Posada and Yankees agree four-year deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Catcher Jorge Posada and the New York Yankees finalized a four-year $52.4 million deal on Thursday that will keep the catcher in pin stripes through the 2011 season.

The Yankees had reached a preliminary agreement with the All-Star catcher two weeks ago but did not make it official until Thursday.

The deal is the richest ever signed by a catcher according to media reports, with Posada's average salary of $13.1 million narrowly eclipsing the $13 million yearly wage paid out by the New York Mets to Mike Piazza and the Detroit Tigers to Ivan Rodriguez.

"I belong a Yankee," Posada said on MLB.com. "I'm really happy that I got the chance to sign a good contract and really happy that I got the chance to stay with the Yankees.

"Going elsewhere, I was going to hear the offers but the Yankees made it really tough."

Posada batted a career high .338 last season with 171 hits, also a career best.

The 36-year-old catcher also had 20 home runs and 90 RBI.

Having spent his entire career with the Yankees, the five-time All-Star has appeared in 1,432 regular season games clubbing 218 homers and driving in 861 runs.

He helped the Yankees to four World Series titles, including three straight from 1998.

(Steve Keating, editing by Pritha Sarkar)