Jamey Wright contract finalized

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers on Tuesday made official their one-year pact with relief pitcher Jamey Wright, bringing back the 39-year-old right-hander after a year away in Tampa Bay. Tuesday also marked Wright's 39th birthday.

Wright will make $1.8 milion in 2014, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the highest base salary for Wright since 2002, when he made $4.25 million (per Cot's Baseball Contracts) as a starter with the Brewers. He signed one-year deals worth between $800,000 and $1 million in guaranteed money from 2006-2013.

2014 will mark the first time Wright heads into spring training on a major league contract since 2005. He made the opening day roster as a non-roster invitee for each of the previous eight years, including 2012 with the Dodgers.

"There were times I wished I had been more aggressive bringing him back last year," general manager Ned Colletti said in a conference call on Tuesday.

After making the Rays in 2013 as a non-roster invitee to spring training, his eighth consecutive opening day roster made on a minor league contract, Wright had arguably his finest season as a reliever. He was 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 66 games, with 65 strikeouts and 23 walks in 70 innings. Wright in 2013 had career bests in both strikeout rate (23.0% of batters faced) and walk rate (8.0%).

"We’re very familiar with Jamey from his time with us in 2012 and he’s capable of pitching in a variety of different roles," Colletti said in a release. "He brings versatility, a veteran presence and added leadership to the staff. We look forward to having him back in 2014."

With the signing of Wright now official, along with the Tuesday signings of Chris Perez, J.P. Howell and Juan Uribe, the Dodgers now have $218.675 million committed to 21 players in 2014, and have 40 players on the 40-man roster.