Floyd, Cubs Agree To One-Year Deal
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CHICAGO — Cliff Floyd is coming home and hoping to be injury free after agreeing yesterday to a $3 million, one–year contract with the Chicago Cubs.
Floyd, a Chicago native, could split time in left field with Matt Murton and also give the Cubs a left-handed bat off the bench.
“It gives us a lot of depth. It will enable us to survive if we have an injury by having an extra quality, quality player on the club, which obviously our depth was a problem last year when D-Lee (Derek Lee) went down,” the Cubs’ general manager, Jim Hendry, said.
Floyd, who spent the previous four years with the Mets, can make an additional $4.5 million this year in bonuses based on plate appearances and time on the active 25-man roster. The deal includes a mutual option for 2008 that could become guaranteed if he has 100 games started or 425 plate appearances this year.
He could earn $17.5 million over two years if he has 550 plate appearances each season and $15.5 million if he has 500 each season.
Floyd was limited to 332 at-bats last year because of an injured Achilles’ tendon and will likely serve as a backup with the Cubs. Alfonso Soriano is expected to start in center, with Murton in left and Jacque Jones in right.
“I look forward to coming home and playing and playing at Wrigley. This is a team that I watched growing up,” Floyd said.
The 34-year-old Floyd had surgery on his left foot in October, after hitting .244 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs. The Mets replaced him in left field with Moises Alou, a free agent who agreed to a contract in October.
Language in the contract protects the Cubs if an Achilles’ tendon injury jeopardizes Floyd’s ability to be on the 2008 openingday roster.
“I had a bone spur, that was actually affecting the Achilles. It was a bone spur that was actually rubbing on the tendon. The doctors went in and shaved the bone spur down and cleaned the tendon up,” Floyd said.
He hopes to be close to completely healthy by the start of spring training next month.
“I’m working every day, Monday through Friday, rehabbing, physical therapists, everything,” he said.
