Six months ago, Troy Percival was out of baseball. Now, he is on the verge of signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the Rays, according to major-league sources. The deal will contain a series of escalators that could push the total value of the package to more than $10 million, sources say.
Percival, 38, is joining the Rays for two reasons — the chance to close and the opportunity to reunite with manager Joe Maddon, who was the Angels’ bench coach when Percival was the team’s star closer.
The Yankees were willing to pay Percival a higher salary, sources say, but they wanted him as a set-up man for closer Mariano Rivera.
The Brewers, Giants, A’s and Blue Jays also expressed interest in Percival, who pitched effectively with the Cardinals last season after missing nearly a year and a half with a right-forearm injury.
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