BASEBALL ROUNDUP Pitcher hits the Rhodes from Pirates to Indians

The reliever, recently acquired from Oakland, was traded for outfielder Matt Lawton.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Reliever Arthur Rhodes was traded for the second time in two weeks Saturday, sent from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Matt Lawton in the first trade of the winter meetings.
Rhodes, a 35-year-old left-hander, was acquired by Pittsburgh from Oakland on Nov. 27 in the trade that sent catcher Jason Kendall to the Athletics. Rhodes lost his closer's job last season while going 3-3 with a 5.12 ERA for the A's. He will become Bob Wickman's setup man in Cleveland.
"There were a multitude of things that happened to him to explain why he had a bad year. We're still hopeful he's going to be a strong, solid contributor in the bullpen," Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro said.
Lawton was a huge disappointment with the Indians, who acquired him in the 2001 trade that sent Roberto Alomar to the New York Mets.
The 33-year-old battled injuries during much of his three seasons in Cleveland. With the Indians having a surplus of young outfielders, Lawton's playing time may have been mostly limited to DH next season.
"Matt Lawton, right field, we didn't think was his best fit. This gives us a chance to improve as a team defensively," Shapiro said.
The team wanted to trade Lawton last season, but couldn't find anyone willing to take on his salary.
Lawton, who made $7.25 million in 2004 and will make the same amount next season, batted .270 with 20 homers and 70 RBIs in 150 games last season. He also had 23 steals but was caught nine times.
The Pirates will take on some extra salary with Lawton, but they shed $6.2 million over the next two years by dealing Rhodes and they already saved about $15 million over the next three by trading Kendall, who is owed $34 million over the next three seasons.
Pavano picks Yankees
Carl Pavano decided Saturday he wanted to pitch for the Yankees, and his agent and New York closed in on a four-year contract worth about $39 million.
Pavano called his agent, Scott Shapiro, on Saturday morning and informed him of his decision.
"Number one, he wants to win," Shapiro said.
Anaheim, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit and Seattle also sought the right-hander, 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA for Florida last season.
Shapiro said his next step was to meet with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman to finalize an agreement. Pavano and Shapiro met with the Yankees in New York last weekend, and Shapiro was confident a contract would be agreed to.
Clemens accepts offer
Roger Clemens accepted the Astros' offer of salary arbitration Saturday, meaning he will either play for Houston next season or retire.
Clemens said last week that he was leaning toward retirement. His agent, Randy Hendricks, said the seven-time Cy Young Award winner probably will make his decision between Jan. 5 and 20.
By accepting the arbitration offer, the 42-year-old right-hander is no longer a free agent and is considered a signed player on the Astros' roster under baseball rules.
If Clemens decides to play in 2005, the pitcher and the Astros either will agree to a contract or his salary will be determined by an arbitrator.
Wells signs with Red Sox
David Wells is switching sides in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.
The loud lefty known for his unabashed love of Yankees history agreed Saturday to an $8 million, two-year contract with Boston that could be worth up to $18 million over two years.
While there was no announcement, the agreement was confirmed by a Red Sox official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The deal is subject to Wells passing a physical.
Wells gets a $3 million signing bonus and a salary of $2.5 million a year. In addition, he would earn $200,000 per start from 11-20 and $300,000 per start from 21-30.
His decision to go to Boston was a stunning turnaround for the 41-year-old pitcher, who spent four years with New York over two tours, then went 12-8 with a 3.73 ERA last season for his hometown San Diego Padres.
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