SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Randy Winn and the San Francisco Giants
agreed Tuesday on a $23.25 million, three-year contract extension
through 2009.
Winn, acquired before last season's trading deadline from
Seattle, batted .359 with 14 home runs after joining the Giants
last season. The 31-year-old is on the U.S. roster for the World
Baseball Classic.
"He's a leadoff hitter with a lot of dimensions," general
manager Brian Sabean said. "We signed him longterm because of the
type of player he is. A center fielder with run-producing potential
is a rarity. The fans warmed up to him. There's a lot to like about
Randy Winn."
The switch-hitting Winn, slated to be the team's leadoff hitter
and starting center fielder this season, will get a $3 million
signing bonus and salaries of $4 million in 2007, $8 million in
2008 and $8.25 million in 2009, according to agent Craig Landis.
Winn will make $5 million this season in the option year of his
prior deal.
Winn, who was reared in the East Bay and attended Santa Clara
University, also was enthused about the signing that should keep
him close to home for a while. A .288 hitter in eight major league
seasons, Winn called the extension "a dream come true."
He felt that way when the Mariners traded him, and exceeded
expectations with his two months, a stretch of success that
included a major league-leading 51 hits in September, the highest
monthly output by a Giant in at least 30 years.
"I was excited when I was traded back to the Bay Area," Winn
said. "It was fun to come back home and play. I don't know if I
could have believed this last July. It's almost too good to be
true.
"And then the selection to the U.S. team -- it's all happening
so fast. I can't complain."
Winn insists the gaudy finish with the Giants and his new job
security won't create unrealistic expectations. Although his 14
home runs as a Giant matched his season total anywhere else, he
doesn't regard himself as a power hitter.
"There are a lot of things going on with Barry (Bonds) going
for the [home run] record, so I don't worry about that," he said
of raised expectations. "My job is to get on base. I just want to
win. With everything going on with Barry, I can fly under the radar
screen -- just the way I like it."