obie7661
12-15-2006, 03:55 PM
By ROB GILLIES
TORONTO (AP) -All-Star center fielder Vernon Wells and the Toronto Blue Jays are close to agreement on a $126 million, seven-year contract extension that would be the sixth-largest deal in baseball history.
Wells said Friday that the agreement is not yet complete but that he anticipates the contract will be finalized soon. The deal will start with the 2008 season.
"How can you not be happy?" he said Friday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "Like I said, my family comes first. Obviously this gives me an opportunity to set my family up for a couple of generations. That's the biggest part of this thing. And this gives me a chance to do something special in Toronto that hasn't been done in awhile."
The contract will trail only those of Alex Rodriguez ($252 million), Derek Jeter ($189 million), Manny Ramirez ($160 million), Todd Helton ($141.5 million) and Alfonso Soriano ($136 million).
Wells hit .303 with 32 homers and 106 RBIs last season and is due $5.6 million next season. He would have been eligible for free agency after next season.
He thought about trying to play with hometown Texas Rangers.
"The ballpark is 20 minutes from my house. It's obviously a temptation, but (with) everything that I've gone through with Toronto and the relationships I've built there, it's tough to leave," Wells said.
General manager J.P. Ricciardi is working to finalize the deal.
"We've said all along we're going to make every effort to sign him," Ricciardi said.
Ricciardi said retaining Wells helps gives Toronto one of the best lineups in baseball.
"I know Gibby likes him in the third hole. We like our lineup. We think it's as good a lineup as there is in the American League," Ricciardi said.
The Blue Jays could have traded Wells if they didn't sign him. While Toronto lost out on signing free agent pitchers Ted Lilly and Gil Meche, Ricciardi denied that those decisions freed up the money to sign Wells.
TORONTO (AP) -All-Star center fielder Vernon Wells and the Toronto Blue Jays are close to agreement on a $126 million, seven-year contract extension that would be the sixth-largest deal in baseball history.
Wells said Friday that the agreement is not yet complete but that he anticipates the contract will be finalized soon. The deal will start with the 2008 season.
"How can you not be happy?" he said Friday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "Like I said, my family comes first. Obviously this gives me an opportunity to set my family up for a couple of generations. That's the biggest part of this thing. And this gives me a chance to do something special in Toronto that hasn't been done in awhile."
The contract will trail only those of Alex Rodriguez ($252 million), Derek Jeter ($189 million), Manny Ramirez ($160 million), Todd Helton ($141.5 million) and Alfonso Soriano ($136 million).
Wells hit .303 with 32 homers and 106 RBIs last season and is due $5.6 million next season. He would have been eligible for free agency after next season.
He thought about trying to play with hometown Texas Rangers.
"The ballpark is 20 minutes from my house. It's obviously a temptation, but (with) everything that I've gone through with Toronto and the relationships I've built there, it's tough to leave," Wells said.
General manager J.P. Ricciardi is working to finalize the deal.
"We've said all along we're going to make every effort to sign him," Ricciardi said.
Ricciardi said retaining Wells helps gives Toronto one of the best lineups in baseball.
"I know Gibby likes him in the third hole. We like our lineup. We think it's as good a lineup as there is in the American League," Ricciardi said.
The Blue Jays could have traded Wells if they didn't sign him. While Toronto lost out on signing free agent pitchers Ted Lilly and Gil Meche, Ricciardi denied that those decisions freed up the money to sign Wells.