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CHICAGO (AP) — Mat Latos agreed Tuesday to a $3 million, one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, giving manager Robin Ventura another option for the back end of his rotation.
Latos had consecutive 14-win seasons with Cincinnati in 2012 and 2013, but the 6-foot-6 right-hander hasn't been able to duplicate that success in recent years. He played for the Marlins, Dodgers and Angels last season, finishing with a 4-10 record and a 4.95 ERA.
His fastball velocity dipped to 92-93 mph for most of last season, down from 93-96 in 2012. He was on the disabled list from May 23 to June 12 with left knee inflammation.
"Mat adds another quality veteran arm to our rotation and also increases our overall pitching depth, which always is essential to having a successful season," general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement.
"While we believe in the futures of several of our young starters, the chance to add a pitcher of Mat's caliber was too good of an opportunity for us to pass up. He has proven over his career that when healthy, he takes the baseball and logs quality innings."
Latos also has faced questions about his maturity. He was traded from Cincinnati to Miami in December 2014, then made critical remarks about the Reds training staff and said there was a lack of leadership in the clubhouse while he was there — an assertion the Reds disputed.
But Latos, an 11th-round pick by San Diego in the 2006 amateur draft, just turned 28 in December, making it a low-risk move for Chicago. He made his major league debut with the Padres in 2009 and is 64-55 with a 3.51 ERA in seven big league seasons.
Latos adds another arm to the competition for the last two spots in Chicago's rotation. Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon form a potentially formidable front three, with John Danks, Erik Johnson, Jacob Turner and Latos in the mix for the remaining slots.
The White Sox are hoping to contend after finishing fourth in the AL Central a year ago. One of their biggest offseason moves was a trade to acquire third baseman Todd Frazier, who played with Latos in Cincinnati.
Also Tuesday, the team said first baseman Travis Ishikawa agreed to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training. Ishikawa played for San Francisco and Pittsburgh last year, batting .206 with one homer and eight RBIs in 44 games.
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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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