Free-agent outfielder Cliff Floyd signed Wednesday with the Chicago Cubs, ending his four-year tenure with the New York Mets.

Floyd, 34, inked a one-year, $3-million US contract that includes an additional $4.5 million US in performance incentives.

Cliff Floyd was limited by injuries to 97 games for New York last season.
(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

It also contains a mutual option for 2008 that becomes guaranteed if he makes either 100 starts or 425 plate appearances this season.

"I look forward to coming home and playing at Wrigley," said Floyd, a Chicago native.

"This is a team that I watched growing up."

Floyd is just the latest in a spate of free-agent signings by the Cubs, notably Alfonso Soriano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Mark DeRosa.

They also hired Lou Piniella as manager.

"It gives us a a lot depth," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said of the Floyd signing.

"It will enable us to survive if we have an injury by having an extra, quality player on the club. Obviously, our depth was a problem last year when D-Lee [Derrek Lee] went down."

Hampered by injuries

Floyd hit .244 with 11 home runs, 44 runs batted in, 45 runs scored and six steals in 97 games for the Mets last season.

But he also landed on the disabled list twice with a sprained left ankle and an inflamed left Achilles tendon.

"It was a bone spur that was actually rubbing on the tendon," Floyd said. "The doctors went in and shaved the bone spur down and cleaned the tendon up."

Floyd wields a potent bat when healthy.

He is a lifetime .279 hitter with 213 HRs, 781 RBIs, 752 runs and 147 stolen bases in 1,423 games over 14 MLB seasons for the Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox and Mets.

Floyd, who won a World Series with the Marlins in 1997, toiled for the Calgary Cannons and Ottawa Lynx at the triple-A level.

With files from Sports Network