The Minnesota Twins have added some strength to their pitching rotation with the signing of Phil Hughes on a three-year contract. The 29-year old ended his six-year association with the New York Yankees at the end of last season, signing a three-year deal worth a reported $24 million.

The move to the Twins could well be just what Hughes needs after a tough couple of seasons at the Yankees. The pitcher finished the 2010 season as an All Star after a year in which he went 18-8 with a 4.19 ERA and looking like he would become a key part of the Yankees’ rotation.

But a shoulder injury in 2011 restricted to just 17 starts, and Hughes has failed to reach his best form ever since, struggling with a back injury throughout the past two seasons.

Hughes went 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA last season for the Yankees, but with a record of 1-10 with a 6.32 ERA at Yankee Stadium, a move to pitcher-friendly Target Field could be exactly what the 27-year-old needs to jumpstart his career.

While fans of MLB betting won’t be backing the franchise to challenge for next year’s World Series, Hughes will add some genuine quality to an average Twins pitching line-up, one that has been key to Minnesota losing at least 96 games in each of the past three seasons.

After their starting pitchers finished last season with an MLB-worst ERA of 5.26, with only Samuel Deduno and Kevin Correia finishing the year with ERAs under 5.00, it was a no brainer that the franchise desperately needed to add some options to their starting rotation.

While Hughes may not be as exciting a signing as some Twins fans betting MLB World Series would have wanted, the right-hander is exactly the sort of pitcher that could be a huge success in Minnesota.