Rowand signs ... with the Giants
SAN FRANCISCO -- Aaron Rowand wanted some long-term stability, and so did the San Francisco Giants.
Rowand agreed to a five-year, $60 million contract with the Giants on Wednesday, giving the club a Gold Glove center fielder without having to trade young pitchers Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum.
The 30-year-old Rowand is expected to bat fifth for San Francisco after spending the past two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. Before that, he helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series.
The Sox were looking to upgrade in center field, where Jerry Owens currently holds down the starting job. The Los Angeles Angels outbid the White Sox for Torii Hunter in late November, and Japanese free-agent Kosuke Fukudome signed with the Cubs on Tuesday.
Rowand was a popular, productive player for the Sox from 2001-05, and there was mutual interest in a reunion. But the White Sox weren't willing to go more than four years on a contract, and that was the key stumbling block.
"Bottom line, I wanted to get in a spot where I would be long term," said Rowand, who noted he weighed four or five similar multiyear offers. "In this day of free agency, that's not commonplace. That's really the thing I was looking forward to most."
He is coming off his best season yet, earning his first Gold Glove award and all-star selection while helping the Phillies to the NL East title. Rowand batted .309 with 27 home runs and career bests of 89 RBI, 105 runs, 189 hits and 45 doubles in 161 games.
General manager Brian Sabean repeatedly said he hoped to hold onto Cain and Lincecum, but being a last-place team it was his responsibility to be open-minded and listen.
"With this move, we will no longer listen to any offers for Cain and Lincecum," Sabean said. "We know the value of both individuals, believe me, maybe more so now that we've gone through this exercise. They might be the hottest two names in baseball."
While manager Bruce Bochy had said Rajai Davis would get a chance to earn the center-field job in spring training, Rowand was brought in to provide a consistent, hard-nosed presence at that position.
That means Dave Roberts likely will shift from center to left, replacing departed home run king Barry Bonds. Randy Winn will stay in right while Davis and some of the other young outfielders share time in a reserve role. That is, if the Giants don't try to deal them -- something Sabean said is a possibility.
Bochy recently met with Rowand during a trip to Las Vegas, where the outfielder lives during the off-season.
"I said I wanted to change the culture of the clubhouse and get back to the warrior mentality and play the game hard for nine innings," Bochy said. "Aaron's the type of player who can do that. He's the type of player who can hold everyone accountable."