CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Outfielder Bobby Abreu signed the richest contract in Philadelphia Phillies history, agreeing Wednesday to a $64 million, five-year extension with a team option that could make the deal worth $78 million.

	Bobby Abreu Right felder Philadelphia Phillies Profile
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS AB R H HR RBI Avg. 588 118 170 31 110 .289

The contract was announced five days after third baseman Scott Rolen publicly criticized Phillies management for what he called a lack of commitment to winning.

General manager Ed Wade brushed aside those criticisms.

"Our stated objective has been to keep the core of this club together for a long time. Signing Bobby is a clear indication that what we say is what we mean," Wade said. "Phillies fans should clearly view this as a statement as to how committed we are to our core players."

"I'm very happy about this agreement," Abreu said during the Phillies' first full-squad workout. "I think this contract is very important for the organization and my teammates."

Abreu, 27, is getting $6 million in 2002, the final season of a $14.25 million, three-year contract, and was eligible for free agency after the 2003 season. The new deal calls for a $3 million signing bonus and salaries of $8.5 million in 2003, $10 million in 2004, $12.5 million in 2005, $13 million in 2006 and $15 million in 2007.

Philadelphia has a $16 million option for 2008 with a $2 million buyout.

If Abreu wins the MVP, the contract goes up by $275,000 per year for each year left on the contract. If he is second in the voting, the contract goes up by $150,000 for each year left on the contract. If he is third, the contract goes up by $100,000 for each year left on the contract.

Abreu is a career .307 hitter in five-plus major league seasons. He hit .289 last season with 110 RBI, 31 homers and 36 steals, making him the Phillies' first 30-30 man. His 83 extra-base hits were the most by a Phillies player since Hall of Famer Chuck Klein had 103 in 1932.

Rolen rejected a $140 million, 10-year offer and says he will become a free agent after the season. He said he feared the club would lose Abreu and other players such as Doug Glanville, Pat Burrell and Mike Lieberthal.

"Right now," Rolen said last weekend, "I look around the field and I see Pat Burrell and Doug Glanville and Mike Lieberthal and Bobby Abreu. So I see that core of players they talk about. But history says that in two or three years, when I turn around, I won't see Burrell and Glanville and Lieberthal and Abreu.

"So if I were to take their money, the issue is not who I would see around me in Year One of a 10-year contract. The issue is who I would see around me in four years. And again, history tells me those guys are not going to be there. ... And I don't want to be a $140-million player standing there at third base alone five years from now."

The Phillies obviously will use Abreu's signing as an indication that they are, in fact, willing to spend money to keep those players. So Wednesday, the first day position players will work out, could make for great theater in a spring-training camp that already has had more than its share.

Abreu's .408 career on-base percentage is fourth among active NL players with at least 2,800 plate appearances -- trailing only Barry Bonds (.419), Jeff Bagwell (.415) and Brian Giles (.409).

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark contributed to this report.