BASEBALL Selig espouses benefits of pact

Owners are close to approving two 10-game homestands for the Expos in Puerto Rico.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- There's been much more talk about budget cutting than barrier-breaking contracts this off-season.
That's just what commissioner Bud Selig wanted when he agreed to a new labor deal in August.
"I really believe that we are beginning to see results of it," Selig said Thursday after addressing the general managers at their annual meeting. "I just want to wait for some time to elapse so I can give a better answer."
The new labor deal increases the amount of shared local revenue and reinstitutes a luxury tax.
Next year's luxury-tax threshold will be $117 million -- using 40-man rosters plus benefits -- and most teams are intent on making sure they remain under that number.
Most teams cutting back
Even the free-spending New York Yankees are cutting their budget because of the deal that club officials estimate will result in at least $20 million more in luxury-tax and revenue-sharing payments next season.
Texas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston and the New York Mets also have talked about reducing payroll.
Meanwhile, only the Philadelphia Phillies have been aggressive in the free-agent market.
"I'll be more excited about what I see than what I read," Selig said. "Until they've done it and I see it, I don't know that."
While Selig has spent several years saying that only the high-spending teams can win championships, this year showed differently: Anaheim (15th in payroll) beat San Francisco (10th) in the World Series.
In fact, none of the four teams that made it to the league championship series were among the top eight payrolls and five of the top eight spenders didn't even make the postseason.
"I understand this year that if you look at the makeup of the playoffs it was a little better," Selig said. "I'm grateful for that. I think Anaheim is the first product of revenue sharing. Revenue sharing has helped Anaheim develop and keep its players."
Expos situation
Selig also addressed the uncertain situation about the Expos, who survived a contraction attempt but probably won't stay in Montreal after this season.
The commissioner said the owners were close to approving a plan that would allow the Expos to play two 10-game homestands next year in Puerto Rico. That probably will be voted on at an owners' meeting next week in Irving, Texas.
"I'm optimistic the deal will work," he said. "I'm hopeful. I'm reluctant to say anything until the deal is done."