UPDATE: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the deal is worth $1.2 million and according to MLB Trade Rumors there’s also a $1.24 million mutual option for 2013, so Blanco essentially got an extra $50,000 for opting out.
==========
Henry Blanco opted out of a one-year, $1.15 million deal with Arizona yesterday, but the veteran catcher is apparently close to returning to the Diamondbacks on a new contract.
General manager Kevin Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that they’ve “pretty much agreed to terms” that will presumably pay him a few more bucks on another one-year commitment.
Blanco has never been much of a hitter, but he remains an elite defensive catcher and is coming off a career-year at the plate in limited action. At age 40 he’s well suited for a part-time role and as a right-handed hitter backing up left-handed-hitting starter Miguel Montero is an ideal fit.
