Twins sign Pelfrey, Suzuki

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - The Minnesota Twins on Monday signed pitcher Mike Pelfrey to a two-year, $11 million contract and catcher Kurt Suzuki to a one-year, $2.75 million contract.

Pelfrey went 5-13 with a 5.19 earned run average in 29 starts for the Twins last season. The 29-year-old has a career record of 55-67 with a 4.48 ERA in parts of eight major league seasons with the New York Mets and Twins.

Suzuki hit .232 with five home runs and 32 RBI in 94 games for the Nationals and Athletics in 2013. He's a career .253 hitter with 67 homers and 359 RBI in 840 games with the A's and Nationals.

The 30-year-old Suzuki will compete with Josmil Pinto for playing time behind the plate. Pinto made his MLB debut last season and hit .342 with four homers and 12 RBI in 21 games.

The Twins were in the market for a catcher this offseason with Joe Mauer moving away from the position because of a concussion that cut short his 2013 season. The need for catching grew even more when they traded Ryan Doumit to the Braves last week.