Carlos Silva has passed his physical exam and the Seattle Mariners will introduce him at a 4 p.m. news conference today as their first significant acquisition of the offseason.
Silva, a durable right-hander who pitched the past four seasons with the Minnesota Twins, figures to fit into the M’s rotation as the third or fourth starter. with a 55-46 lifetime record in the major leagues, he’s considered by many to be the best in a weak free agent market for starting pitchers.
The Mariners extended themselves to get Silva — $48 million over four years, including a $5 million signing bonus and a $12 million mutual option for 2012. That’s a huge amount of money for a pitcher considered no better than a No. 3 starter, but considering the thin market and the fact Silva is 28 and supposedly heading into the prime of his career, the Mariners were willing to take a longterm leap.
Silva will join Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista in the starting rotation.
The Mariners continue to conduct trade talks to acquire another starter, with most of the attention focused on left-hander Erik Bedard of the Orioles. The Orioles are said to be asking for one or more of the Mariners’ top young players — outfielder Adam Jones, pitcher Brandon Morrow and catcher Jeff Clement are their best — and left-handed reliever George Sherrill’s name also has been mentioned in speculation.
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