Posted at 8:04 a.m., Thursday, November 29, 2007
Baseball: Yankees, Posada finalize 4-year, $52.4M deal
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Jorge Posada and the New York Yankees finalized their $52.4 million, four-year contract today, more than two weeks after the All-Star catcher and the team reached a preliminary agreement on the deal.Posada gets $13.1 million in each of the four seasons, the highest average salary for a catcher. Mike Piazza averaged $13 million under his contract with the New York Mets from 1999-05 and Detroit's Ivan Rodriguez will make $13 million next season, the option year of his deal.
While Posada will turn 40 in the final season of the contract, the Yankees have said they are not concerned about his age, saying the switch-hitter could be shifted eventually to designated hitter or first base. He hit a team-high .338 last season with 20 homers and 90 RBIs.
Posada, a five-time All-Star, has never been on the disabled list.
New York also is working to finalize agreements with third baseman Alex Rodriguez ($275 million for 10 years), closer Mariano Rivera ($45 million for three years) and backup catcher Jose Molina ($4 million for two years).
