ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Moving quickly to fill their hole at first base, the New York Mets agreed Saturday night to an $18 million, three-year contract with Todd Zeile.

	Zeile

Zeile, 34, had been offered $16 million for three years to return to the Texas Rangers and agonized over the decision.

On Saturday evening, he went with his wife -- 1984 Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Julianne McNamara -- and his agents to a Mexican restaurant near the winter meetings hotel, and made his pick during dinner.

"This was a very, very difficult decision for me to make," said Zeile, who spoke with Mets catcher Mike Piazza before agreeing to the deal. Last year, Zeile was traded with Piazza from Los Angeles to Florida.

"The Texas Rangers' organization has been nothing but great to me in the time I was there," Zeile said. "This was something that came rather late in the game for me as far as I was concerned."

ESPN.com analysis

The Mets lost out on re-signing John Olerud and trading for Carlos Delgado, leaving them without many options for first base. Zeile was a solid hitter for a third baseman, but he will be below average for a first baseman. The biggest difference between him and Olerud is Olerud's superior on-base percentage: Olerud was at .427 last year (.406 lifetime), while Zeile was at .354 (.347 lifetime). Keep in mind that Zeile had the best year of his career and is moving to a more difficult park for hitters. As a left-handed bat, Olerud, also provided a nice mix between Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza. Zeile was the best the Mets could do and he's a good guy for the clubhouse, but Olerud's productivity will be missed. As an interesting note, Zeile will be joining his eighth team in six seasons. The Rangers will now search for a third baseman. Their best option may be prospect David Lamb, who hit .324 with 21 home runs at Double-A. They also have Tom Evans, a solid defensive player who hit .280 with 12 home runs at Triple-A.

Because Texas doesn't have a state income tax, the offers were comparable. The Rangers even offered a no-trade clause.

"I thought we had him in the morning," Texas general manager Doug Melvin said. "It got down to where I gave everything they asked for. I guess we did it too late. He said he thought we took too long. I told him we had a lot of things going on. We were reluctant to go three years."

Zeile, who hit .293 this year with 24 homers and 98 RBI, originally asked for a four-year contract. Texas countered with two years and an option.

The agreement with New York calls for a $2.5 million signing bonus, $3.5 million next year and $6 million in each of the final two seasons. The Mets had not made much contact with his agents, Sam and Seth Levinson, until John Olerud signed a $20 million, three-year contract with Seattle last Monday. Starting Tuesday, New York's pursuit was intense.

"Earlier on in the offseason, I didn't think the Mets were a realistic possibility," Zeile said.

Zeile, who has driven in 90 or more runs for four consecutive seasons, also has played for St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Texas. He has been a third baseman for most of his career but also has seen time at first.

"I caught from the time I was 8 years old until my second year in the big leagues," he said.

Mets general manager Steve Phillips didn't think switching Zeile to first will be a problem.

"In our view, that transition will not be a difficult one for him," Phillips said. "He's done it in the past."

Zeile said it would be easier to switch because it wasn't forced on him.

"This time, it's a matter of choice," he said. "I can play third base in a number of different cities, or I could weigh the chance to play in New York with a chance to win and voluntarily make the choice."

It helps that he'll have Robin Ventura at third, Rey Ordonez at shortstop and Edgardo Alfonzo at second.

"The infield I'm surrounded with is the best in the game," he said.

Zeile set career highs with 31 homers for Los Angeles in 1997 and 103 RBI for St. Louis in 1993.