Moises Alou will man left field for the New York Mets next season.
Alou, 40, agreed Monday to a one-year, $8.5-million US contract with the Mets.
Moises Alou hit 22 home runs in 99 games for the Giants last season.
(Rusty Kennedy/Associated Press)
"The length of my contract does not really matter at this point in my career," Alou said. "I wanted to come here because this year I wanted to win."
New York lost the National League Championship Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, who went on to win the World Series.
Alou admitted that he turned down more lucrative offers to join the Mets, who retained a $7.5-million US club option for 2008 with a $1-million US buyout.
The six-time all-star averaged .301 with 22 home runs, 74 runs batted in and 52 runs scored in 99 games for the San Francisco Giants last season, despite being hampered by ankle and back injuries.
"That's the only reason why I'm back playing in 2007," Alou said. I was a little frustrated last season because of the little injuries that I had.
"I felt great after July. I feel good at the plate, I feel strong, I feel young."
Alou, the son of former outfielder and manager Felipe Alou, is a .301 hitter lifetime with 319 HRs, 1,229 RBIs and 1,054 runs in 1,840 games over 15 MLB seasons for the Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Giants.
Injuries sidelined him for the 1991 and 1999 campaigns.
"I'm still producing," Alou said.
Also Monday, the Mets declined a $14-million US option on veteran pitcher Tom Glavine and traded right-handers Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens to the Florida Marlins for left-handers Adam Bostick and Jason Vargas.
"We hope to continue to … negotiate and, hopefully, be able to bring Tommy back," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said.
"We let them know ahead of time that we were going to make this move."
With files from the Associated Press
