, and this is a huge but, if he makes fewer than 7 starts, the Padres hold a 4 million dollar option for Johnson in 2015. Now that is some clever contracting. The Padres are banking on having Johnson around for 2014, but if 2014 is not nice to Johnson, he may be back with the Padres in 2015 for half the money. Worst case scenario, we may have signed Josh Johnson to a 2 year deal worth 13.25 million dollars. That's craziness. Plus, this type of deal for this kind of money could be good sign for the Padres off-season that many felt would fall flat.
This type of signing may be a signal that there is more to come. Maybe there is a hitter or another pitcher on the fence about where he should go and the signing of Josh Johnson could sway him towards America's Finest City. Johnson wanted to come here, so who's to say someone else might not have that same desire. ESPN reported that a source said that he turned down more money in a one year deal from other teams to come to San Diego. That's a guy I want to spend all next year rooting for.
Well, I think it's time for me to step away from the keyboard now anyways. It's not safe to get too excited on November 19th, 2013. Yet, this excitement will be a good thing to have when we see him in a Padres uniform very soon.
I CAN'T WAIT
I wish Josh Johnson the best of luck when Spring Training rolls around and we get a look at hopefully a full season of great pitching from him.