Report: 1B Corey Hart to Seattle on one-year deal with Mariners
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Corey Hart's ties to Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik probably helped. Manning the bag 90-feet away from Robinson Cano on a regular basis probably helped, too.
According to Jon Heyman of CBS, the free agent first baseman is headed to Seattle (pending a Friday physical) on a one-year deal.
Hart has spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers and entered free agency for the first time this offseason.
Update (3:40 PM):
The Milwaukee Brewers saw Corey Hart and Logan Morrison, two of the top options at first base, slip away into the sunset in Puget Sound Wednesday afternoon. The Hart loss wasn't without a bit of a fight, but the Mariners are on a Yankee-sized spending spree.
My understanding is that #Brewers upped their guaranteed offer to Hart yesterday, but M's deal has higher ceiling w/ incentives.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) December 11, 2013
A source told FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal that the Hart deal in Seattle is comparable to Mike Napoli's first deal with the Boston Red Sox. Napoli earned $5 million base, with an additional $8 million in incentives.
In 2013, Napoli earned $500,000 at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days on the active roster, and the same figure for 300, 325, 350 and 375 plate appearances. Each subsequent 75 plate appearances were valued at $1 million. The Boston first baseman earned the full $8 million, notching 165 days on the active roster, per NESN.