Zumaya follow-up: Bonus for games played

Forgot to blog it yesterday, but you probably saw it on the site that the Tigers avoided arbitration with Joel Zumaya with a one-year, $915,000 contract, up from the $735,000 Zumaya made last year. Well, turns out he’ll make a little more than that if he stays healthy for the bulk of the year.

Zumaya’s contract includes a $20,000 bonus if he pitches in 35 games this year. Why is this significant? Because Zumaya’s 29 appearances last year marked his highest total since 2006. It isn’t a huge bonus when you consider the overall contract, but it’s kind of unusual for an arbitration-eligible player, whose contracts are usually straight salaries. In this case, it’s a way to bridge the gap between the value of Zumaya over a full season and the risk of injury.