Mariners and SS Brendan Ryan avoided arbitration Friday by agreeing to a two-year, $2.75 million contract.

It has finally been made official after being announced earlier this week. Ryan will make $1 million in 2011 and $1.75 million in 2012. The defensive wizard is a nice fit for general manager Jack Zduriencik's club, though a timeshare at shortstop with Jack Wilson zaps what little fantasy value either figured to have.

Updating a previous item, the Mariners have not agreed to a new contract with Brendan Ryan, though an agreement is reportedly close.

Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press reported earlier Tuesday that the two sides agreed to a two-year, $2.75 million contract, but there's nothing official yet. The exact terms may change, but they'll eventually work something out.

Mariners and SS Brendan Ryan avoided arbitration Monday by agreeing to a two-year, $2.75 million contract.

The deal will cover Ryan's first two seasons of arbitration eligibility, and at a fairly bargain-bin rate. The 28-year-old defensive-minded shortstop was acquired this offseason from the Cardinals in exchange for young right-hander Mikael Cleto. He's expected to share time at shortstop in Seattle with Jack Wilson and probably won't carry much in the way of fantasy value.

Brendan Ryan has been traded to the Mariners for minor league pitcher Mikael Cleto, according to the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker.

"In acquiring Brendan Ryan we have added a player who is athletic, has played multiple positions, has been an everyday Major League shortstop, and is playoff tested," Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said in a release. "We look forward to Brendon's contributions as well as him competing for a starting position."

The Twins are interested in acquiring Brendan Ryan from the Cardinals, according to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.

Ryan, a top-notch defender at shortstop, would be nice insurance in case either Tsuyoshi Nishioka or Alexi Casilla fails to pan out for Minnesota. Whether there are any other suitors for Ryan may hinge on what happens with the Padres and the Jason Bartlett trade.

According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals have received only "minimal offers" for shortstop Brendan Ryan.

The Cardinals aren't going to trade the slick-fielding Ryan unless they get something for him -- like an aging relief prospect, perhaps. The 28-year-old hit just .223/.279/.294 in 2010 and lost his starting shortstop gig. If he returns to St. Louis, it will be in a utility infield role.

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said the Cardinals are done tinkering with their middle infield other than possibly trading Brendan Ryan.

That means they're no longer interested in Jason Bartlett, Orlando Hudson or J.J. Hardy, three middle infielders that have been linked to the Cards. Ryan Theriot will be the team's shortstop, with Skip Schumaker sticking at second base. The Padres and Pirates have been mentioned as teams possibly interested in Ryan.

While saying that his lineup for 2011 was set following the Lance Berkman addition, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak added that interest was high in Brendan Ryan and that the club was listening to offers.

As things stand now, Ryan is the Cardinals' backup shortstop behind Ryan Theriot. The Padres, Pirates and Orioles are thought to be interested in acquiring him. If Ryan departs, then Tyler Greene would likely act as the Cardinals' primary utilityman.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss thinks the Padres may be the leading candidate to acquire Brendan Ryan from the Cardinals.

Ryan has been placed on the trade block after the Cards acquired Ryan Theriot. He had a terrible offensive season in 2010, batting only .223/.279/.294, but he's a Gold Glove-caliber defender that would shore up the defense behind a pitching staff that ranked second in ERA in 2010. The Pirates and Orioles are two other teams that could look at Ryan.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals have let teams know that Brendan Ryan is available.

Ryan became expendable after the team acquired Ryan Theriot from the Dodgers earlier this week. According to Goold, they'll look to trade him during next week's winter meetings. Ryan, who turns 29 in March, is one of the best defensive shortstops around, but batted just .223/.279/.294 with two homers, 36 RBI and a 573 OPS this past season.

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said he has "more of an emphasis" on upgrading at shortstop than second base this offseason.

He'd be choosing offense over defense, as while Skip Schumaker brings a steadier offensive profile (despite a down year in 2010), Brendan Ryan is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, while Schumaker is one of the worst defensive second basemen. Does it rule out the possibility of a trade for Dan Uggla? Not necessarily, but perhaps Stephen Drew, who the Cards have been linked to, is a more likely trade target.

Brandan Ryan told B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com that he hopes to be back with the Cardinals next season.

"There are some things that need to change and that's probably going to be offensively," said Ryan. "There's no guarantee that I'll be back. I don't know. I really hope I am. I understand it's a business and I'm going into arbitration here so things could happen but I just don't know." Ryan, 28, completely collapsed at the plate this past season, batting .223/.279/.294 with a 573 OPS. He's a potential non-tender candidate, but his contributions on defense will likely be enough to keep him around. Still, look for Cardinals general John Mozeliak to attempt to look for an upgrade on offense this winter.

Brendan Ryan has been keeping his body movement consistent before he swings, which has resulted in much better production at the plate of late.

Ryan is fidgety and moves around a lot at the dish, but he's simplified it somewhat, and it's led to a .413 average over his last 12 games, as his batting average has risen from .186 to .223. "I need to go up another 40 (points) or so," said Ryan, who hit .292 last season. Last year's average was likely a fluke, but this year's has been, as well. The shortstop is probably around a .270 hitter in reality.

Brendan Ryan reached base four times and crossed home plate on three occasions as the Cardinals blew out the Pirates 9-1 on Sunday.

Ryan singled twice, doubled, and drew a walk in the contest. Ryan has cratered after a solid 2009 campaign and has thus left all NL-only leaguers that took a flier on him disappointed. He remains a likely utility player going forward, so there's no reason to buy-low in very deep keeper or dynasty formats.

Brendan Ryan delivered a sacrifice fly in a win over the Dodgers on Saturday.

Ryan gave the Cards the insurance run they sorely needed in the bottom of the eighth, but he is still hitless in 21 at-bats this month and is now batting just .189 on the year. Tyler Greene has emerged as a pretty good option over the past two weeks, which can't be good for Ryan's playing time going forward.

Brendan Ryan is back in the starting lineup against the Rockies on Thursday.

The struggling Ryan hasn't been in the starting lineup since Saturday. Tyler Greene heads back to the bench.

Brendan Ryan went 4-for-4 with a solo home run in the Cardinals' defeat of the Padres on Thursday night in San Diego.

Just what the doctor ordered. Ryan had been in a massive slump since the beginning of the season and is still sharing time at shortstop with Felipe Lopez. One nice outing won't change that, but it's certainly a start.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa hinted Sunday that Brendan Ryan will serve as a utility player once Felipe Lopez returns from the disabled list.

Ryan opened the year as the Cardinals' starting shortstop, but has looked awful at the plate. Through Sunday he is batting just .162 with a .248 on-base percentage and a .219 slugging percentage in 105 at-bats. Lopez, meanwhile, is expected to be activated from the DL early this week and is certainly capable of playing shortstop and batting over the Mendoza Line.

Ryan Ludwick and Brendan Ryan have been given Sunday off as the Cardinals face the Reds.

John Jay starts in right field, while Tyler Greene gets the start in Ryan's place. Ryan is hurting at the plate something fierce, as over the last 10 days he's hit .042/.115/.042, which translates to 1-for-24 with a single. This could be the first of many days off for the shortstop as Felipe Lopez will probably see a fair amount of playing time at Ryan's expense until he proves he's found his way at the plate.

The slumping Brendan Ryan is not in Thursday's starting lineup against the Astros.

Ryan is currently mired in a 1-for-23 funk and it seems to have affected him in the field, as he has committed five errors over the past three games, so a day off would probably help his head. Tyler Greene will start in his place, batting eighth against right-hander Bud Norris.