JUPITER, Fla – Big Mac is getting some big bucks.
Still, it's nowhere near what he would command on the free-agent
market.
Mark McGwire and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed Thursday to a
two-year extension worth about $30 million.
|
Highest average salaries
|
|
Player
|
Years
|
Avg.
|
|
Alex Rodriguez
|
2001-10
|
$25.2M
|
|
Manny Ramirez
|
2001-08
|
$20M
|
|
Derek Jeter
|
2001-10
|
$18.9M
|
|
Jeff Bagwell
|
2002-06
|
$17M
|
|
Carlos Delgado
|
2001-04
|
$17M
|
|
Roger Clemens
|
2001-02
|
$15.45M
|
|
Mike Hampton
|
2001-08
|
$15.1M
|
|
Kevin Brown
|
1999-05
|
$15M
|
|
Chipper Jones
|
2001-06
|
$15M
|
|
Mark McGwire
|
2002-03
|
$15M
|
|
Mike Mussina
|
2001-06
|
$14.75M
|
|
Shawn Green
|
2000-05
|
$14M
|
|
Mo Vaughn
|
1999-04
|
$13.3M
|
|
Randy Johnson
|
1999-02
|
$13.1M
|
|
Mike Piazza
|
1999-05
|
$13M
|
|
Albert Belle
|
1999-03
|
$13M
|
"I was telling my son the other day that I was going to sign
this deal ... basically averaging $15 million a year and people are
going to talk about how I'm going to be underpaid," McGwire said.
"That's pretty ridiculous. It's a lot of money. I hate talking
about it. I'm not out here trying to set precedents. I'm just doing
what I think is right."
The new deal runs through 2003, the season McGwire could be
approaching Hank Aaron's home-run record of 755.
The last time McGwire signed a contract with the Cardinals, he
got a standing ovation at Busch Stadium following the announcement,
then homered.
Thursday was far less dramatic. Playing in an intrasquad game
with coaches pitching, McGwire went 0-for-2. He hit into a double
play and hit a fly ball that was dropped for an error in the
outfield.
McGwire, 37, missed most of the second half of last season with
a knee injury and had surgery during the offseason, but has been
healthy this spring.
McGwire and the Cardinals were talking about an extension that
would pay him $14 million in 2002 and $16 million the following
year, according to two baseball officials familiar with the
negotiations who spoke on the condition they not be identified.
"We could not be more pleased," Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt
Jr. said. "From Day 1, it has been a real pleasure working with
Mark. He offers a great perspective when it comes to contract
negotiations, and he takes a real interest in securing a deal that
he believes to be fair not only for himself, but also for the
team."
McGwire negotiated the extension himself with DeWitt and did not
go through his agent, Bob Cohen.
"I don't think it took anything but 25 minutes to do the
deal," McGwire said. "It's that simple. A guy in my position,
what do you need to do? You just talk about it. He knows what I can
do; everybody knows what I can do. We thought this was fair and
that's what it came down to.
"I'm happy where I'm at, that's the bottom line."
Big Mac is seventh on the career home-run list with 554, just
201 behind Aaron, and would have to average 67 homers in the next
three seasons to tie the mark.
"I would be happy to sit in front of you in three or four years
and talk about doing that," he said. "It would be a pretty cool
thing. But it's a long ways away, so I hope I'm still playing then.
... I've thought about it, but I'm realistic about it.
"When you're 200 home runs away, a lot of things have to go
right. I realize that as I get older, things aren't easier. That's
probably why I work harder now than when I was younger. But I
realize I still have the talent and still have the hand-eye
coordination to be successful here and put up the numbers."
McGwire set the single-season record with 70 homers in 1998,
then hit 65 the following year. He hit 32 last season in just 236
at-bats.
"We're really excited that beyond this year the most dangerous
run producer in baseball is going to be on our team," manager Tony
La Russa said.
With an average salary of about $15 million, McGwire will rank
about eighth in baseball.
He could have commanded far more money if he became a free agent
after this season, perhaps even top the average salary record of
$25.2 million set by Alex Rodriguez in his $252 million, 10-year
contract with Texas.
But McGwire has never been interested in obtaining top dollar.
"If somebody's going to complain about making $15 million,
there's something wrong with him," McGwire said. "The sad thing
that we're coming down to today is it's all about money. It's never
about what the game's all about. We all realize that we're going to
make just boatloads of money if you do the job and you're out there
every year and you put up the numbers. But I just love the game and
I love where I'm at. That's what it comes down to."
His current deal, agreed to after he was traded from Oakland to
St. Louis in the 1997 season, originally guaranteed him $28.5
million over three years: a $1 million signing bonus, $8 million in
1998, $8.5 million in 1999, $9 million in 2000 and a $2 million
buyout of a 2001 option.
McGwire could have become a free agent last November, but chose
not to, instead agreeing to exercise an $11 million mutual option.
Disgusted with baseball's repeated work stoppages, McGwire said
last year that he would retire if there's another one next winter
after the expiration of the current labor contract. He has since
softened that stance.
"We all hope that doesn't happen," he said. "There's still
that chance. But there's no reason for me and the Cardinals to stop
doing what we want to do because of a possible work stoppage.
That's why we elected to do an extension."
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Gary Miller goes up close with St. Louis slugger Mark McGwire.
RealVideo: 28.8
ESPN's Peter Gammons discusses the implications of Mark McGwire's contract extension.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Mark McGwire discusses the signing of a two-year, $30 million contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals.
wav: 1168 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mark McGwire's desire to stay in St. Louis made the deal easy to work out.
wav: 1197 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
St. Louis GM Walt Jocketty talks us through Mark McGwire's new contract.
wav: 573 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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