BOSTON Red Sox sign relief pitcher Ramiro Mendoza

The former Yankee agreed to a two-year deal.
BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox think they have found the final piece in what they hope is a versatile bullpen.
The Red Sox agreed to a two-year deal with former New York Yankees reliever Ramiro Mendoza on Sunday.
"We're very happy to have him in our bullpen," general manager Theo Epstein said. "It's up to [manager] Grady [Little], but we've discussed how he fits in perfectly with how we want to use our bullpen this year. He's a versatile guy and could pitch some of our most critical innings."
Mendoza was 8-4 with four saves and a 3.44 ERA in a career-high 62 appearances last season when he pitched out of the bullpen exclusively for the first time in his career. He worked 91 2/3 innings, second-most among AL relievers to Billy Koch.
Injury problems
Mendoza, a native of Panama, has struggled with injuries during his career and experienced some neck and back stiffness during spring training this year, but was checked out by the organization before he was signed.
"Before the process even started we gave him a thorough physical in Fort Myers," Epstein said. "He had MRIs on his shoulder and his elbow and he checked out extremely well. We had no reservations whatsoever. It was important we made sure he was healthy before making this kind of commitment."
The 30-year-old right-hander joins a bullpen that has added Mike Timlin and Chad Fox in the offseason, and brings back Alan Embree and Bobby Howry.
The team is still in the market for a starter and Epstein could strike a deal for Montreal's Bartolo Colon or Javier Vasquez. Epstein talked to Expos GM Omar Minaya twice Sunday.
Last week, the Red Sox were beat out by the rival Yankees in their bid to sign free agent Jose Contreras, considered by many the best pitcher in Cuba.
Cut loose
Mendoza and reliever Mike Stanton were cut loose this month by the Yankees when they were not offered salary arbitration. The Yankees wanted to trim their payroll, partly so they could sign Contreras and Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui.
Mendoza had spent his entire 11-year pro career in the Yankees' organization. He made his major league debut in 1996 and his versatility -- he was a starter, middleman, setup man and closer, at times -- quickly made him a valuable part of manager Joe Torre's staff.
The Yankees won four World Series titles while Mendoza was on the team. In 18 career postseason appearances, Mendoza was 2-1 with one save and a 2.37 ERA.
Mendoza is 54-34 with 16 saves in seven major league seasons. He has won at least seven games in each of his last six seasons, with a career-best 10-2 record in 1998. He has a career ERA of 4.08.