HOUSTON — The Toronto Blue Jays signed
outfielder Adam Lind to a four-year, $18 million contract on Saturday.
The deal runs through 2013 and includes club
options through the 2016 season.
The 26-year-old Lind, who hit .305 last year
with 35 home runs and 114 RBIs, was happy to know he'd be with the team
long term and could make Toronto his second home.
"It will mean a lot for my parents, for my
future kids, just so they can do what they want and they can go to the
schools that they want and they can breathe for the rest of their
lives," Lind said before the Blue Jays' exhibition game against the
Astros in Houston.
Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said
the signing was "vital and critical" to the future of his young team.
"This is a great player to build around along
with Vernon Wells and Aaron Hill and some of the other young players
that we do have coming right now," Anthopoulos said. "Not only is it an
indication to the fan base, but also to those other players in the
clubhouse that this is the type of player that we want to make a
commitment to."
Several of Lind's teammates, including Wells,
missed the early part of batting practice to attend the news conference
where the contract was announced. Lind thanked them several times and
said it was "special" to have them there.
Though the Blue Jays aren't expected to do much
this season, Lind is confident things will improve as the young players
develop.
"We've got a good solid core and a bunch of
draft picks coming in the system now this year and for years to come,"
said Lind, a .287 hitter who has spent his career in the Toronto
organization.
Anthopoulos and Lind said this contract shows
that team owner Rogers Communications Inc., is willing to spend to make
the franchise successful again.
"It just means that we're going to try and
win," Lind said. "Those guys are pretty savvy business people and they
know what it takes to win in the Canadian market. I don't think they do
this for any other reason than to put a champion out on the field
because that's what Rogers people are used to."
The contract includes a $600,000 signing bonus
and a $400,000 base salary for this season followed by $5 million in
each of the next three years.
Anthopoulos has been impressed with Lind, who
made his major league debut in 2006.
"Adam Lind is a hardworking player, a good
person, a smart baseball player," said Anthopoulos, who is in his first
season as general manager. "The more I've been around Adam, I've been
really amazed with his baseball intellect, his intelligence, the things
that he observes."