J.J. Putz’s failed tenure with the Mets officially is over.
The reliever, plagued by injuries in his lone season in Queens, agreed yesterday to a one-year, $3 million contract with the White Sox and will fill a setup role in the bullpen.
He was 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA with the Mets last season in 29 appearances before undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow on June 9, causing him to miss the remainder of the season.
“We’ve been monitoring him ever since the season ended and his daily workouts we’re very familiar with,” White Sox general manager Ken Williams said, adding Putz would be under no restrictions once spring training begins in February.
“He passed the physical with flying colors, and we couldn’t be happier with what was communicated to us,” Williams said. “Needless to say, we feel from the top of our rotation down through the end of the bullpen, we feel as strong as we’ve ever been.”
Putz is 23-19 with a 3.24 ERA and 103 saves in 337 relief appearances over seven major-league seasons with Seattle and the Mets.
Putz was an AL All-Star in 2007 when he was 6-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 40 saves. He was traded to the Mets in a three-team deal in December 2008.
He will serve as a setup man, along with lefty Matt Thornton, for closer Bobby Jenks.
* Jason Kendall agreed to a $6 million, two-year contract with the Royals and is expected to become their every-day catcher. Kendall is a .290 hitter over his 14-year career. The 35-year-old was an All-Star in 1996, 1998 and 2000 but hit just .241 with two homers and 43 RBIs last season with Milwaukee.
* Right-hander Blaine Boyer signed a one-year, $750,000 contract to remain with the Diamondbacks. Boyer, who was arbitration eligible, pitched for three teams last season, going 0-2 with a 4.12 ERA in 48 relief appearances with Atlanta, St. Louis and Arizona.
* The Rays completed a trade with the Braves, acquiring righthanded pitcher Rafael Soriano and signing the reliever to a $7.25 million, one-year contract.
The deal sends right-hander Jesse Chavez to the Braves, who considered Soriano expendable after recently signing free agent relievers Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito.
Soriano had a career-best 27 saves in 31 opportunities for the Braves last season.
* Ivan Rodriguez signed a $6 million, two-year deal with the Nationals after passing a physical. The 38-year-old catcher said that he wants to be an every-day player. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, however, wants Rodriguez to split time with Jesus Flores, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and is supposed to be ready for spring training.