The defending World Series champion Giants agreed to terms on a $9 million, two-year contract Wednesday with reliever Sergio Romo to avoid arbitration.

Romo had filed for salary arbitration at $4.5 million, while the Giants countered at $2.675 million after he earned $1.575 million last season.

Romo was the team’s last possible arbitration case as the Giants head to Arizona to open spring training next week.
The deal buys out Romo’s final two years of arbitration eligibility.

The right-hander became the centerpiece of the Giants’ bullpen during the run to their second World Series title in the past three seasons. After closer Brian Wilson was lost for the season and Santiago Casilla ran into trouble, Romo finished the year as the primary stopper.

He saved 14 of 15 opportunities in the regular season and went a perfect 4-for-4 in the postseason, including three in the World Series. He finished the season with a 1.79 ERA.

For his career, Romo owns a 2.20 ERA and opponents are hitting just .189 off him.

The news is the second positive thing to happen to Romo this week after he learned Monday that prosecutors in Las Vegas were letting him off the hook in a misdemeanor case stemming from a New Year’s Day tiff with Transportation Security Administration agents at McCarran International Airport.

Romo had faced a Feb. 12 court date and the possibility of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.