BASEBALL Braves create options if Maddux decides to leave

By RONALD BLUM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- If Greg Maddux leaves Atlanta, the Braves are ready.
Atlanta traded for Russ Ortiz and signed Paul Byrd on Tuesday, giving the Braves plenty of options heading into Maddux's decision whether to accept salary arbitration.
Free agents Joe Girardi (St. Louis) and Troy O'Leary (Chicago Cubs) found new teams, Jeff Kent intensified talks with Houston, and the New York Yankees kept up their discussions with Hideki Matsui as general managers and agents kept up a frenetic pace following the relatively lifeless winter meetings.
Ortiz, a 14-game winner who helped lead San Francisco to the NL title, was dealt to the Braves for young left-hander Damian Moss and minor league right-hander Manuel Mateo. Hours later, the Braves agreed to a $10 million, two-year contract with Byrd.
"We're restructuring our pitching staff, but not haphazardly, by bringing in Ortiz and Byrd," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. "It's a strong staff, a young staff and, we believe, a good staff."
Maddux, a four-time Cy Young Award winner, has until Thursday to accept an arbitration offer from the Braves, who lost a starter when Tom Glavine signed with the New York Mets.
Byrd, 32, pitched for Atlanta in 1997 and 1998 before being placed on waivers and claimed by Philadelphia He was 17-11 last season with a 3.90 ERA for Kansas City, and got a deal from the Braves that includes a $3 million salary next season and a $7 million player option for 2004 with a $2 million buyout.
NL Central
St. Louis and Girardi agreed to a one-year deal Tuesday worth about $750,000 and reached agreements with two players eligible for salary arbitration.
Catcher Eli Marrero received a $4.5 million, two-year contract and right-hander Garret Stephenson, injured much of last season, got a one-year deal worth $800,000, a $100,000 cut. Teams are pushing for decisions by many arbitration-eligible players ahead of Friday's deadline to offer 2003 contracts to unsigned players on 40-man rosters.
The Cubs continued to add depth to their bench, going into the free-agent market to give O'Leary a $750,000, one-year deal that could reach $1 million, with performance bonuses. The left-handed-hitting outfielder has batted .277 with 122 home runs and 563 RBIs in 10 years in the majors. He's .270 as a pinch-hitter.
Other deals
Seattle agreed to a minor league contract with free-agent left-hander Norm Charlton, and Boston agreed to a one-year deal with utilityman Jeremy Giambi,
While the Yankees investigated a possible trade for Montreal's Bartolo Colon over the weekend, they also kept up talks with Matsui. The Yankees and Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem, have discussed a possible three- or four-year contract, with an average salary of $6 million to $8 million, a baseball executive said on the condition of anonymity.
Across town, discussions slowed on a potential three-way trade involving the New York Mets, Colorado and Texas. The Rockies would have sent Neagle to the Mets, who would have sent Roger Cedeno and Pedro Astacio to Texas, and Jeromy Burnitz to the Rockies. Todd van Poppel would have gone to the Rockies.
Texas and the Mets couldn't agree on how to split the remaining $14.5 million Cedeno is due over the next three years, another baseball executive said, also on the condition of anonymity.
Kent, who has until Thursday to accept the Giants' arbitration offer, also is talking to the Houston Astros and Boston.
San Francisco saved more than $2.5 million with the Ortiz trade. Ortiz, who beat Atlanta twice in the playoffs, will make $4.6 million next year, and Moss is likely to get $1 million to $2 million in arbitration.