Randy Choate Signs Two-Year Contract With Marlins

The Florida Marlins are up against their budget, and haven't had a lot of financial flexibility to play with. However, that didn't stop them from making an addition to their bullpen, and on Wednesday they signed veteran reliever Randy Choate.

Choate will receive a two-year contract worth a total of $2.5 million. The deal also contains some incentives, worth $0.15 million. In base salary, he'll make $1 million in 2011 and $1.5 million in 2012, giving him a raise from the $0.7 million he made last season.

The 35-year-old Choate is a left-handed specialist who last year finished tied for second in baseball with 85 appearances. Those 85 appearances spanned just 44.2 innings, as he was often called in to face one or two batters at a time, but he did his job well, holding lefties to a .202 average with one home run. For his career, he's held lefties to a .217 average with a .598 OPS, and he should continue filling that role quite nicely in Miami.

For more on the signing, visit Fish Stripes.