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Associated Press
MILWAUKEE - NL championship series MVP Jeff Suppan would earn $52.75 million over five years under his contract with the Milwaukee Brewers if the club option for 2011 is exercised.
Suppan passed a physical Friday, finalizing the agreement that had been reached Christmas Eve. Suppan's deal, the largest in Brewers' history, gives him a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $6 million in 2007, $8 million in 2008 and $12.5 million each in 2009 and 2010. Milwaukee has a $12.75 million option for 2011 with a $2 million buyout.
"I don't think my preparation should change because I'm making a lot of money," he said in a conference call Friday. "Will there be any extra pressure? There could be, but there also could not be. I've never made this kind of money before, so I've just got to keep my focus."
Suppan, who earned for $4 million pitching for St. Louis last season, also gets a full no-trade provision in the first two years and the right to block trades to eight teams annually after that. He also receives a suite for games at Miller Park and will donate $100,000 annually to Brewers Charities Inc.
He said the timing of Barry Zito's $126 million, seven-year deal with San Francisco didn't make a difference in his negotiations.
"What Barry Zito was doing never had any effect on me," he said. "I was looking for the right team for me. I wasn't strategizing and waiting for him to sign, and I found the best team for me here in Milwaukee."
The 31-year-old right-hander went 12-7 with a 4.12 ERA for St. Louis last season this year - including a 6-2 mark with a 2.39 ERA in 15 starts after the All-Star break. He was 1-1 in four postseason starts, including a win in Game 3 and seven solid innings in Game 7 of the NLCS against the New York Mets.
He is 44-26 with a 3.95 ERA over the last three regular seasons, tied for ninth in the major leagues in wins.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and general manager Doug Melvin said Suppan's record made him attractive to the team, which needed a durable starting pitcher after it traded Doug Davis to Arizona for pitcher Claudio Vargas, catcher Johnny Estrada and pitcher Greg Aquino.
Suppan has pitched for Boston (1995-97, 2003), Arizona (1998), Kansas City (1998-2002), Pittsburgh (2003) and St. Louis (2004-06). He has reached double figures in wins seven times, and has a career record of 106-101 with a 4.60 ERA.
Milwaukee, coming off a 75-87 record and fourth-place finish in the NL Central, has a projected rotation that includes left-hander Chris Capuano and right-handers Ben Sheets, Dave Bush, Vargas and Suppan.
Suppan said he hopes his success last year will rub off on his younger teammates.
"It was unbelievable pitching for a World Series championship team," he said, "and I'm going to try to take that experience to my new team."