The now-former Yankee will look to improve in a pitcher-friendly park.
Former Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes has signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, says La Velle E. Neal III. The 27-year-old pitcher has a career 4.54 ERA and 95 ERA+.
Despite a poor 2013 season, it's easy to see why the Twins signed Hughes: good strikeout and walk rates and a home run rate that was terrible in his home games at Yankee Stadium. With a career 3.78 FIP on the road, Hughes has at least demonstrated that he could be a better pitcher next season and beyond.
Jeff Kopman covered Hughes in our free agent profile series and noted he could be a good fit for the Mets. But it was reported yesterday that the Mets would be out on Hughes as he was seeking—and likely to receive—a multi-year deal. Although the Mets almost certainly need starting pitching for 2014, it's not a total shock they weren't willing to go beyond a year for Hughes.
If the Mets had reached a deal with Hughes, it likely would have been mocked, but like the Twins, they could have provided a much better pitching environment for him.