Considered one of the more intriguing infielders on the free agent market this winter, we can now cross Omar Infante's name off of that list. According to Joe Frisario of MLB.com, the Marlins have reached an agreement with Infante on a two-year, $8 million contract.
The deal keeps Infante, who was acquired in last year's Dan Uggla trade, in South Florida for two more seasons. As Florida's everyday second baseman this season, the 29-year-old hit .279/.317/.385 over 634 plate appearances this season. Combined with above-average defense, he was good for 2.8 WAR this season.
For the most part, this is a pretty good deal for the Marlins. Infante's a solid player that's still in his prime, and he'll be just 31 when this deal is completed. He was worth 5.4 WAR over the past two seasons; even if he takes a step back, which he likely will, the Marlins still have pretty good odds of landing quality value here. This is a nice way for the club to start out its offseason as it hopes to build some momentum going into its new stadium.