Rockies Grab Speedy Goodwin

December 8, 1999 / 4:45 PM EST / CBS/AP

Tom Goodwin brings a new element to the Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies signed the speedy outfielder to a $10.75 million, three-year deal Wednesday in the latest step in their offseason makeover.

Goodwin, a 31-year-old free agent, batted .259 for the Texas Rangers last year and stole 39 bases, third-best in the American league.

Rockies manager Buddy Bell said Goodwin, a career .274 hitter with 252 stolen bases, will add speed to the Rockies' attack and will bat leadoff.

"The only time I'll get mad at Goody is when he doesn't steal," Bell said at a news conference at Coors Field.

Goodwin said he's looking forward to playing in Denver but acknowledged that covering Coors Field's sprawling center field will be a challenge.

"It's pretty big," he said. "There's a lot of space out there."

Later, surveying the snow-covered outfield on a gray Denver day, Goodwin said he doesn't think he'll have trouble on defense and that his age won't slow him down.

"I don't feel like I've lost a step. I probably have, but I wouldn't admit it," he said.

Goodwin had a .989 fielding average in Texas last season and didn't commit an error in his final 71 games.

Goodwin, who made $3,225,000 in 1999, gets a $500,000 signing bonus and $3.25 million in each of the next three seasons. Colorado has a $3.5 million option for 2003, with a $500,000 buyout.

Goodwin can earn an additional $600,000 a year in bonuses, said Goodwin's brother and manager, Hugh Goodwin.

The spacious stadium will make the most of Goodwin's speed and defensive skills and minimize his relative lack of power. Tom Goodwin has only 12 home runs in six seasons.

The Rockies have undergone a major rebuilding since the end of the 1999 season. New faces include general manager Dan O'Dowd and Bell.

The Los Angeles Dodgers picked Goodwin in the 1989 draft. After four seasons in the Dodgers' organization, Goodwin was picked up by the Kansas City Royals in 1994. The Royals traded him to Texas in 1997.