If in fact Pat Burrell is The Machine — and he still refuses to cop to it — he shouldn’t be confused with an ATM.

In officially re-signing with the Giants, the veteran outfielder essentially confirmed Friday that he signed a mere $1 million, one-year contract with no incentives just to remain in San Francisco.

It’s one of the more sacrificial hometown discounts anywhere in baseball in recent years, considering what Burrell provided the Giants after they signed him as a free agent on May 29 — 18 homers, 51 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .364 and several clutch hits over the final 96 games. He also became an influential figure in the clubhouse along with longtime friend and former University of Miami teammate Aubrey Huff.

“The truth of it is, 10 years ago it would probably be a different situation,” Burrell said on a conference call. “But at this point in my career, being a part of something special is more important to me than testing out free agency and all that goes along with that. I don’t know where I would have fit into this free market, but that really wasn’t a concern of mine. Coming back and playing with the Giants was No. 1.”

Burrell, 34, added that the fact that the Giants gave him a chance to play when he had no prospects after being released by the Tampa Bay Rays on May 19 factored into his decision. He hinted that he pretty much negotiated the deal himself with Giants general manager Brian Sabean.

“I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but that’s just the way it went down,” he said. “I’ve played a long enough time that sometimes your decisions can get complicated the more people you get involved.”

Burrell lives in Arizona but has strong Bay Area roots. He grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where his parents still live, and attended San Jose’s Bellarmine Prep. He made no bones about the fact he now considers the Giants his family, too.

“At this point for me, it’s about being happy and being in a place where you enjoy the players, the staff and the organization,” he said. “The way the Giants do things has just been first class for me in my time here. I couldn’t be happier to come back and remain a Giant, and hopefully we can run this thing back.”

It remains to be seen what role Burrell will have on next year’s club, but Sabean said one of the attractions to the outfielder is that he will receive every opportunity to keep the left field job that was pretty much his from the day he arrived.

“The thing we established here through the season and carried on through the playoffs is that no matter what your baseball card says from the previous year or even more so what your contract is, we’re going to play the best people,” Sabean said. “So I think Pat knows that in some ways he’s the incumbent left fielder. So while it’s role-player money, we’re not going to shy away from the fact of what he contributed this year and what he would be able to do next year.”

And what of The Machine, the masked mercurial leather-clad figure who turned up mostly in the neighborhood of closer Brian Wilson?

“I’ve never met The Machine,” Burrell said sheepishly. “Every time he comes around, I’ve been in the bathroom or been outside taking a phone call. So I can’t speak on that.”