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The Houston Astros have signed reliever Kyle Farnsworth to a major league contract, according to a baseball source. The agreement was first reported by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
Farnsworth can earn up to $1.2M on the deal if he hits all of his performance bonuses, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. The guaranteed value of the deal is not yet known.
Farnsworth, 38, recently elected free agency after the Mets outrighted him to Triple-A to avoid paying his salary for the rest of the season as a result of the 45-day advance consent clause he signed last offseason. He reportedly received three major league offers and drew interest from the Reds and Phillies, but the Astros ended up being the best fit due to their MLB-worst 5.56 bullpen ERA.
In nineteen appearances for the Mets this season, Farnsworth posted a 3.18 ERA while saving three games before being jettisoned off the team's 40-man roster. He shared closing duties with Jose Valverde, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Carlos Torres once Bobby Parnell was lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery, and is expected to be a late-inning arm for the Astros in front of newly-deemed closer Chad Qualls.
In sixteen major league seasons with the Cubs (1999-2004), Tigers (2005, 2008), Braves (2005, 2010), Yankees (2006-2008), Royals (2009-2010), Rays (2011-2013), Pirates (2013) and Mets (2014), Farnsworth is the owner of a lifetime 43-66 record, 4.24 ERA and 57 saves in 877 appearances (26 starts).