Mariners sign former Georgia closer Fields
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:52 am
The Seattle Mariners signed top draft choice Josh Fields to a contract with a $1.75 million signing bonus on Monday, ending an eight-month impasse in negotiations with the 20th pick in last summer’s draft.
The right-hander closer from the University of Georgia will be on the field for workouts with the Mariners as an invited minor league player on Tuesday morning.
“I’m just excited to get it going,” Fields said Monday. “I feel like a burden’s been lifted.”
A person close to the negotiations confirmed the signing bonus, which was an equal compromise between the team and agents for the 23-year-old Fields. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Mariners did not disclose the figure, per club policy.
Seattle had been offering $1.5 million for months to Fields, who would have gone back into the draft pool had he not signed before the next draft starts on June 9. Fields’ representatives, led by agent Scott Boras, were stuck on $2 million.
“It was twofold: Our desire to get him into camp. And his desire to get going,” said Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik, who inherited the holdout in November when he was hired.
http://www.ajc.com/uga/content/sports/u ... ields.html