Dozier can earn additional award bonuses, such as for making the All-Star team, winning

WASHINGTON (AP) — Free agent infielder Brian Dozier’s $9 million Jorge De La Rosa Jersey , one-year contract with the Washington Nationals includes $2 million in salary that is deferred without interest until Jan. 15, 2020.Washington announced the deal Sunday, three days after it was agreed to subject to a successful physical.Gold Glove or Silver Slugger awards, finishing among the top three in MVP voting or earning the World Series of League Championship Series MVP award.Dozier, who played for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers last season, fills Washington’s need for a starting second baseman and could help add some power to the lineup, particularly important if slugging outfielder Bryce Harper ends up leaving as a free agent.By only committing to Dozier for one season, the Nationals leave open the possibility of turning to leading infield prospect Carter Kieboom at second base in 2020.Dozier batted a career-low .215 with 21 homers and 72 RBIs last year. He averaged 35 homers over the preceding three seasons, with a career best of 42 for Minnesota in 2016. He was an AL All-Star in 2015.In 2017, Dozier led AL second baseman in fielding percentage and won a Gold Glove.While still waiting to find out what will happen with Harper, the Nationals’ additions have included lefty starter Patrick Corbin Taijuan Walker Jersey , catchers Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki, relievers Kyle Barraclough and Trevor Rosenthal, and backup first baseman Matt Adams. Rob Carr/Getty ImagesJoe Kelly is gone. Craig Kimbrel is all but gone. The Boston Red Sox get the benefit of the doubt that comes with winning a World Series, but their offseason approach to building a bullpen looks like a big gamble.And that was before they signed Jenrry Mejia.On Tuesday, Alex Speier of theBoston Globereported Mejia will earn $625,000 while he's in the majors, but the Sox gave him a minor league contract thatdoesn't even include an official invitation to spring training.It's a small gamble financially, although Mejia is the first player to receive a lifetime suspension from Major League Baseball for three positive drug tests. (Lifetime in his case meant a little more than two years, because MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred cleared him to return this past July.)Mejia hasn't thrown a major league pitch since July 2015, but he doesn't turn 30 until October.He's worth a chance, and there's nothing wrong with the Red Sox giving him that chance. It's far less risky than turning a championship bullpen over to a bunch of guys who have yet to prove they can handle it.It's less risky than not spending money on relievers while your biggest rival seems to be spending on nothing but relievers.The New York Yankees have signed Zack Britton and Adam Ottavino this winter, and they still have Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances, too. Meanwhile http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , the Red Sox have signed no relievers to major league contracts. Kelly left to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they've suggested Kimbrel will be far out of their price range.The Red Sox didnt want to pay big money to retain closer Craig Kimbrel, even after Kimbrel helped them win a World Series.Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesAnd while Kimbrel and various other relievers (but not proven closers) remain available on the free-agent market, Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski told Bob Nightengale of USA Today in early January, "We have not anticipated having a large expenditure for a closer."That doesn't make the Red Sox cheap. They had the highest payroll in the game last year and likely will this year, too. It doesn't make them stupid. It just means they've chosen different ways to allocate their money. That's a big risk.While Kimbrel was far from brilliant in October, no one else in the Red Sox bullpen had a save opportunity during the postseason. Others faced big late-inning pressure, but much of that went to Kelly, while some of it went to starters moonlighting as relievers.Kelly is gone, and starters typically don't appear out of the pen from April through September. Someone else will need to, and the 21 pitchers currently on the Red Sox's 40-man roster have a combined 29 career major league saves. That includes 12 from Chris Sale, who is not a candidate to close.Meanwhile, Mejia had 28 saves for the Mets in 2014. Perhaps he won't prove to be the same pitcher after all of the enforced time off Brad Boxberger Jersey , but maybe he will be.Mejia had some success as a closer, but it was a long time ago.Kevin Liles/Getty ImagesMaybe it won't matter. The rest of the Red Sox roster is strong enough that barring significant injuries or underperformance, they should be right in the middle of the American League East race. If the bullpen proves to be a problem, there are plenty of examples of teams fixing their pens at midseason.There's also the example of the 2018 Red Sox. When the postseason began, the late innings looked like a potential problem. The bullpens looked like a mismatch when the Sox met the Yankees in the American League Division Series, except the Red Sox starters outpitched the Yankees rotation so drastically that late-inning runs didn't change the outcome.The Red Sox won that gamble, but Dombrowski knows all too well from his Octobers with the Detroit Tigers that gambling with the bullpen doesn't always work. And yet here he is, gambling again.Here the Red Sox are, taking a chance on a guy who already failed three drug tests and would be a major embarrassment if he fails another one on their watch. Here they are, taking a chance on a guy who has hardly pitched in the last four seasons.It isn't a lot of money. If it doesn't work out, the Sox can let Mejia go.But after neglecting their bullpen this offseason, the Red Sox put themselves in the position where they may need Mejia to have success.That's the big gamble. Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball.