Brad Penny is coming off an injury-plagued 2008 season.
Dustin Snipes/Icon SMI

The Boston Red Sox are nearing an agreement with former All-Star pitcher Brad Penny, according to multiple sources.

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com says Penny and the team are "still working out the language of the contract." Should the two sides work everything out, the signing could potentially bolster a rotation that faltered during last season's ALCS.

Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe reports the one-year deal would be worth $5 million, with $3 million in performance bonuses believed to start at approximately 160 innings pitched.

Benjamin also reports the Red Sox are close to a one-year deal with catcher Josh Bard.

Both potential deals are pending physicals, according to her sources.

Penny was cut loose by the Los Angeles Dodgers in November following an injury-plagued season, but previously had been the team's ace. Between 2006 and '07, he went 32-13 with a 3.65 ERA. However, he was sidelined off and on with right shoulder trouble in '08 and his ERA ballooned to a career-worst 6.27 in 19 appearances, including 17 starts.

Penny, 30, has compiled a 94-75 record with a 4.06 ERA over nine seasons with the Dodgers and Florida Marlins, with whom he began his career in 2000.

Having spent his entire career in the National League, Penny has struggled in interleague play, going 7-11 with a 5.08 ERA in 24 appearances against AL opponents.