"Jason Giambi is back and, if all goes as planned, he's here to stay.

Giambi appeared to be the odd man out on the Rockies' bench this season after the signing of free agent Ty Wigginton, but he agreed to a minor-league contract for one year and $1 million on Monday.

The plan, according to Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd, is to carry four outfielders, which would make room for Giambi as a late-inning pinch-hitting specialist.

"It's huge," said O'Dowd of Giambi's role. "It changes the way managers set up against us. I can't emphasize it enough. We wouldn't bring him back if we didn't think so."

Giambi, 40, hit .244 last season with six home runs and 35 RBIs in 176 at-bats. He hit .235 in 34 at-bats as a pinch hitter, with two home runs and eight RBIs. Add in his clubhouse presence and O'Dowd and his staff were sold.

"He does a lot of things around our ballclub that go unnoticed," O'Dowd said. "He adds a whole other dimension to our clubhouse that doesn't get seen day in and day out by the common fan."

Giambi was a great fit off the field, witness the location of his locker: next to Troy Tulowitzki's and a few feet away from Todd Helton's. Said Tulowitzki, when asked his reaction to the Giambi signing, "I love it."

Also Monday, the Rockies signed reliever Matt Lindstrom to a two-year, $6.6 million deal with a club option for 2013."