Reds ink Masset; acquire Valdez

Published 1:26 am Thursday, January 26, 2012

CINCINNATI (AP) — Right-handed reliever Nick Masset has agreed on a two-year, $5.5 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds, avoiding salary arbitration.

Masset gets a base salary of $2.4 million this year and $3.1 million in 2013. The deal includes performance bonuses and an escalator for his 2013 base salary if he reaches certain goals.

Masset made $1,825,000 last season, when he went 3-6 with a 3.71 earned run average in 75 relief appearances. He asked for $2.9 million in arbitration, and the club offered $2.1 million.

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The signing leaves right-hander Jose Arredondo as the final Reds player in arbitration. He’s asking for $875,000, and the club has offered $725,000. Arredondo made $480,000 last season, when he went 4-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 53 appearances.

Also, the Reds acquired infielder Wilson Valdez from the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league pitcher Jeremy Horst on Wednesday, another move to add depth to their bench.

The Reds also announced that they had signed utility player Willie Harris, a free agent from the Mets.

Valdez, 33, has played six seasons in the majors with the White Sox, Mariners, Padres, Dodgers, Mets and Phillies. He batted .249 last year with one homer and 30 RBIs in 99 games. The second baseman also notched the victory in a 5-4, 19-inning win over the Reds in Philadelphia on May 25, holding the Reds hitless in the final inning.

Horst, 26, reached the majors for the first time last season, making a dozen relief appearances with a 2.93 ERA.