Baseball Capsules: Smoltz to Red Sox; Baldelli, Penny will join him

BOSTON - John Smoltz and Brad Penny are on their way to the Red Sox. Rocco Baldelli was already in Boston, holding up his new jersey.

After missing out on Mark Teixeira, the biggest free-agent prize of the offseason, the Red Sox were poised to make a series of smaller deals that would essentially complete their roster. They announced Baldelli's signing on Thursday night at the annual dinner of the Boston Baseball Writers Association, with more news expected soon.

"I think you'll see us now turn to players who we can take chances on, players who represent potential impact players," Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said. "We still have some things going on."

Epstein would not confirm the deals for Smoltz or Penny, but as he spoke Penny was on his way out of Boston after completing his physical. The two-time All-Star, a native Oklahoman, was off to watch the Sooners play in the Bowl Championship Series title game against Florida.

Smoltz, who spent his first 21 years with the Atlanta Braves, reached a preliminary agreement with the Red Sox worth about $5 million, according to a person familiar with the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity because the final paperwork had not been completed. The person said Smoltz will have the chance to earn another $5 million in performance bonuses.

The deal was expected to be announced next week.

"I was going to withhold comment until the announcement of my signing with a new team," Smoltz said in a statement issued through his agent, "but I now feel the need to clear up any misconceptions and inaccuracies about the contract negotiations between myself and the Atlanta Braves. There were large discrepancies between the offer from the Braves and offers from other teams."

The Red Sox are also negotiating with Mark Kotsay to return as a backup first baseman and outfielder. They are also pursuing a catcher, while holding out the possibility that Jason Varitek could return or be replaced by a platoon that played at Triple-A last year.

The Red Sox agreed to pay Baldelli $500,000 for 2009, taking a chance on a player who spent most of last season on the disabled list for the AL champion Rays. The 27-year-old batted .263 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 28 games after being diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder that causes chronic muscle fatigue.

Further tests, however, and a recent visit to the Cleveland Clinic led to what Baldelli called a "refined" diagnosis of channelopathy, a protein irregularity considered more treatable and less severe.

"The results were positive," he said. "It was something I was definitely excited about for my personal health and for my career.

"I think once I get to spring training and get to my feet again, I'll know a lot more," said Baldelli, who received the Tony Conigliaro Award on Thursday for overcoming adversity with courage and determination. "I anticipate being able to do more than I did last year."

A Rhode Island native who homered against Boston in the Rays' Game 3 victory during the AL championship series and had a go-ahead single in the seventh game, Baldelli can earn $7 million in bonuses.

"I didn't like him so much when that ball went over the Green Monster," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "If there are some risks, it seemed like it was kind of worth it from our side because he is so accountable as a player and as a person."

Penny is 94-75 in nine years for the Florida Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers, going 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA in ‘07 and finishing third in voting for the NL Cy Young Award. But he was 5-9 with a 5.88 ERA in 15 starts last year for the Dodgers before going on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis and bursitis.

His deal could be announced as early as Friday.

But Smoltz could be the biggest splash for a team that lost out in pursuit of Teixeira. The rival Yankees spent $423.5 million on contracts for Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett after missing the playoffs last season.

"They spent a lot of money," said Francona, who joked near the end of the season that the Yankees would spend $1 billion in the offseason. "I was like half right. They spent a lot of money and they got a lot of good players and it doesn't make our job easier. But we've gone toe-to-toe with them really well.

"Our division is a monster. We beat up on each other and we will continue to do that. And our job didn't get easier but that doesn't mean we can't win."

The only pitcher in baseball history with 200 wins and 150 saves, Smoltz is coming off major shoulder surgery that sidelined him for most of last season, but feels healthy enough to pitch at least one more year.

Smoltz, 41, who prefers to finish his career as a starter, would join a rotation that already includes Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3), Jon Lester (16-6), Josh Beckett (12-10) and Penny. The Red Sox also have Tim Wakefield and Clay Buchholz for the rotation if Smoltz or Penny aren't ready at the start of the season.

A minor leaguer when he was acquired from Detroit in 1987 for Doyle Alexander, Smoltz was the cornerstone of Braves teams that won a record 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005, including a World Series championship in ‘95.

"I have always loved the city of Atlanta, and it will always be my home," Smoltz said in his statement. "I will cherish my 21 years with (manager) Bobby Cox and all my Braves' teammates. I continue to wish the Atlanta Braves nothing but success in the future."

Braves general manager Frank Wren declined comment when reached by e-mail.

Smoltz won 24 games and the NL Cy Young Award in 1996, but elbow problems led him to shift to the bullpen to relieve the stress on his arm. He set an NL record with 55 saves in his first full season as a closer in 2002.

After three years finishing games, Smoltz went 47-26 in his second run as a starter. But shoulder pain cut short his 2008 season after only six appearances.

Losing Smoltz another blow to Braves' offseason

ATLANTA - What more can go wrong for the Braves?

The most stunning blow yet in a miserable offseason was dished out Thursday when John Smoltz reached a preliminary agreement with the Boston Red Sox after spending his entire big league career in Atlanta.

Smoltz agreed to a $5.5 million, one-year deal with the Red Sox, who gave him a chance to earn another $5 million in bonuses largely based on how much time he spends on the active roster. The Braves were unwilling to provide that sort of financial commitment to a 41-year-old pitcher coming off major shoulder surgery.

Just like that, one of the faces of the franchise is gone.

With his intimidating stare and wicked slider, Smoltz was a major cog in a rotation that once included Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux - a trio of Cy Young Award winners and likely Hall of Famers who teamed up to help the Braves win 14 straight division titles, an unmatched postseason run that included a World Series championship in 1995.

But Atlanta has fallen on hard times. The streak of playoff appearance ended in 2006, and the Braves sank all the way to fourth in the NL East last season with a 72-90 record, 20 games behind division-winning Philadelphia and their worst mark since 1990.

Glavine is the only pitcher left from the Big Three, but he's also coming off season-ending surgery and who knows if he'll throw another pitch? The 42-year-old left-hander has said he'll either re-sign with the Braves or retire.

General manager Frank Wren set his sights high at the start of the offseason, but he's missed the bull's-eye on every target.

A proposed trade for San Diego ace Jake Peavy fell through. Free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett spurned the Braves to sign with the free-spending New York Yankees. Wren thought he had a deal with former Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal, but he wound up re-signing with the Dodgers amid allegations that his agent merely used Atlanta's offer as leverage to get a better deal in Los Angeles.

In their only major move since the end of the season, the Braves acquired right-hander Javier Vazquez from the White Sox for a package of minor leaguers. But he struggled down the stretch last year, finishing 12-16 with a 4.67 ERA, and Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen complained that he wasn't a big-game pitcher.

As Smoltz finalized his deal with the Red Sox, the Braves turned their attention to free-agent pitcher Derek Lowe, who met with the team on Thursday at Turner Field. He went 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA in 34 starts for the Dodgers, but drew little attention from Atlanta until everything else fell through.

The NL East rival Mets also are interested in Lowe, having offered him about $36 million over three years. The way things are going for the Braves, they can hardly feel optimistic about landing the latest player on their radar screen.

Wren was tied up in meetings with Lowe and could not immediately be reached for comment. But the second-year GM, who took over for John Schuerholz, will surely come under fire for failing to lure Smoltz back for his 22nd season with the Braves.

Smoltz released a statement through his agent saying he felt compelled to look elsewhere after hearing Atlanta's proposal, for less than half the guaranteed money offered by the Red Sox, with incentives that would have been much tougher to earn.

A source familiar with the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal is contingent on Smoltz passing a physical Monday, said the Braves offered a $2 million contract that included $8 million in incentives, such as pitching 200 innings or making 30 starts.

"I was going to withhold comment until the announcement of my signing with a new team, but I now feel the need to clear up any misconceptions and inaccuracies about the contract negotiations between myself and the Atlanta Braves," Smoltz said. "There were large discrepancies between the offer from the Braves and offers from other teams."

While Smoltz might not be ready to pitch on opening day, he clearly will have a couple of dates circled on his rehab calendar. The Braves open a three-game series at Fenway Park on June 19, then host the Red Sox for three games at Turner Field beginning June 26.

Longtime teammate Chipper Jones was clearly upset about what he perceived as Atlanta's halfhearted attempt to keep the only pitcher in baseball history with 200 wins and 150 saves.

"I am disappointed. Very disappointed. Deflated. Frustrated," the third baseman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "It's been a very long offseason, not a lot of stuff to really get excited about, and then to have this it just is the icing on the cake for me."

Smoltz stated numerous times that he wanted to spent his entire career in Atlanta. Instead, he's off to a team that lost to Tampa Bay in the AL championship series and envisions the winningest pitcher in postseason history eventually joining a rotation that already includes Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3), Jon Lester (16-6) and Josh Beckett (12-10).

"I have always loved the city of Atlanta, and it will always be my home," Smoltz said. "I will cherish my 21 years with (manager) Bobby Cox and all my Braves' teammates. I continue to wish the Atlanta Braves nothing but success in the future."

There's nowhere to go but up after this offseason.

-- Paul Newberry

Cubs introduce outfielder Milton Bradley

CHICAGO - Milton Bradley's talent is undeniable when he's healthy and that's why the Chicago Cubs gave him a $30 million, three-year contract to be their right fielder and a run producer in the middle of the lineup.

It's the other issues that have often overshadowed his on-field accomplishments - tantrums and angry outbursts throughout a decade-long career with numerous teams.

Bradley said Thursday at a Wrigley Field news conference that he's matured, ready for another fresh start - the Cubs are his seventh team and fifth in the last five years - and hopeful he can provide what's been missing for a franchise starting its second century without a World Series title.

The Cubs sent trainer Mark O'Neal to work with Bradley and make sure he was totally healthy. They also did their checks on how he would fit into their clubhouse.

General manager Jim Hendry talked to former GMs, managers and players who've associated with Bradley over the years.

"What I found out was the perception of him not being a positive in the clubhouse couldn't have been farther from the truth," Hendry said.

Hendry and Bradley had dinner in early November and Hendry was convinced he'd found the left-handed bat - Bradley is a switch-hitter - that could balance the Cubs' lineup and perhaps get them past the first round of the playoffs, where they've been swept the last two seasons.

Bradley and Hendry seemed to click.

"In this game there is a lot of dishonesty, but he was a person I got nothing but honesty from," Bradley said. "There is a sense of urgency here. This town is hungry for a championship and I'm hungry for that."

Bradley, who will wear Sammy Sosa's old No. 21, is coming off a productive season with the Texas Rangers. On Thursday, he answered questions about his past mistakes that included run-ins with managers and teammates and bursts of anger.

"I did it. It's in the past. It's over with," Bradley said.

"I'm the ballplayer you see every day. I give my all. I pour everything I got into it. When I go home, I'm physically and mentally exhausted because I gave everything I had that day for my teammates to try to win a ballgame. A lot of guys make a lot more money that go back home every day and they're not really worried about it, don't really care, just keep collecting their check."

Bradley batted .321 with 22 homers for Texas while leading the American League with a .436 on-base percentage last season. He made the All-Star team while serving primarily as a designated hitter.

He'll be used mostly in right field even though he has played 100 games in the field only once in his career - in 2004 with the Dodgers.

But at age 30, his anger issues are well-documented because they have been so public.

He slammed a plastic bottle at the feet of a fan in the right-field seats at Dodger Stadium in 2004 after someone threw it on the field, drawing a five-game suspension. With San Diego in the pennant chase in 2007, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee when he was spun to the ground by Padres manager Bud Black, who was trying to keep him from umpire Mike Winters. Bradley claimed he was baited by Winters, who was suspended for the final five days of the regular season and didn't work the postseason.

Bradley also got a four-game suspension for tossing a bag of balls onto the field after an ejection. And when he was with Cleveland, he had a dugout confrontation with Indians manager Eric Wedge during spring training in 2004 before getting traded to Los Angeles.

In 2005, Bradley criticized then-Dodgers teammate Jeff Kent, saying he couldn't deal with black players.

"I think you would be hard-pressed to find somebody that doesn't have something good to say about me - Jeff Kent, Eric Wedge included," Bradley said.

"I've seen a lot of cute headlines about me, talking about everything. People that never met me speaking about me," Bradley said. "That's a thing I never do. I'm never going to judge somebody based on somebody else's perception or what I see on TV or read in the paper."

The Cubs, on the verge of being sold, have had a busy offseason after winning back-to-back NL Central titles.

They traded popular second baseman Mark DeRosa to Cleveland and dealt right-hander Jason Marquis to Colorado. They also declined to re-sign closer Kerry Wood. They have picked up outfielder Joey Gathright and infielder Aaron Miles as free agents and acquired reliever Kevin Gregg in a trade with the Marlins. The Cubs also obtained reliever Luis Vizcaino in the trade for Marquis.

Now they have added another potentially potent bat in Bradley, who comes with some baggage.

"This is a new chapter. I can turn the page and close a lot of that book that has been written and start a new one," he said.

-- Rick Gano

Saves leader Hoffman agrees to deal with Brewers

MILWAUKEE - Crank up the AC/DC, Milwaukee: The Brewers have landed career saves leader Trevor Hoffman, solving a shaky closer situation that could have gone into spring training with no clear-cut favorite.

Hoffman's agent, Rick Thurman, credited Milwaukee for being "diligent and aggressive" in its pursuit of Hoffman after Brewers players called to recruit him.

"A number of friends who will now be teammates called and let him know that Milwaukee was a great place to play and live in," Thurman said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "At the end of the day, that made a big difference. It made a huge difference the last 16 years in San Diego. That's why he always stayed there instead of opting to go elsewhere for more money. He now looks forward to a new beginning and a new era in Milwaukee."

Hoffman agreed to a one-year contract worth $6 million on Thursday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn't been announced.

Hoffman can make an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses, based on games finished.

The 41-year-old right-hander had pitched for the Padres since 1993, becoming the face of the franchise after Tony Gwynn retired. Hoffman converted 30 of 34 chances last season, increasing his saves record to 554.

Hoffman became a free agent but still hoped to hear the gongs of his trademark warmup song - AC/DC's "Hells Bells" - in San Diego for the rest of his career. Contract talks with the Padres soured, however, and the team pulled its offer of $4 million for 2009 with a club option for $4 million in 2010.

Hoffman could have stayed relatively close to home, as the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers showed considerable interest. But he instead picked the Brewers, giving the team a solid solution to one of its biggest question marks heading into 2009.

Now, Hoffman will be reunited with former San Diego teammate Mike Cameron, who played for the Padres in 2006 and 2007.

Milwaukee managed to get by with reliever Salomon Torres after Eric Gagne faltered in the closer role last season. Torres emerged to lead the team with 28 saves, and Milwaukee went on to win the NL wild card - its first playoff appearance since 1982.

Milwaukee was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Philadelphia.

Torres then retired and Gagne, who recovered to perform fairly well in a setup role in the final weeks of the season, filed for free agency.

The departures made bolstering the bullpen a major need for new manager Ken Macha and the Brewers this winter. Milwaukee recently signed reliever Jorge Julio and appeared ready to take a look at pitchers already on the roster to fill the closer's role, but kept looking for help.

The move also should boost the morale of Brewers fans after the team made an effort to re-sign ace starter CC Sabathia - only to be outbid by the New York Yankees.

Hoffman was 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA in 48 games last season. Relying on a wicked changeup, he has saved at least 30 games in 13 seasons - another major league record. But San Diego finished last in the NL West last season, 21 games behind the Dodgers.

-- Chris Jenkins

Casino deal fuels Brewers' sponsorship growth

MILWAUKEE - No longer taboo, a sponsorship deal with a casino is in the cards for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers announced a presenting sponsorship agreement with Potawatomi Bingo Casino on Thursday, part of the team's expected double-digit percentage gain in sponsorship revenue. And despite the economy, other areas of the Brewers' business are looking up too.

"We are very sensitive to what's going on, and we're very careful in what we're looking at," said Rick Schlesinger, the Brewers' executive vice president for business operations. "But I will tell you that ticket sales, suite sales, sponsorship - we're seeing growth in all areas."

But just as Milwaukee's first playoff appearance since 1982 involved some late-season drama, the club's latest off-the-field victory came with complications. The Brewers had to tread lightly given the nature of Potawatomi's business.

Major League Baseball officials have relaxed some long-standing restrictions on clubs' ability to make deals with gambling-related businesses, but officials remain sensitive to the issue.

And with good reason: The 1919 "Black Sox" gambling scandal nearly tore the sport apart, and a sports betting controversy involving former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose cast a shadow over an all-time great that remains unresolved.

Hall of Famers Willie Mays (1979-85) and Mickey Mantle (1983-85) were banned from baseball by commissioner Bowie Kuhn for their association with Atlantic City casinos, a decision reversed when Peter Ueberroth succeeded Kuhn. But today, teams are free to strike sponsorship deals with casinos under MLB guidelines and can do other limited deals, such as state lottery promotions.

"That's sort of a reflection that baseball understands that if things are done intelligently, they don't impact the integrity of the game and they can still generate revenue for the team," Schlesinger said.

MLB chief operating officer Bob DuPuy said the league didn't have concerns about the Brewers' deal.

"There is no sports book associated with Potawatomi, casino gaming is now part of the entertainment landscape in 40-plus states and a number of Clubs have had advertising and sponsorship relationships with local casinos," DuPuy said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

But there are some things the Brewers can't do.

Schlesinger said the team can't run promotions that directly tie it to gambling, such as allowing fans to cash in their ticket stubs for casino chips.

And Potawatomi probably won't be promoted extensively by Brewers players, even though Schlesinger believes it would be OK for players to promote the casino's theater and restaurant.

"We are following all MLB guidelines," Schlesinger said. "They're detailed, and we're following them. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see them relaxed, but the reality is they have been relaxed throughout the years. Baseball has a sensitivity, understandably, to gambling. I think now in the 21st century, I think teams are mature enough and the environment is such that teams can have close sponsorships and partnerships with casinos."

The Brewers aren't announcing financial terms of the multiyear deal, but Schlesinger said it was second in scope only to the naming rights deal for Miller Park. Potawatomi's presence helps make up for the loss of Mercedes-Benz, which did not renew its Brewers sponsorship.

Schlesinger said the new deal - which will plaster the casino's logo everywhere, including the top of the dugout and on tickets - shouldn't dilute Miller's branding.

"The success of our business translates directly into how we're able to pay players, which translates directly into performance on the field," Schlesinger said. "And Miller, and Potawatomi, and all the local businesses, the one thing they keep talking about is they want a successful team on the field."

Schlesinger says the team has several front office jobs open and intends to fill them, even as other sports properties lay off workers.

About the only major sign that the Brewers are scaling back because of the economy is a decision to put off a major scoreboard upgrade until at least 2011.

"So far, I would say we've had a very successful offseason in sponsorship sales," Schlesinger said. "In talking to other folks around the league, most teams that we've talked to are looking at either flat (sales) or reductions in sponsor revenue. And we have budgeted an increase - and we're on pace to exceed that."

-- Chris Jenkins

California woman finds baseball card from 1869

FRESNO, Calif. - Somewhere amid her collection of worn jukeboxes and slot machines, a 72-year-old California woman recently discovered an antique worth saving: a rare baseball card of the first professional team in the United States.

And if it weren't for the keen intervention of a friend, she would have sold the 1869 card of the Cincinnati Red Stockings on eBay for just $10.

"I didn't even know baseball existed that far back," said Bernice Gallego, who owns an antique shop in Fresno, a mid-sized city in the state's farming region. "I don't think that I've ever been to a baseball game."

She put a $10 price tag on it, deciding against $15 because it would have cost her an extra 20 cents. She pulled it from auction after realizing it could be worth much more when someone asked her to end the auction immediately.

The front of the card features a sepia-toned, gelatin-silver photographic print of the entire team. The reverse, a red-and-white advertisement for Peck & Snyder, a New York sports equipment manufacturer.

Experts at the Los Angeles-based PSA, the leading sports card grading and authenticating company, say the card is authentic and the team photo is relatively unscathed.

Sports card collectors prize any card featuring the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who laid the foundation for today's Major League Baseball.

"They were kind of an All-Star team before that concept really existed," said Tim Wiles, who directs research at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. "They went around and challenged all comers. They barnstormed around the country and were undefeated."

Gallego and her husband still can't say for certain how they got the card, but believe it was in the contents of a storage space they bought a few years ago.

"We really don't know where we got it," Gallego said. "It's a little card I found in a bunch of stuff."