News briefs: Brewers reach deals with Bottalico, Kieschnick
SportsLine.com wire reports
MILWAUKEE -- Free-agent reliever Ricky Bottalico agreed Wednesday to an $800,000, one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, who also settled their arbitration case with Brooks Kieschnick in a $550,000 deal that contains bonuses for pitching and hitting.
Bottalico, 35-year-old right-hander, was 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 60 relief appearances for the New York Mets last year.
A member of the 1996 NL All-Star team, he also has pitched for Philadelphia, Arizona, Kansas City and St. Louis since he broke into the major leagues in 1994. Bottalico, who has 114 saves and a 3.96 career ERA, missed most of the 2003 season while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Bottalico could help fill a void in the Brewers bullpen left when closer Dan Kolb and setup man Luis Vizcaino were traded in separate deals last month.
"Ricky had a very solid season with the Mets last year," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "He will bring us a good veteran presence in out bullpen."
Bottalico can made an additional $475,000 in performance bonuses. He earned $600,000 last year, including $100,000 in bonuses.
Kieschnick was 1-1 with a 3.77 ERA in 32 relief appearances for the Brewers last year. He also batted .270 with one homer and seven RBIs in 63 at-bats, including a team-leading 44 at-bats as a pinch-hitter.
Kieschnick would get $25,000 bonuses for 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and 65 games pitched. He also would get $1,000 per plate appearance from 51-60, $1,500 per plate appearance from 61-70 and $3,000 for each additional plate appearance.
Devil Rays make deals with Cordova, Halter
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Former American League Rookie of the Year Marty Cordova agreed to a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
The team also announced minor-league deals with infielder Shane Halter, outfielder Dee Brown, right-handed pitcher Brian Sweeney and left-hander Mark Guthrie, who agreed to terms last week on a contract that will pay him $600,000 if he makes the major league roster. All will be invited to major league spring training.
Cordova was AL Rookie of the Year in 1995, hitting .277 with 24 homers and 84 RBI with Minnesota. The 34-year-old outfielder missed all of 2004 and appeared in just nine games two years ago after undergoing a pair of operations on his right elbow.
In 10 seasons with Minnesota, Toronto, Cleveland and Baltimore, Cordova has batted .274 with 122 homers and 540 RBI in 952 games.
Halter has played for four teams -- Kansas City, Detroit, Anaheim and the New York Mets. He split last season between Anaheim and Triple-A Salt Lake.
Phillies sign Offerman for bench depth
PHILADELPHIA -- Veteran utility player Jose Offerman agreed to a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies and was invited to spring training.
The switch-hitting Offerman, 36, batted .256 with two home runs and 22 RBI while playing 77 games in the infield with the Minnesota Twins last year. As a pinch-hitter, however, he led the AL with a .414 average.
Offerman has played every position except pitcher and catcher in his 14-year career, hitting .274 with 55 home runs and 524 RBI with five major league clubs.
Virginia keeping alive bid to lure team
McLEAN, Va. -- Though they lost their bid bring the Montreal Expos to northern Virginia, the Virginia Baseball Stadium Authority plans to continue operations for the near future.
The authority, a state agency that receives no public funding, met Wednesday and decided to continue operations just in case the plan to build a stadium in the nation's capital for the Washington Nationals falls through.
The authority, which had lobbied for a stadium near Dulles International Airport, also wants to maintain discussions with officials in Norfolk who also unsuccessfully sought to land the Expos.
White Sox sign five to minor-league deals
CHICAGO -- Catchers Raul Casanova and Chris Widger, infielders Pablo Ozuna and Jorge Toca and outfielder Tony Alvarez agreed to minor league contracts with the Chicago White Sox.
Casanova and Widger have a combined 864 games of major-league experience.
Ozuna has played in 65 major-league games with Florida (2000-01) and Colorado (2003). Toca appeared in 29 games with the New York Mets from 1999-2001, while Alvarez, played in 38 games with Pittsburgh in 2002 and 2004.
Twelve players within the White Sox system also were invited to major league spring training, among them outfielders Brian Anderson and Ryan Sweeney, pitcher Brandon McCarthy and third baseman Josh Fields.
