MILWAUKEE -- Salomon Torres, one of the majors' most-used relievers the last three seasons, agreed Tuesday to a $6.5 million, two-year contract extension with the Pittsburgh Pirates that includes a club option for 2009.
Torres gets a $400,000 signing bonus and salaries of $2.6
million in 2007 and $3.2 million in 2008. The Pirates have a $3.75
million option for 2009 that can be bought out for $300,000. Torres
also can make $900,000 in bonuses.
He has a $1,425,000 base salary this year, the final season of a
two-year contract.
The 34-year-old right-hander has revived his career after being out of organized baseball from 1998-2001, time he spent partly as a
pitching coach for the Montreal Expos' prospects in the Dominican
Republic. He broke into the majors with the Giants in 1993 and
later pitched for the Mariners and Expos.
Torres was 5-5 with three saves and a 2.76 ERA while pitching 94 2/3 innings last season, the most of any reliever in the majors. He ranked second to the Angels' Scot Shields in innings pitched by a reliever in the 2004 and 2005 seasons and third in appearances during the 2003-05 seasons.
Torres took the loss in the Pirates' 5-2 opening defeat Monday after walking two batters in the seventh inning.