Gutierrez and Mariners finalize $20.5 million deal

By GREGG BELL, AP Sports Writer

Story

Summary

Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez and the Seattle Mariners finalized a $20.5 million, four-year contract Friday that avoided salary arbitration. Gutierrez's deal includes a team option for 2014.

Story Published: Jan 8, 2010 at 9:36 AM PST

Gutierrez and Mariners finalize $20.5 million deal

Seattle Mariners' Franklin Gutierrez

SEATTLE (AP) - Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez and the Seattle Mariners finalized a $20.5 million, four-year contract Friday that avoided salary arbitration.

Gutierrez's deal includes a team option for 2014.

The 26-year-old hit .283 with 18 homers and 70 RBIs last season, his first in Seattle, and made several excellent catches while playing a career-high 153 games.

It was perhaps more than the surging Mariners expected when they acquired him in December 2008 from Cleveland in a trade that sent former All-Star closer J.J. Putz to the New York Mets.

Gutierrez and Gold Glove right fielder Ichiro Suzuki give Seattle one of the baseball's best defensive outfields.

"Franklin had a breakthrough season last year," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "But the exciting thing for us is that we believe he will only continue to get better. We feel he was the best defensive center fielder in the American League last year, and he was a huge part of the success of our pitching staff leading the AL in ERA. Offensively, his combination of speed and power is a perfect fit for our club - and he is an outstanding person."

In 2009, Gutierrez became only the ninth player in Mariners history to have 15 homers and 15 stolen bases in a season. He led major league outfielders with 445 putouts.

"The support that I have received from the organization and especially the fans made it a very easy decision to want to stay here," Gutierrez said in a team statement. "I'm very happy that this opportunity came along and that I'll be part of the future success of the club."

Five Mariners remain eligible for arbitration: pitchers: Felix Hernandez, David Aardsma, Mark Lowe and Bradon League, and newly acquired first baseman Casey Kotchman.

Seattle has been talking with Hernandez's representatives this winter about a long-term contract.