"I hope there'll be a bunch of us who'll get them," Maholm said. "It means you're playing well, because (management) has enough faith to give you a long-term contract. And if we're all playing well, we're going to be winning."

In an 11-month span, the Pirates have signed seven players to multi-year contracts. Four of them -- Maholm, Ian Snell, Ryan Doumit and Pedro Alvarez -- have deals that could extend until at least 2012.

"An important part of us going forward is our ability to fix costs, which we're able to do with these type of contracts," general manager Neal Huntington said.

"It gives us the ability to buy out a year or two of free agency and keep a player in Pittsburgh. But it's also to commit to the right players at the right dollars in the right contracts."

This year, Maholm will earn $3.5 million, which includes a signing bonus of $1.5 million. He will make $4.5 million next season and $5.75 million in 2011.

The option year is worth $9.75 million, with a $750,000 buyout. As part of his deal, Maholm will donate $25,000 annually to Pirates Charities.

Maholm's figures are comparable to those of Ian Snell, who got a multi-year contract last March. Snell will make $3 million this year and $4.25 million in 2010. The team has options on Snell for $6.75 million in 2011 and $9.25 million in 2012.

"We've got to go prove to the fans that we can win," Maholm said. "You can tell that Neal, Frank (Coonelly, president) and (owner Bob) Nutting are taking the steps that are necessary. It's in our hands now, as players."

Notes: Also yesterday, outfielder/infielder Eric Hinske's one-year contract was finalized. Hinske, 31, will make $1.5 million, plus up to $1 million in performance bonuses. "It seems like a good opportunity for me," Hinske said. Hinske said he had eight other offers and that the Pirates had pursued him since the start of the free-agent period. ... To open a spot on the 40-man roster for Hinske, the Pirates designated pitcher T.J. Beam for assignment.