PEORIA, Ariz. -- Geography, being able to choose a team you want, is important to some free agents. Monetary considerations, obviously, are another factor.

But when David Eckstein hit the free-agent market this winter, his motivation was to find a place to play the position he grew up playing (second base) instead of the one (shortstop) he has mostly played in his nine-year Major League career.

"Without a doubt, it was a position I've played my whole life ... since I was 12, that was all I played," he said. "It's something that came very natural. Talking with my agent, it's something I really wanted."

The Padres have afforded himself such an opportunity, signing him to a one-year deal for $850,000 with another potential $150,000 in incentives. He'll be the everyday starter at second base and likely hit second in the batting order.

Eckstein arrived in Peoria on Tuesday, a day before position players were to report, and unpacked his things. The 34-year-old was upbeat, buoyed by his opportunity to start and play the position that got away from him.

Eckstein was drafted in 1997 by the Red Sox as a second baseman, and he played that position professionally in the Minor Leagues. It wasn't until reaching the Major Leagues in 2001 with the Angels that he was moved to shortstop.

"They made the switch to shortstop to start the season when Adam Kennedy was going to miss the first week," said Eckstein, who later started at shortstop when Gary DiSarcina was injured.

Eckstein, a career .284 hitter, didn't play a single game at second base from 2002 up until last season, when he appeared in 24 games between his time in Toronto and Arizona. That experience, more or less, allowed him to fall in love with the position again.

"Playing over there [last year] ... it felt really comfortable. I really enjoyed it," Eckstein said.

Manager Bud Black worked with Eckstein when each was with the Angels. He likes the little things Eckstein does to help a team.

"He's a good player and he's going to bring an element to our club that we need," Black said. "Offensively, he has the knack of getting on base. He's a great handler of the bat. The way he goes about the daily grind of playing baseball is going to be great for our younger service-time players to watch."