There wasn't a much better story in Major League Baseball last season than the career rejuvenation of Texas Rangers relief pitcher Neal Cotts, and on Wednesday, he got paid with a 193 percent raise, to make $2.2 million in 2014 after playing in 2013 for just $750,000 after the Rangers decided to avoid arbitration altogether with the key piece of their bullpen.
Cotts will be a free agent following the season, but it's a nice pay day for the 33-year-old, who had a stellar 2013 after being out of the big leagues for four seasons.
Cotts last pitched in the majors in 2009 with the Chicago Cubs when he went 0-2 with an ERA above 7.00 and a rash of injuries began to knock Cotts off the rails one time after another. Then, last year, he got on board with the Rangers with little to no expectations, and proceeded to put up a 1.11 ERA in 57 innings — the best season of his career, besting his 2005 when he won the World Series with the Chicago White Sox as a key reliever, sporting a 1.94 ERA.
It's always nice to see guys like Cotts get their shot at re-establishing their careers after injury hardships, but four years out of the league is pretty remarkable to come back from, and Cotts has done it in a big way.
