According to sources, the Dodgers have signed former Rays lefty J.P. Howell to a one-year deal with a $2.85 million base salary with $1.25 million more available in incentives.
The USC product was a first-round pick of the Royals in 2004 and made his big-league debut in June of 2005. Howell was traded to the Rays in 2006 for Fernando Cortez and Joey Gathright.
A shoulder injury sidelined Howell for all of the 2010 campaign, before her returned to pitch 46 games in 2011. That season, Howell, who turns 30 in April, posted a career-worst 6.16 ERA.
A year later, he returned to form, with a 3.04 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings. He also set a Rays franchise record by pitching 27 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
Last year, left-handed hitters hit .200 (17-for-85) with 20 strikeouts against Howell. Right-handed hitters didn’t fare much better as Howell kept them at a .244 clip (22-for-90). Howell has appeared in at least 45 games in four of the last five seasons.
Howell joins Scott Elbert as the only lefties certain to make the Dodger relief corps. Left-handed starting pitchers Ted Lilly and Chris Capuano are also candidates for the bullpen.
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