UPDATE 1/25/13 12:12 EDT - Marcum's deal is for $4 million plus incentives, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

ORIGINAL - The winter-long streak of MLB free-agent inactivity is over for the New York Mets, as the club has signed right-hander Shaun Marcum, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

Shaun Marcum has a deal with the #mets

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) January 24, 2013

The deal will be for one year, per Heyman.

Marcum, 31, was the best starting pitcher left on the open market not named Kyle Lohse. The financial details of the contract are still unknown at the moment, but will likely pay the right-hander more than the $7.725 million he made last season.

For the Mets, Marcum fills a large hole in the rotation left by last month's R.A. Dickey trade. New York now has a pretty solid, if injury-prone, rotation that includes Johan Santana, Matt Harvey, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, and Marcum.

The Mets had been tied to low-cost (and mostly low-quality) arms like Chris Young and Carl Pavano over the last month, but in the end wound up with a much more reputable pitcher.

Marcum spent the last two years Milwaukee, posting a 3.60 ERA and 7.4 K/9 rate in 54 starts. Although Marcum had some elbow trouble at midseason last year, he is believed to be in full health and should be ready to go this spring.

The right-hander owns a career 3.76 ERA in 7 big-league seasons with the Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays. His deal with the Mets is still pending a physical, as always.