Yankees keep Jorge Posada for $52.4M

Jorge Posada reportedly agreed late Monday to a four-year, $52.4-million US contract with the New York Yankees, the only team he has played for in the major leagues.

At $13.1 million US annually, he will be baseball's highest paid catcher, edging out Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez's $13 million US.

Posada, 36, must pass a physical to finalize the deal, which was confirmed by a source speaking on condition of anonymity.

Posada, a veteran switch-hitter, hit a team-high and career-best .338 last season with 20 home runs, 90 runs batted in and 91 runs scored in 144 games for the Yankees.

His batting average was 51 points higher than his previous best of .287 in 2000, and he set personal highs in slugging (.543) and on-base (.426) percentage.

Posada, a five-time all-star, is a lifetime .278 hitter with 218 HRs, 861 RBIs and 744 runs in 1,432 MLB games since debuting with the Yankees on Sept. 4, 1995.