News briefs: Rays reach deals with Bartlett, Garza, Howell

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to one-year contracts with All-Star shortstop Jason Bartlett, right-hander Matt Garza and left-handed reliever J.P. Howell.

The team was unable to reach an agreement Tuesday with center fielder B.J. Upton, who is expected to go to an arbitration hearing in February even though the sides aren't far apart. The Rays have a policy of not negotiating once salary figures are exchanged.

Upton asked for $3.3 million, and the team offered $3 million.

Bartlett gets a $4 million deal. He earned $1.98 million last season while batting .320 with 14 homers, 66 RBI and 30 steals.

Garza will make $3.35 million after earning $433,300 in 2009. He and the Rays exchanged figures Tuesday, with both sides proposing the salary they settled on.

Garza was 8-12 with a 3.95 ERA in 32 starts last season. Full story

B. Molina to return to Giants

SAN FRANCISCO -- A person with knowledge of the negotiations says the San Francisco Giants are set to bring back Bengie Molina after agreeing to a one-year contract with the free-agent catcher.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the agreement was pending a physical and had not been completed. It's a surprising turn of events for both sides, because Molina had been negotiating a two-year deal with the New York Mets. He had hoped to land a three-year contract this offseason, and general manager Brian Sabean had said the veteran catcher wouldn't return to the Giants.

KPIX TV in San Francisco first reported the deal.

The Giants also agreed to a one-year contract with lefty Jonathan Sanchez, avoiding arbitration.

Rockies' Street, Betancourt get deals

DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies reached preliminary agreements on multiyear contracts with relievers Huston Street and Rafael Betancourt, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

Street will get $22.5 million over three years and Betancourt $7.55 million over two seasons, the people said, speaking separately. They spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreements were not yet final.

Foxsports.com first reported the deal with Street, and the Denver Post reported the Betancourt deal.

Colorado also agreed to a $3.25 million, two-year deal with outfielder Ryan Spilborghs and a $1.9 million, one-year contract with pitcher Jason Hammel.

Mets, Francoeur see eye to eye

NEW YORK -- Jeff Francoeur and the New York Mets have agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract.

The deal announced gives Francoeur a raise of more than $1.6 million.

Francoeur hit .311 with 20 doubles, 10 homers and 41 RBI in 75 games with the Mets. He was acquired from Atlanta on July 10 for outfielder Ryan Church. Francoeur batted .280 overall with 15 homers and 76 RBI last year, when he made $3,375,000.

He is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.

S. Drew, D-Backs on same page

PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks and shortstop Stephen Drew avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $3.4 million, one-year contract.

Drew was coming off a five-year contract he agreed to after being selected by the Diamondbacks as the 15th pick in the 2004 amateur draft. That deal called for a $4 million signing bonus and annual salaries of $700,000 in the majors and $300,000 in the minors.

Drew, younger brother of Boston's J.D. Drew, has been in the majors since midway through 2006, his second professional season. He hit a career-best .298 with 44 doubles and 21 homers in 2008 but dipped to .261 with 29 doubles and 12 homers last season, although he did have a career-high 12 triples.

The agreement leaves pitcher Edwin Jackson as Arizona's only player remaining in arbitration. The right-hander, an All-Star for Detroit last season, was acquired as part of a three-team trade involving the Tigers and New York Yankees.

Marlins' Cantu, Nunez get raises

MIAMI -- Infielder Jorge Cantu and reliever Leo Nunez agreed to one-year contracts with the Florida Marlins, avoiding arbitration.

Cantu, who made $3.5 million last year, agreed to a $6 million deal. Nunez, who made $412,500 in 2008, will receive a raise to $2 million.

Outfielder Cody Ross will go to arbitration. He wants $4.45 million, and the Marlins offered $4.2 million. Last year Ross made $2.3 million.

Cantu hit .289 with 16 home runs and 100 RBI last year while dividing his time between first and third base.

Cubs make deal with five

CHICAGO -- The Cubs agreed to one-year contracts that avoided salary arbitration with five of their eight eligible players.

Settling were infielders Jeff Baker ($975,000) and Mike Fontenot ($1 million), catcher Koyie Hill ($700,000), right-hander Angel Guzman ($825,000) and left-hander Tom Gorzelanny ($800,000).

Baker batted .305 with four homers and 21 RBI in 69 games with the Cubs last season following his July 2 acquisition from the Colorado Rockies.

Fontenot hit .236 with nine homers and 43 RBI in 135 games with Chicago in 2009.

Kouzmanoff, Davis accept A's deals

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and outfielder Rajai Davis agreed to one-year deals with the Oakland Athletics and avoided salary arbitration.

Kouzmanoff will make $3.1 million this season and Davis will get $1.35 million.

Right-hander Michael Wuertz is the only A's player remaining eligible for arbitration.

Kouzmanoff was acquired in a trade over the weekend from San Diego. He hit .255 with 18 homers and a career-high 88 RBI last season with the Padres.

ChiSox, Danks settle on 1-year deal

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a $3.45 million, one-year contract with left-hander John Danks, their final player in arbitration.

The 24-year-old Danks was 13-11 with a 3.77 ERA in 32 starts last season while pitching a career-high 200 1/3 innings.

Danks was 12-9 in 2008 and 6-13 in 2007, the first season after the White Sox acquired him from Texas. He has a 31-33 major league record with a 4.06 ERA.

He is expected to be a key member of the 2010 rotation that also will include Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle and Gavin Floyd.

Phillies, Durbin agree

PHILADELPHIA -- Reliever Chad Durbin has agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies worth $2,125,000, a deal that avoided salary arbitration.

The 32-year-old right-hander appeared in 59 games last season for the NL champions, going 2-2 with two saves and a 4.39 ERA. He made $1,635,000.

Three Phillies remain in arbitration: center fielder Shane Victorino, catcher Carlos Ruiz and right-hander Joe Blanton.

Twins settle with all eight

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins have agreed to contracts with all eight of their players in arbitration, including pitcher Carl Pavano, shortstop J.J. Hardy and outfielder Delmon Young.

The only one of the eight to get a multiyear deal Tuesday was infielder Brendan Harris. He gets a two-year contract worth $3.2 million, including $1.45 million this season.

Right-handed relievers Jesse Crain ($2 million), Matt Guerrier ($3.15 million) and Pat Neshek ($625,000) and left-hander Francisco Liriano ($1.6 million) also get one-year contracts.

Pavano was a free agent who accepted the team's arbitration offer last month. The right-hander gets $7 million.

Jays reach deals with five

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays have avoided salary arbitration with all five of their eligible players and have added a pair of free agents to their spring training roster.

The Blue Jays settled Tuesday with five pitchers by agreeing to one-year deals with Jason Frasor ($2.65 million), Brian Tallet ($2 million), Jeremy Accardo ($1.08 million), Shawn Camp ($1.15 million) and Casey Janssen ($700,000).

Toronto also agreed to minor league contracts with outfielder Jeremy Reed and right-hander Steven Register.

Reed hit .242 with no homers and nine RBI in 161 at-bats for the New York Mets last year. Register split the season between the Colorado and Philadelphia systems and made just one big league appearance, allowing one run in two innings for the Phillies on July 25 against St. Louis. He was 2-5 with a 3.92 ERA in 50 games at Triple-A.

Nats, Willingham agree to deal

WASHINGTON -- Outfielder Josh Willingham agreed to a $4.6 million contract for 2010 with the Washington Nationals, who also avoided arbitration with three other players.

Catchers Jesus Flores and Wil Nieves and right-hander Jason Bergmann agreed to one-year deals with Washington on Tuesday, the day players and teams submitted figures for arbitration.

Flores and Bergmann got salaries of $750,000 for next season, while Nieves agreed to a $700,000 deal. Their 2009 salaries ranged from $415,500 to $445,000 in 2009.

Flores, expected to split time at catcher with free-agent signee Ivan Rodriguez, can earn bonuses of $10,000 for 70 games played, $15,000 for 80, and $25,000 for 90. Flores hit .301 in only 93 at-bats in 2009, when he missed time after being hit by a foul ball, then needed shoulder surgery.

Astros, trio reach 1-year deals

HOUSTON -- The Astros have avoided arbitration by agreeing to one-year contracts with center fielder Michael Bourn, right-hander Matt Lindstrom and catcher Humberto Quintero.

Bourn gets $2.4 million, Lindstrom $1,625,000 and Quintero $750,000 under Tuesday's deals. All three can earn additional bonuses.

The 27-year-old Bourn led the NL with 61 stolen bases last year. Bourn was Houston's leadoff man for most of the season and set career highs in runs (97), hits (173), doubles (27), triples (12) and walks (63). He also became the first Astros outfielder to win a Gold Glove since Cesar Cedeno won five straight between 1972-76.

Lindstrom, 29, was acquired during the winter meetings in a trade with Florida. He made 54 relief appearances for the Marlins last year, converting 15 saves in 17 chances.

Indians skip arbitration, agree with Perez

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians kept their arbitration streak intact by coming to terms with reliever Rafael Perez on an $895,000 deal.

The club was scheduled to exchange salary figures Tuesday with Perez, the only player on Cleveland's roster eligible for arbitration. The Indians have not gone to arbitration since 1991.

Perez, who can earn another $25,000 with an All-Star appearance, was a major disappointment last season. The left-hander went 4-3 with a 7.31 ERA in 48 innings with Cleveland and was twice sent down to the minor leagues.

The Indians are counting on him to regain the form that made him one of the AL's premier setup men. In 2008, he was Cleveland's most reliable reliever and in 2007 he had a 1.78 ERA in 44 appearances.

Rangers reach deals with Hamilton, Ray

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers have reached one-year deals with outfielder Josh Hamilton and pitcher Chris Ray.

Hamilton agreed to a contract for $3.25 million. He made $565,000 last season, and he was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time.

Hamilton hit .268 with 10 home runs and 54 RBI during an injury-plagued season.

Ray was acquired in December from Baltimore for pitcher Kevin Millwood. The reliever was eligible for arbitration.

Cards, Ludwick get it done again

ST. LOUIS -- Outfielder Ryan Ludwick and the St. Louis Cardinals have avoided arbitration for a second straight season, agreeing to a $5.45 million, one-year contract.

The 31-year-old Ludwick hit .265 with 22 homers and 97 RBI last season for the Cardinals. He agreed to a $3.7 million one-year deal last February after becoming an All-Star for the first time in 2008.

Second baseman Skip Schumaker, who is arbitration eligible for the first time, said Sunday that he and the Cardinals were close on a contract.

Ludwick batted .323 with runners in scoring position with 27 two-out RBI, one behind team leader Albert Pujols, and had nine outfield assists with only one error.

Weeks, Gomez reach deal with Royals

MILWAUKEE -- Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez have agreed to one-year contracts with the Milwaukee Brewers that avoided salary arbitration.

Weeks will make $2.75 million, up from $2.45 million last year. He hit .272 with nine homers and 24 RBI in 37 games before tearing a tendon in his left wrist on May 17, an injury that required season-ending surgery.

Gomez agreed at $1.1 million, up from $437,500 last year, and can earn an additional $100,000 in performance bonuses. He is expected to be the starting center fielder after he was acquired from Minnesota during the offseason for popular shortstop J.J. Hardy.

Gomez hit .229 with three homers and 28 RBI in 137 games. He was arbitration eligible for the first time.

Bucs, Duke avoid arbitration

PITTSBURGH -- Pirates left-handed starter Zach Duke avoided a possible arbitration hearing by agreeing to a $4.3 million, one-year contract.

Tuesday was the deadline for teams and players to exchange salary arbitration figures.

The 26-year-old Duke gets a $1 million raise from last season, when he was 11-16 with a 4.06 ERA in 32 starts while allowing 231 hits in 213 innings. He also was chosen for the All-Star Game.

Duke had been the Pirates' only remaining arbitration-eligible player.

Royals, Tejeda work out deal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Third baseman Alex Gordon and right-hander Robinson Tejeda have bypassed arbitration, agreeing to one-year contracts with the Kansas City Royals.

Gordon gets $1.15 million after making $457,000 last season.

Gordon was the second pick in the 2005 amateur draft and was once thought of as the cornerstone of the team's future. But his career has been slow to develop and he missed 79 games last year after undergoing hip surgery. He wound up batting .232 with six home runs and 22 RBI in 49 games.

Tejeda got a raise from $437,000 to $950,000. He can earn another $50,000 in performance bonuses: $25,000 each for reaching 23 and starts.

Padres, Adams work things out

SAN DIEGO -- Mike Adams and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract that avoids salary arbitration.

The deal was completed shortly after Tuesday's exchange of figures. The reliever had asked for $1.2 million, and the Padres countered at $875,000.

The 31-year-old Adams had no record and a 0.73 ERA in 37 appearances for San Diego last year, when he made $414,800. He missed much of the season while recovering from right shoulder surgery, but allowed only three earned runs in 37 innings -- including just one earned run in his last 34 games.

The only Padres player still in arbitration is outfielder Scott Hairston, reacquired Saturday from Oakland in a trade. He requested $2.9 million and the team offered $2.1 million.

O's, Scott have deal

BALTIMORE -- Outfielder Luke Scott and the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a $4.05 million, one-year contract, avoiding arbitration.

The 31-year-old Scott played in 128 games last year, hitting .258 and setting career highs with 25 homers and 77 RBI. He made $2.4 million.

Obtained in a December 2007 trade with the Houston Astros, Scott has a career .264 batting average, 76 home runs and 247 RBI. Over two years with Baltimore, he has hit 76 homers and driven in 142 runs.