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Adam Kennedy appreciates being able to play his home games in front of family and friends.
Barring a trade, he'll have that opportunity for at least three more years.
Kennedy avoided
salary arbitration Thursday by agreeing to an $8.85 million, three-year contract
with the Anaheim Angels.
``We're certainly happy to have him here and happy to have him committed to
us for three more seasons,'' Angels general manager Bill Stoneman said during
a conference call.
Kennedy gets annual salaries of $2.5 million, $3 million and $3.35 million. The second baseman can earn an additional $150,000 in performance bonuses over the term of the contract.
``It's pretty special to be able to have your family there every single day,'' said Kennedy, who grew up in Riverside and lives in Yorba Linda. ``Very few guys in all the major leagues get to do that.
``Mr. Stoneman's been great ever since I got there. I'm very satisfied with the deal. I don't think it would have been finished if both sides weren't pretty satisfied with it. Taking your chances in arbitration year to year is risky. This takes away the risk for the next three years.''
Stoneman agreed that there's doubt when a player goes to arbitration.
``When does a guy get too expensive? You start to squirm a little bit,'' Stoneman said. ``So we avoid that in this case.''
Kennedy, who turns 28 next month, hit .269 with 13 homers, 49 RBIs and a team-leading 22 stolen bases in 143 games with the Angels last season -- his fourth with the team. He has a career batting average of .277 with 36 homers, 229 RBIs and 73 stolen bases in 613 games.
Stoneman cited Kennedy's improvement on defense as a key factor in the decision to sign him for three years.
``I'm not sure he has a peer in terms of his defensive abilities,'' Stoneman said. ``He's become such a very good defender. He's certainly a guy who helps us offensively, too. He can hit the ball out of the park.''
Kennedy showed that ability when he became the fifth player to hit three homers in a postseason game as the Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 13-5 in the fifth and final game of the 2002 AL championship series.
He was selected MVP of the series despite going 1-for-10 without an RBI in the first four games.
Kennedy hit .312 with seven homers, 52 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 2002 in helping the Angels win their first World Series. He batted .270 with six homers and 40 RBIs in 2001 and .266 with nine homers and 72 RBIs in 2000.
Kennedy began his major league career with St. Louis in 1999, hitting .255 with one homer and 16 RBIs in 35 games. He was traded to the Angels with right-hander Kent Bottenfield for outfielder Jim Edmonds on March 23, 2000.
The Cardinals took Kennedy in the first round of the June 1997 free agent draft after he played at Cal State Northridge.
The agreement with Kennedy is another step the Angels have taken this offseason in trying to rebound from last season's 77-85 performance. Previously, they signed starting pitchers Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar to long-term deals.
``The commitment that we have from Arte is huge and really excites all of us who work here,'' Stoneman said of Arte Moreno, who bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Co. last May for $184 million. ``It's nice to have an owner who wants us to get our second ring.''
When asked about the status of outfielder Jose Guillen, who said Tuesday in the Dominican Republic that he had agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract with the Angels, Stoneman said: ``I know Jose Guillen has made his own announcement. We have not made an announcement. If and when there is (an agreement), we'll announce it.''