The Kansas City Royals struck a resounding blow for the franchise Friday night by signing All-Star first baseman Mike Sweeney to a five-year contract extension worth a reported $55 million.

Sweeney, 28, could have become a highly coveted free agent after the 2002 season, but chose to stay and be the cornerstone of a small-market franchise which hopes to regain the glory of the late 1970s and 1980s. Hall of Famer George Brett wanted to spend his entire career in Kansas City and Sweeney, who's immensely popular in the Kansas City area, has now shown with Friday's signature he has similar thoughts.

"You're talking about a special player," Royals general manager Allard Baird said. "When you sign a player to a long-term deal, you're looking at ability, durability and character. Michael is one of the best right-handed hitters in baseball. He's a guy who will play hurt. And his character is off the charts."

Sweeney will make $8 million this season before the five-year extension kicks in.

"I feel very honored to have signed a five-year contract that's going to keep me here in Kansas City for six more years," Sweeney said at a Friday night press conference. "I've said all along: I didn't ask for much. Just looking for something fair and a bright future. I feel we have that here in Kansas City.

"I also count it a huge honor that I can kind of walk in the shadow of No. 5 (Brett). If I can have half the impact that he has had in Kansas City, I will retire from baseball a very happy man," Sweeney added, his voice cracking.

The contract extension reportedly contains a creative clause designed to address Sweeney's concerns about the Royals doing what it takes to field a winner. If the Royals don't have a record of .500 or better in either 2003 or 2004, Sweeney could escape and become a free agent. The bottom line is that Sweeney is guaranteed to be a Royal for three more seasons, which gives ownership some time to put a more competitive team on the field. If the economics of baseball change during that time frame, creating more revenue for small-market clubs, it could enable the Royals to enhance their on-field product.

Sweeney said he talked to Royals owner David Glass during the negotiations and received encouraging reports about the direction of the franchise.

"He gave me confirmation and hope of a bright future," Sweeney said.

The Royals are asking Sweeney to be the starting point for a return to prosperity. Sweeney is up for the challenge.

"Allard has said he wants to build a winning team here," Sweeney said. "I feel this is the first step toward doing it. I feel like I'm a winner. Build this team around me. I'm a winner and I'm a leader and I'm going to do my part to bring this team to be winners."

The Sweeney signing represents a major public relations jumpstart for the Royals heading into a new season. When Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye were traded away in recent years, there were questions about whether Kansas City would or could make the huge financial commitment to keep a marquee player. Those questions were answered Friday night.

Negotiations became intense on March 14 when Glass announced he was willing to change his policy and negotiate with Sweeney even without a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place.

Sweeney had said if he didn't have a deal by April 1, he would table negotiations until the end of the season. The Royals didn't want Sweeney to get that close to free agency. When labor talks appeared to be dragging early this month, Glass gave the green light for the Sweeney negotiations. While saying there was a risk in entering such a big deal without knowing baseball's future economic rules, Glass added there was a risk in waiting, too.

"This is the young man we need to build around," Glass said at the time.

Baird and other Royals' negotiators sprang into action when Glass gave the go-ahead.

On March 16, Royals' officials laid the groundwork for a deal when they held a three-hour negotiating session with Seth Levinson and Keith Miller, the agents for Sweeney. The sides had contact almost daily since then and there were face-to-face sessions the last few days when Levinson and Miller arrived at the Royals' Spring Training complex.

"Ownership stepped up and gave me the go-ahead to be very aggressive in trying to get this done," Baird said.

Over the past week, Sweeney's thoughts were more about whether the Royals can develop into a contending club than how much money he could make. He has often talked about his dream of leading the Royals from the bottom to the top. While that won't be easy for a small-market club, Sweeney got the commitment from the organization that people within the Royals' hierarchy want to win as badly as he does.

Brett and Royals manager Tony Muser were among those who helped with the recent recruitment of Sweeney. Baird called the signing of Sweeney "a priority for this franchise."

Sweeney, who recently said that he has marriage plans after the season, has hit .322, .333 and .304 the last three seasons. He had a club record 144 RBIs during the 2000 season.

"I feel like I'm the happiest man on earth right now," he said.