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The Arizona Diamondbacks continued to add depth to their pitching staff on Friday with the signing of Brandon McCarthy. Assuming the 29-year-old right-handed starter passes his physical, he will be signed with the club through 2014.
Details have slowly leaked out about McCarthy's new deal with Arizona. According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, the deal is heavily backloaded. McCarthy will receive a signing bonus of $2.5 million, and then a salary of $4 million in 2013. Next year he'll earn $9 million. This comes out to a total of $15.5 million over the course of the next two seasons.
It's a pretty decent chunk of change for the Diamondbacks, which had a payroll of about $75 million in 2012. The addition of McCarthy could mean the club is closing in on a trade that would likely send one of their current pitchers to another team. If outfielder Justin Upton is dealt, his 2013 salary of $9.75 million would also clear up some room for general manager Kevin Towers.