M's close three-year deal with J.J. Putz

Seattle Times staff reporter

The Mariners locked up closer J.J. Putz to a three-year, $13.1 million contract today, with a club option for a fourth year.

With the deal, the Mariners have signed all three of their arbitration-eligible players the past two days. They reached one-year agreements with pitcher Horacio Ramirez and first baseman Ben Broussard on Tuesday.

Putz will earn $2.2 million in 2007, $3.4 million in 2008 and $5 million in 2009, according to The Associated Press. He receives a $1.5 millon signing bonus, and Mariners have an $8.6 million option for 2010, with a $1 million buyout. He earned $415,000 last year.

The 29-year-old reliever had submitted a salary request of $3.6 million on Tuesday, while the Mariners had countered at $2.6 million. Had they not reached agreement, a three-person arbitration panel would have determined Putz's 2007 salary.

"J.J. Putz was one of the great stories of the 2006 baseball season,'' Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said in a statement.

"He took over the closer's role and was simply dominant. When he was called on, he really thrived in that ninth-inning pressure. It's a good feeling to know that J.J. is going to anchor our bullpen for the foreseeable future.''

Putz took over from Eddie Guarado as closer on May 6 and saved 36 games, the fourth-highest total in club history. He was 4-1 with a 2.30 earned-run average in a career-high 72 appearances.

Putz struck out 104 in 78 1/3 innings, tops among all American League relievers, and pitched more than one inning in nearly a quarter of his save opportunities (10 of 43).

"J.J. was just nails for us last season,'' Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said in a statement. "One of the things I really admired was his willingness to take the ball whenever we needed him to. He isn't afraid to come into a game with men on base, or to pitch more than one inning.''

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