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Bonds swings deal

Barry Bonds, agreeing to a one-year deal, will continue his drive toward the career homer record with San Francisco. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press The Spokesman-Review
Barry Bonds, agreeing to a one-year deal, will continue his drive toward the career homer record with San Francisco. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants reached agreement on a $16 million, one-year deal Thursday night, hours after the baseball winter meetings ended with just one major trade and only a handful of free-agent signings.

While most team executives packed up and left, the Giants kept trying to re-sign the 42-year-old slugger. Bonds has 734 home runs and is 22 from breaking Hank Aaron’s career record.

Bonds and the Giants wound up with a deal that includes four performance bonuses that could make it worth a total of $20 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because there had been no official announcement.

Bonds has played 14 seasons for the Giants and is coming off a $90 million, five-year contract. He is seven-time National League Most Valuable Player and despite steroids allegations, is a fan favorite in the Bay Area.

There wasn’t a lot of other action before the meetings finished up.

Free-agent ace Barry Zito wasn’t close to signing and Manny Ramirez remained with the Boston Red Sox.

Also, backup first baseman Daryle Ward reached a preliminary agreement with the Chicago Cubs on a $1.05 million, one-year deal and Atlanta completed its deal to acquire reliever Rafael Soriano from Seattle for pitcher Horacio Ramirez.

Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry remained behind, hospitalized following an angioplasty.

In other news:

•Kansas City agreed to terms with right-hander Gil Meche on a five-year deal worth $55 million. Meche has a 55-44 career record with a 4.65 ERA in 147 games, all of them with Seattle.

•Seattle acquired right-handed pitcher Sean White from Pittsburgh in exchange for cash. White, 25, who played at Mercer Island High and the University of Washington, was 5-6 with a 4.40 ERA in 21 appearances at Double-A Mississippi in 2006.

•In the draft of players off Triple-A rosters, troubled outfielder Josh Hamilton wound up with Cincinnati. The No. 1 pick in the 1999 amateur draft missed two seasons because of injuries and unspecified personal issues, two more for violating baseball’s drug policy and much of 2006 because of an injured left knee.

•First baseman J.T. Snow announced his retirement after a 15-year major league career, and he will rejoin San Francisco in several roles. Snow owns a career batting average of .268 with 189 homers and 877 RBIs.

•At Bonita Springs, Fla., players ratified their new labor contract, one of the final steps toward completing an agreement that runs through the 2011 season.