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HOUSTON (AP)—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 pag c -
rents, 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.”
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