Fast Break
BASEBALL
Felix, M’s agree to deal
Felix Hernandez agreed Monday to a $3.8 million, one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners, more than seven times his $540,000 salary last season.
Hernandez, who will be 23 on April 8, was 9-11 with a 3.45 ERA in 2002/3 innings and 31 starts last season, leading the Mariners in victories, starts, innings, strikeouts and ERA. He has a 39-36 career record and a 3.80 ERA.
Hernandez’s agreement left the Mariners with two players in arbitration: left-hander Erik Bedard and right-hander Aaron Heilman.
BASEBALL
O’s keeping Markakis
Right fielder Nick Markakis and the Baltimore Orioles reached a preliminary agreement Monday on a $66 million, six-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The contract is pending a physical, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been signed.
The deal, the second-richest in team history, covers three years Markakis would have been eligible for arbitration and the first three after he would have been eligible for free agency. The agreement was first reported by The Sun.
Markakis hit a career-high .306 with 20 homers and 87 RBIs for the Orioles last season, his third in the majors.
The only higher deal for the Orioles was the $72 million, six-year contract shortstop Miguel Tejada signed before the 2003 season.
FOOTBALL
Ryan hired to pilot Jets
Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan was hired as the coach of the New York Jets on Monday, a day after the Ravens lost in the AFC championship.
Ryan, 46, replaces the fired Eric Mangini, taking over a team that started last season 8-3 but missed the playoffs with quarterback Brett Favre after losing four of its last five games.
The Jets announced the hiring, but released no other details. The contract is for four years, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press.
Ryan will be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday at the Jets’ facility in Florham Park, N.J.
The deal was finalized Monday afternoon.