Newz Forum: BASEBALL: Chisox, Garcia Agree To 3-Year Deal

CHICAGO (AP) - Pitcher Freddy Garcia agreed to a $27 million, three-year contract extension with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, 10 days after being traded from Seattle.

The 28-year-old right-hander was eligible to become a free agent after this season, but the White Sox traded for him June 27 in the hope they could sign him to a longer deal.

Under terms of the deal, Garcia will earn $8 million in 2005, $9 million in 2006 and $10 million in 2007.

"When we acquired Freddy, our short-term goal was for him to help us reach the playoffs and beyond," White Sox general manager Ken Williams said. "But in planning for the future, we also felt he was a necessary ingredient to help sustain the long-term success of the organization."

Garcia, who makes his home debut Tuesday night against Anaheim, is 5-7 with a 3.35 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 16 combined starts with the Mariners and White Sox this year. But those numbers are somewhat misleading because he's received only 2.71 runs of support per nine innings, lowest in the American League.

He currently is fifth in the AL in baserunners per nine innings (10.99) and strikeouts, and sixth in ERA. Since the start of the 2001 season, Garcia ranks third in the AL with innings pitched (776.2), fifth in strikeouts (578) and eighth in wins (51).

A two-time All-Star, Garcia is 77-50 with a 3.90 ERA and 828 strikeouts in five-plus seasons. He has won at least 16 games in three of the past four seasons, and had his best year in 2001 when he was 18-6 with a league-best 3.05 ERA.

Garcia was acquired from the Mariners with catcher Ben Davis and cash in exchange for catcher Miguel Olivo and minor leaguers Jeremy Reed and Michael Morse.