Jeff Suppan signs with Giants to back up rotation

(01-20) 21:17 PST -- The Giants found their rotation insurance, agreeing Thursday to a minor-league contract with 36-year-old right-hander Jeff Suppan, who was invited to spring training to compete for a job.

Suppan once was a reliable sinkerball pitcher, mostly with St. Louis, Kansas City and Milwaukee, in a big-league career that began with Boston in 1995. The Southern California product fell on hard times, though. He has not had a winning record since 2006 nor had an ERA below 4.00 since 2005.

He showed glimpses of his past after a midseason trade to St. Louis last year reunited him with pitching coach Dave Duncan. In 15 games, including 13 starts, Suppan lowered his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning) to 1.493. The last time it was that low over a full season, 2006, he helped St. Louis win the World Series.

Suppan is the "sixth starter" the Giants sought as insurance in case one of their regular starters gets hurt. His agent, Scott Leventhal, said Suppan was not dissuaded by the lack of an actual opening in the rotation.

"Whatever his role may be, as a starter or coming out of the 'pen, his goal is to earn a spot on the roster," Leventhal said. "I think there are a lot of positives in the fact that they're the defending world champions, in the NL and a West Coast team. He's pitched very well in the NL West. I think it helped that he's going to get a good look over there."

Suppan will be paid a $1 million salary if he makes the team. His contract includes an out clause that lets him leave at the end of spring training if he does not make the 25-man roster.

Also Thursday, the Giants avoided arbitration with reliever Javier Lopez by agreeing to a one-year, $2.375 million contract. That leaves Andres Torres as the Giants' last potential arbitration case, and a source said the center fielder is close to a deal as well.

E-mail Henry Schulman at hschulman@sfchronicle.com

This article appeared on page B - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle