SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Left-handed reliever Javier Lopez has agreed to an 8.5 million, two-year contract to stay with the San Francisco Giants, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Lopez - one of baseball's most reliable lefties out of the bullpen - had been set to become a free agent before receiving a new deal, confirmed under the condition of anonymity because the team had yet to make a formal announcement. Lopez will earn 4.25 million in 2012 and '13.
The 34-year-old has gone 7-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 97 appearances since being acquired in a trade from Pittsburgh in 2010, one of general manager Brian Sabean's key additions during the Giants' improbable World Series championship run that season.
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Lopez had a 2,375,000 base salary in 2011 and was two innings short of earning a 25,000 bonus for reaching 55 innings.