Adrian Gonzalez Will Be a Padre Through 2010

Excellent news for San Diego fans comes two days before the Padres open up the 2007 season against the Giants. The Padres official site announced that 1B Adrian Gonzalez has agreed to terms on a four-year deal to keep him in San Diego through 2010. GM Kevin Towers was pretty pumped about locking up Gonzalez:

"Adrian has established himself as one of the great young players in the game and is a key component to our ballclub," said Towers. "We are excited he's going to be in a Padres uniform for many years to come, not only because he's a quality player but also a quality person."

Perhaps what's best about the whole situation is that Gonzalez is a native of San Diego, having played his high school ball at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, making him a hometown hero. Gonzalez finally had the opportunity to prove what he can do in the big leagues, batting .304 with 24 home runs, 38 doubles, and 82 RBI in his first full season of action last year. He wound up being the Padres team MVP, and is without a doubt, the club's finest hitter.

The deal includes a club option in 2011, no financial terms are available yet.

UPDATE: There are conflicting reports as to how much the deal is worth. The Union-Tribune reports it's a $9.5 million four-year deal, with a club option for $5.5 million in 2011 that would bump the deal to $15 million. The Padres official website says it's a $19.5 million four-year deal. Although if you add up the annual figures on their site, it comes out to $9.5 million as well. So either there's a serious typo on their website, or someone wasn't adding properly.