The Pirates brought in Jeromy Burnitz to provide a big bat, but they found out yesterday he can cover some ground in the field, too.

Burnitz's arrival on a cross-country flight from his California home to Pittsburgh was delayed by poor weather until just after sunrise, he was whisked to a North Side hospital later in the morning to meet with the Pirates' doctors and pass his physical, he boomeranged back to PNC Park after noon to put a pen to his new contract, he was back on a plane by nightfall, and he landed on the West Coast in time to plop on his couch to catch the second half of the Rose Bowl.

The equivalent of an inside-the-continent home run, in more ways than one.

"Aw, come on, I'm not going to complain," he said, audibly out of breath last night. "I chartered the planes, and I got a new team now. It wasn't that bad."

The deal signed by Burnitz and the Pirates, the terms of which were finalized Tuesday, remained unaltered: He will have one guaranteed year at $6 million and a 2007 mutual option for the same salary with a $700,000 buyout if the team declines. He also can achieve $250,000 in bonuses each season.

The Pirates pursued Burnitz last offseason, too, but narrowly lost out to the Chicago Cubs.

"That's crazy that they came after me two years in a row," he said. "A lot of things change, but they still wanted me."

Late last week, Burnitz backed out of a contract agreement with Baltimore that would have brought more guaranteed money: $6 million this season and a player option for the same salary the following year.

That irked the Orioles' management, but Burnitz offered no apology. He explained he chose the Pirates because they play 12 games in or near southern California compared with Baltimore's three.

"The mistake I made was letting it get as far as it did with the Orioles," Burnitz said. "To me, this is about family, and the Pirates play a lot more games close to my family. The Baltimore situation was a shame, but I chose Pittsburgh. I'm a Bucco now."

He added that he liked what he had seen from the Pirates, from their young players to the acquisition of manager Jim Tracy, who managed him in Los Angeles three seasons ago.

"I know Tracy wanted me there, and I appreciate that," Burnitz said. "But the big thing to me is the young pitching they have. You see young guys like Oliver Perez and Kip Wells and Zach Duke ... that's where you build a team."

Burnitz, who turns 37 April 15, is the type of left-handed power hitter the Pirates have lacked since trading Brian Giles three years ago, and that trait would seem to mesh nicely with the Clemente Wall in right field that is only 320 feet away at the line. But Burnitz has hit only three home runs at PNC Park and batted .174 in 92 at-bats.

"I don't really care that much about the dimensions or the short porch, to be honest," Burnitz said. "I'll take singles with runners on base when it counts. I'll take doubles to that big gap in left-center."

He paused and laughed.

"I'm over homers. They're great, but I've got plenty of 'em."

His next will be his 300th.

Tracy would not commit to having Burnitz be his everyday cleanup hitter -- "That might depend on what the opponent brings," he said -- but he allowed that Burnitz would be among his Nos. 3-6 hitters, along with Jason Bay, Sean Casey and Joe Randa.

"What I like is having two lefties and two righties in the middle of the order, the flexibility that brings," Tracy said. "I especially like the protection it creates for Jason. He doesn't have to come to the ballpark anymore thinking he has to do it all. We are a different team with Jeromy Burnitz."

General manager Dave Littlefield said the free-agent signing likely was his last, though he did not rule out another.

He also said he did not intend to trade Craig Wilson, even though Burnitz and Casey would start in right field and first base, Wilson's two positions, and even though Wilson could make $4 million or more next season.

"Whether it's media or fans, everybody has to realize that, if we are going to get better, part of it is having better backups," Littlefield said. "Through ownership, we've been able to increase payroll, so you're going to have the opportunity to have quality backups. Craig brings things that we need. He has power, gets on base and has versatility in the field. To me, that piece makes a lot of sense for us."

NOTES -- To clear space for Burnitz on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated infielder J.J. Furmaniak for assignment. Furmaniak, 26, batted .192 in 13 games for the Pirates last season after being acquired July 28 from the San Diego Padres for catcher David Ross. ... The Pirates have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with right-handed starter Brandon Duckworth, 29. He appeared in seven games for the Houston Astros last season, including two starts, and was 0-1 with an 11.02 earned run average in 16 1/3 innings.