John Buck To Sign $18 Million Contract With Marlins

Earlier Tuesday, we found out that the Marlins and free agent catcher John Buck were rapidly approaching a three-year contract agreement. Now, courtesy of Ken Rosenthal, we hear that the deal will be worth $18 million, or an average of $6 million per year.

A year ago, Buck signed a one-year contract with the Blue Jays worth $2 million, and the year before that, he made $2.9 million with the Royals. So it's safe to say that Buck is cashing in, turning a big 2010 season into the sort of moderate contract that should set him up comfortably for life.

With this deal all but done, the Marlins hope to have found the answer to their catching woes after Ronny Paulino and John Baker were unable to deliver very much this past season. Meanwhile, other teams who were sniffing around Buck, like the Red Sox, will have to look elsewhere for their next catcher. Victor Martinez, Miguel Olivo, A.J. Pierzynski, and Bengie Molina are the biggest names among remaining free agents.