Posted: March 3, 2011 6:00 p.m. CT
By TYLER LOCKMAN
Special to FOXSportsWisconsin.com
PHOENIX, Ari. - For Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee, signing a contract with the team that has given him a chance in the big leagues was a no-brainer.
McGehee knows that he wants to be a Brewer now and in the future. He fulfilled part of that desire Wednesday, but the other remains to be seen.
Though McGehee had hoped to receive a long-term deal, the third-year Brewer signed a one-year contract, making him the last player on the team's 40-man roster to be signed.
"We did what we felt we had to do right now and what was best for both sides," McGehee said Thursday at the Brewers' spring training facility in Arizona. "We'll move on from there, and down the road we'll see where it takes us."
It is team policy to not reveal player salaries. McGehee will be arbitration eligible following the upcoming season.
McGehee said he hasn't thought about playing anywhere else, but that long-term contract talks with the team didn't evolve. Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said Thursday that both sides agreed to table discussions for the time being.
"Casey and I have talked and he's going to go out and have a big year on a one-year contract," Melvin said. "We dabbled a little bit into a multiyear [deal], but we didn't look like we were making progress so we just waited and we're both in agreement."
Both McGehee and Melvin stressed that there are no hard feelings on either side, and Melvin said they haven't discussed when they might revisit the possibility of a longer contract. Melvin said it is his preference not to handle contracts during the season.
For now, McGehee's focus is on the upcoming season and how he can improve on a successful second season in Milwaukee. After finishing fifth in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, McGehee followed up with an even better sophomore season, batting .285 with 23 home runs and 104 RBI.
"I think it always helps to have a little bit of success to have your confidence, but I've always been confident in the fact that I can play and contribute," McGehee said.
After coming up through the Chicago Cubs system, McGehee appeared in nine games in the majors at the end of the 2008 season before the Cubs placed him on waivers. The Brewers claimed him in Dec. 2008 after most of the league passed.
McGehee made the most of the opportunity, impressing in his rookie season while developing a love for Milwaukee.
"Everybody's been really welcoming and supportive," McGehee said. "There's something of a mentality in the city that appreciates when people work hard."
The 28-year-old California native has made it no secret that his family is his top priority in baseball-related decisions. McGehee said his wife and two children enjoy Milwaukee, which gives him "no reason to be anywhere else."
Brewers manager Ron Roenicke knows that getting his contract settled, at least for now, will help McGehee keep his mind on baseball and preparing for the 2011 season, one with high expectations for the Brewers.
"Casey's a pretty serious guy so he needs to not have any distraction there," Roenicke said. "If you have things going on mentally off the field, it affects you on the field."
Roenicke also said McGehee has "huge value" for the team as a reliable hitter behind the likes of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.
"Everybody tries to make (Fielder) swing at pitches out of the zone and he doesn't bite," Roenicke said. "That guy behind him needs to be a good hitter. That's what Casey did last year."
With runners in scoring position last season, McGehee batted .324. McGehee said he expects opposing pitchers to have the same approach to Fielder, who lead the league last year with 114 walks.
Playing against his former team Wednesday, McGehee got the chance to see good pitches and took advantage, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI. He homered again Thursday against the A's.
It would be easy for McGehee to see his success with the Brewers as reason for other teams, like the Cubs, to regret overlooking him, but he said it's not even on his mind. He emphasized again that, with his short-term contract situation resolved, he has made baseball his sole focus.
"I really don't think about getting passed on by teams or any of that stuff anymore," McGehee said. "I just focus on what I'm doing here and how I can help this team win.
"I think it's obviously no secret that I've enjoyed my time in Milwaukee and want it to last as long as it can."
