From the San Diego Union Tribune’s Bill Center.

The Padres and free agent Brian Giles (above) have agreed to a new contract that will guarantee the outfielder $30 million and could be worth $36 million over the next four years, the Union-Tribune has learned.

Giles, who will turn 35 before the start of the 2006 season, will make $9 million each of the next three seasons. Plus, the club holds an option for the 2009 season at another $9 million against a $3 million buyout.

This development may ultimately have no impact on Johnny Damon’s asking price, though it is interesting to note that Giles wasn’t able to command more than 3 guaranteed years from the Padres.

It does however, kill the predictions expoused on yack radio today that Toronto were poised to blow all competitors out of the water with a massive offer to Giles. XM’s excruciating Charley Steiner proposed that the Blue Jays are always faced with overpaying “because guys don’t want to play in a foreign country. They want to watch “SportsCenter”. Not the Canadian “SportsCenter”, either. They want to see baseball highlights, not curling!”

Somehow, the likes of Joe Carter, Rickey Henderson, Fred McGriff and Roger Clemens found Toronto to be a hospitable enough work environment , so much so that Clemens was able to overcome the language barrier on the way to winning two Cy Young Awards.