David Aardsma signed to $4.5M contract

Seattle Mariners closer David Aardsma today avoided arbitration by signing a one year $4.5M contract with several incentive clauses. According to Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times,

Aardsma can also reach another $325,000 in incentives based on the games he finishes for the club in 2011. He gets $50,000 for the first 35 games he finishes, $50,000 more for finishing 40 games, then $75,000 more when he hits each of the 45-game, 50-game and 55-game plateaus.

Seattle were not necessarily banking on Aardsma to be their main man in the bullpen and had considered trading him away in order to save money and bring in a hitter in return, taking advantage of a seller’s market for relief pitching. However, news of a torn hip labrum derailed their to make a deal based around the closer, and now they’re on the hook for several million dollars unless they manage to trade him during the summer.

Pitchers Jason Vargas and Brandon League also signed one-year deals with the team today, but the details of their contract are currently unknown.

Seattle Mariners Avoid Arbitration With Pitching Trio

Today was the deadline for players and teams to come to an agreement over a contract or file for salary arbitration, and the Seattle Mariners had three eligible players: Injured closer David Aardsma, setup man Brandon League, and starter Jason Vargas. None of them will be going before the arbitration panel, as each have signed a one-year deal that takes them through 2011, according to a twitter update from TheRealSeattleMariners:

#Mariners sign David Aardsma, Brandon League and Jason Vargas to 2011 contracts. Mariners won't have any players to through arbitration.

Today's signings continue the team's now eight-year streak of avoiding the famously combative arbitration process, with Jack Zduriencik's front office apparently no fonder of the system than Bill Bavasi's. The last Mariner to go through arbitration was Freddy Garcia in 2003 (he won his $6.9M claim). No contract terms were available for any of the pitchers who signed deals with the team today. Aardsma had a 3.44 ERA with 31 saves last year as the Mariners closer, while League and Vargas has nine wins apiece with a 3.42 ERA and 3.78 ERA respectively.