Great move by the surging Mariners. I like Lopez along with Ichiro, Ibanez and of course King Felix.Mariners signed second baseman Jose Lopez to a four-year contract with a club option for 2011.
The two sides had been talking for a couple of months. Lopez almost certainly would have been a super-two player at season's end, meaning he would have had four years of arbitration before becoming a free agent after 2011. The option will cover his last year of arbitration, so even if it's declined, the Mariners would still control his rights.