BASEBALL | OFFSEASON MOVES

Pirates: The trade that sends left-handed reliever Damaso Marte back to Pittsburgh for utilityman Rob Mackowiak was finalized Tuesday by the Pirates and Chicago White Sox. The deal was made last Thursday at the winter meetings in Dallas but was not announced until both players completed physicals. The 30-year-old Marte was 3-4 with four saves and a 3.77 ERA in 66 appearances last season. He was dealt by the New York Yankees to the Pirates in 2001 and pitched in 23 games for Pittsburgh, going 0-1 with a 4.71 ERA, Marte was dealt to the White Sox before the 2002 season for right-hander Matt Guerrier, who never pitched for the Pirates. That deal is among the worst general manager Dave Littlefield has made since being hired by the Pirates in 2001. Mackowiak, 29, hit .272 with nine homers and 58 RBIs in 142 games this year. He made 50 starts at third base, 31 in center field, 17 at second base and 13 in right field. He had a .258 average in 593 career games with Pittsburgh. Marte will make $2.25 million next season, with a club option for $3 million.
Dodgers: The Los Angeles Dodgers unloaded Milton Bradley, sending the switch-hitting outfielder to the Oakland Athletics along with infielder Antonio Perez for minor league outfielder Andre Ethier, the Texas League player of the year. Bradley, acquired by the Dodgers shortly before the start of the 2004 season after a run-in with Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge, feuded with teammate Jeff Kent last season. Bradley didn't play after accusing Kent of a lack of leadership and an inability to deal with African-American players on Aug. 23. The following day, Bradley learned he had sustained serious injuries to his left knee that required surgery.
Orioles: On his first day as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, Ramon Hernandez spoke excitedly about working with a young pitching staff, hitting in Camden Yards and helping the team become a contender. The free agent catcher also expressed optimism about spending the next four years with Miguel Tejada as a teammate. "I'm excited, he's excited that we're going to play together again. We played in Oakland for almost five years," Hernandez said. "He's like, 'You're going to like it. Great people, great teammates, great organization.' " That came as news to the Orioles, who are working to get the shortstop to back off his request to be traded. Angered over the team's inability to improve its pitching during the offseason, Tejada has suggested the best thing for him "will be a change of scenery." Hernandez, who finalized a $27.5 million, four-year contract Tuesday, is a welcome addition. But Baltimore has a long way to go before it can compete with Boston and the New York Yankees in the AL East. The 29-year-old Hernandez, who reached a preliminary agreement last week, hit .290 last season with 12 homers and 58 RBIs for the San Diego Padres. The addition of Hernandez will mean less time behind the plate for Javy Lopez, who complained of sore knees toward the end of last season.
Royals: The Kansas City Royals are attempting to sign Doug Mientkiewicz, the Gold Glove first baseman best known for taking the ball from the final out of Boston's World Series win in 2004. "We definitely have an interest and we are pursuing it," Kansas City general manager Allard Baird said Tuesday. "I do not get the feeling that anything is imminent." Mientkiewicz, who turns 31 in June, is a career .268 hitter with 55 home runs and 305 RBIs. A good contact hitter and a top defensive first baseman, he has only 25 errors in 6,377 chances. He spent last year with the New York Mets. Slowed by a hamstring injury, he hit .240 with 11 homers and 29 RBIs in 275 at-bats. His best year was 2001 with Minnesota, when he hit .306 with 15 homers and 74 RBIs and won a Gold Glove. In 2003, he hit .300 with 11 home runs and 65 RBIs.
Astros: Astros catcher Brad Ausmus agreed Tuesday to a $7.5 million, two-year contract that will keep him with the NL champions. The 36-year-old batted .258 with three homers and 47 RBIs in 134 games for Houston during the regular season and hit a tying two-out, ninth-inning homer in Game 4 of the first-round series against Atlanta, a game the Astros won in a postseason-record 18 innings to move on to the NL championship series. He became a free agent after the Astros were swept by the Chicago White Sox in the World Series and was offered salary arbitration by Houston last week, extending the Astros' negotiating period through Jan. 8. Ausmus has played seven seasons for Houston, after spending 1997-98 with the club and returning in 2001. He won the Gold Gloves in 2001 and 2002 -- the only ones won by Astros players.
Nationals: The Washington Nationals completed their first major offseason move when the Alfonso Soriano trade became official Tuesday. The next challenge is figuring out where he's going to play. The Nationals obtained the four-time All-Star second baseman from Texas for outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Terrmel Sledge and minor league pitcher Armando Galarraga. The teams agreed to the deal last week during baseball's winter meetings in Dallas. Washington already has an All-Star second baseman, Jose Vidro, and Soriano has resisted previous attempts to move to the outfield. General manager Jim Bowden said he had yet to speak to Soriano about his role with the Nationals. Soriano hit .268 with 36 homers, a career-best 104 RBIs and 30 steals last season. He's averaged 35 homers, 97 RBIs and 31 steals over the past four seasons and is eligible for free agency after the 2006 World Series.
Associated Press
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.