SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune
Randy Wolf meets with Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and catcher Russell Martin in a game at Petco Park in June. The left-hander's one-year, incentive-laden contract with the Padres for 2008 was officially announced Monday.
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SAN DIEGO – Randy Wolf will get a nice payday if he can make 30 starts and pitch 200 innings for the San Diego Padres.
The left-hander, coming off shoulder surgery in September, and the Padres finalized a one-year deal on Monday that will top out at $9 million if Wolf reaches all his incentives.
“My shoulder's doing great,” Wolf said during a conference call. “I'm on my third week of throwing now. Everything's progressing great.”
Wolf was 9-6 with a 4.23 ERA in 18 starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year. He didn't pitch after July 3 due to soreness in his left shoulder. He had surgery in September.
Wolf will make $4.75 million in base pay. He will earn $175,000 for starts 11-30, or $3.5 million. He'll get $250,000 if he pitches 190 innings, and another $500,000 if he pitches 200 innings.
He hasn't pitched that many innings since 2003, when he hit the number exactly.
That was the last time he completed a full season. He battled a sore elbow the next three seasons, including having reconstructive surgery in July 2005 that sidelined him for more than a year.
“I have every expectation to be 100 percent and make every start,” Wolf said. “If I make every start, and am making qualities start, I expect to throw 200 innings. Unfortunately, for three years I battled with my elbow and didn't know I had a torn ligament. It was tricky.”
He signed an $8 million, one-year contract with his hometown Dodgers last offseason. The Dodgers had a $9 million option for 2008 that would have become guaranteed if he pitched 180 innings last season. Due to the sore shoulder, he pitched only 102 2-3 innings. Wolf earned $7.5 million last season, and got a $500,000 buyout.
“We certainly knew there was some risk, a guy coming off surgery,” general manager Kevin Towers said. “This guy was very effective pitching the first half for LA last year. He had nine wins. The way we look at it, we're getting a guy with a fresh arm.
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.
