Jim Bowden Deal Quotations

He is not a player I like to compete with on the free agent market because he is so special. This is a deal that needed to be done. I don't think it could have waited. It's good for all the parties involved.

He's going to play left field. He needs to be out there now the next couple of weeks to play, and if he's not going to play for us, we need to know so we can go forward. We obviously will field offers, but we're not going to give the player away. If we can make a deal that makes sense, we will.

Hector said, 'The minimum? That's what the kids get,' ... I said, 'Hector, that's what the deal is going to be.'

If he doesn't have the injuries, he's in the $8-$10 million a year range. But he's been hurt, so we hope he gets healthy, and if he's healthy he has a real good deal. And if he doesn't get healthy, we still have a good deal for what he brings to the table.

He's not a player I'd like to have to compete on the free agent market for, because he's so special. So I think this is a deal that needed to be done. I don't think it could have waited.

The doctors gave us the go-ahead to sign the player. They understood that it was a four-year deal with significant money. We wanted clearance and to make sure there wasn't a health risk. I would not have done the deal if the doctors didn't clear it.