Arizona Diamondacks exercise 2013 option on closer JJ Putz

The Arizona Diamondbacks have exercised closer J.J. Putz's $6.5 million club option for 2013, the team has announced:

Team exercises 2013 option on closer J.J. Putz #Dbacks #Thunderstruck #umichbaseball

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 20, 2012

Putz, 35, put together his second-consecutive solid season as the D'Backs closer in 2012, posting a 2.82 ERA, 10.8 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in fifty-four and a third innings. The tall right-hander converted 32 of 37 saves opportunities on the year, and now has 77 saves in two years in Phoenix.

The ten-year MLB veteran has demonstrated the past three seasons that his disappointing year with the Mets in 2009 -- 5.22 ERA in twenty-nine innings -- was an anomaly caused by injury. Putz has remained rather healthy since his mid-season elbow surgery in 2009, requiring just two 15-day DL stints over the past three years, and has posted a 2.60 ERA in that timeframe.

Though the Diamondbacks acquired fellow 35-year-old Heath Bell over the weekend, it is likely that Putz will remain the team's closer and that Bell -- with his recent struggles -- will take on a set-up role.