Mets give Moises Alou a new deal

NEW YORK, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- The New York Mets decided to bring back veteran outfielder Moises Alou for the 2008 season.

Alou, 41, hit a team-high .341 last season with 13 home runs and 49 RBI.

"After what happened to us, I really want another shot at winning a world championship," Alou told reporters Wednesday in a conference call from his home in the Dominican Republic. "I really want to achieve the things I came here for (and) hopefully, (2008) will be our year."

Alou's season also included a franchise record 30-game hitting streak, and just four errors in 149 fielding chances as the Mets won the NL East.

The Mets picked up their $7.5 million signing option.

In 1,927 major league games with Pittsburgh, Montreal, Florida, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco and New York, Alou has hit .303 with 419 doubles, 39 triples, 332 home runs, and 1,278 RBI.

The Mets also re-signed free agent infielder Damion Easley, 37, to a one-year, $950,000 contract.