Relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton and the Cincinnati Reds have signed a three-year deal that will keep the right-hander in a Reds uniform through 2015, with a club option for 2016.
It is likely to mean that Broxton - who came to the Reds in the 2012 season in a trade with Kansas City - will become the team's closer, now that it appears left-hander Aroldis Chapman will be moved to the starting rotation.
In a press release this morning, the Reds did not disclose terms of the contract, but both mlb.com and the Enquirer were reporting that it is a $21 million deal - with Broxton earning $4 million in 2013, $7 million in 2014, and $9 million in 2015 - with a $1 million buyout on a club option to keep Broxton for for the 2016 season at $9 million.
The 28-year-old Broxton is no stranger to the closer role - he has 111 career saves, most of them in his seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He recorded four saves for the Reds in September, while Chapman rested a fatigued shoulder. In 60 games with Kansas City and Cincinnati last year, he had 27 saves and a 2.48 earned run average.
Broxton was acquired at the 2012 trade deadline for two minor league pitchers, Juan Carlos Sulbaran and Donnie Joseph.
