The Giants made another hefty commitment to a left-handed reliever on Sunday, re-signing Javier Lopez to a two-year, $8.5 million contract, the Associated Press reports.
It’s a big payday for Lopez, who is getting his first ever multiyear contract at age 34. He earned $2.35 million while amassing a 2.72 ERA and 20 holds in 53 innings last season.
The Giants stepped up with the big offer to Lopez even though they’re still in limbo with Jeremy Affeldt. It’s believed they’d prefer to re-sign Affeldt to another two-year deal instead of picking up his $5 million option for 2012.
Lopez pitched for five teams before joining the Giants in a trade with the Pirates during the summer of 2010. He held left-handers to a .163 average last season and didn’t give up a homer to any of the 222 batters he faced.
Lopez and Affeldt probably rated as the top two lefty relievers on the market this winter, with Darren Oliver and Mike Gonzalez next in line.