The Pirates and catcher Ryan Doumit have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension -- plus an unusual club option that could trigger an additional two years -- and are expected to announce it at a PNC Park news conference today.
All that remained for completion was for Doumit to take a physical, and that is scheduled for this morning. No financial terms were immediately available, but the guaranteed three-year deal will carry Doumit through all of his arbitration-eligible years, and the club option could buy out his first and second years of free agency. The type of option, rare in Major League Baseball, has a one-time trigger for both years. That effectively gives the Pirates control of Doumit's rights through 2013.
Doumit, 27, made $412,000 during a breakout 2008 in which he batted .318 with 15 home runs and 69 RBIs. His .407 average with runners in scoring position was the best in the National League for players with a minimum 100 plate appearances.
The signing will be the first for the Pirates of their seven arbitration-eligible players. Starter Paul Maholm also is negotiating an extension. Center fielder Nate McLouth had been doing likewise until those talks crumbled in the past week. The rest are first baseman Adam LaRoche, starter Zach Duke, and relievers John Grabow and Tyler Yates.
