Correia and Padres agree to $3.6 million deal

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SAN DIEGO (AP) - Right-hander Kevin Correia and the San Diego Padres agreed to a $3.6 million, one-year contract Saturday night, avoiding salary arbitration.

The 29-year-old was 12-11 with a 3.91 ERA in his first season with the Padres. He spent his first six major league seasons with the San Francisco Giants.

He had a $750,000 base salary last season and earned $350,000 in performance bonuses based on starts.

Agent Barry Axelrod said the Padres indicated they did not want to go to arbitration.

"I think we got to a point where there was only a little bit of displeasure," Axelrod said. "That was offset by this being a good place for him to play. When Kevin made a list of where he wanted to be, all things considered, this was his No. 1 choice."

Correia went to high school and junior college in San Diego and recently bought a house here.

"We both made it clear what we hoped the end result would be," Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said.

The Padres tendered contracts to 32 players, including three who are arbitration eligible: third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and relievers Mike Adams and Heath Bell. The club did not offer contracts to right-handers Jackson Quezada and Mark Worrell, allowing them to become free agents.