Rays sign Pat Burrell

[dbackjon]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Pat Burrell went from one World Series team to the other.

The Tampa Bay Rays added a big bat to the middle of their lineup, agreeing Monday on a $16 million, two-year contract with Burrell.

The 32-year-old slugger spent the past nine seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, who defeated the Rays in the World Series a little more than two months ago.

"At the end of last year, obviously I got a chance to know the team pretty well," said Burrell, who hit .250 with 33 homers, 33 doubles, 86 RBIs and 102 walks in a career-high 157 games in 2008.

"Coming into free agency, the thing that was most important to me was to go somewhere I thought had as good a chance or better to repeat and go back to the World Series, or at least get into the playoffs."

A .257 career hitter with 251 homers and 827 RBIs, Burrell has averaged 31 homers, 99 RBIs and 103 walks over the past four seasons. He was the everyday left fielder in Philadelphia, but Tampa Bay plans to use him mostly at designated hitter.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/b ... index.html

[Willie]

Goddammit I was hopin to watch him play when I go to NYC in May to watch my Yankees play Philly.

[AZGrizFan]

Jesus, that pisses me off. No Adam Dunn...no Pat Burrell....no Randy Johnson...all the DBacks sign is Felipe fcukin' Lopez. There ain't gonna be 50 people in the stands this year...then Brandon Webb will think twice about resigning here, and we'll lose him too.

I HATE the current Dbacks ownership group.