NEW YORK - Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte filed for free agency Thursday, removing the two pitchers from the New York Yankees' roster.
Clemens has said he is retiring. By filing, the 41-year-old right-hander gives himself the option of negotiating with all 30 teams if he changes his mind.
Pettitte, one of the top pitchers in this year's free-agent group, has not started negotiations for a new contract. The Yankees repeatedly have said they hope to re-sign him and he has said it would be hard for him to imagine pitching for another team.
Also filing Thursday: Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo, Mets infielder Jay Bell and Pirates infielder Pat Meares. Bell also intends to retire, and Meares spent the past two seasons on the DL.
The White Sox exercised a $5-million option on shortstop Jose Valentin, who had filed provisionally. If Chicago had declined the option, the White Sox would have had to pay a $500,000 buyout.
A record 205 players have filed for free agency since the World Series and eight more potentially are eligible to file by Sunday's deadline.
Torre: Father is catalyst behind abuse foundation
NEW YORK - Yankees manager Joe Torre says his father had violent rages, the reason he helped establish a foundation to combat domestic violence.
"When he was home, it was like walking on eggshells all the time," Torre said during an interview with Dateline NBC that was released Thursday and airs Sunday.
Torre and wife Ali established the "Safe at Home" foundation in memory of his mother, Margaret. Torre said his father's behavior left him with self-doubt.
"It's not comfortable," he said during the interview. "It brings up old memories you certainly would like to forget. But here I am, a successful person, and I need to let people know that, you know, it doesn't always have to be a dark hole out there."
Torre, the youngest of five children, feared for his mother. "When he was yelling at my mom, it was sort of ... you cringe because you didn't know what was going to happen. I sort of went in a shell. Obviously, I wasn't protective. I wanted to be, but I was too frightened."
Torre said his wife got him to open up, and that he went to a self-improvement seminar.
METS: General manager Jim Duquette started surrounding himself with new talent evaluators, hiring former 20-game winner Bill Singer and longtime scout Al Goldis as special assistants.
PADRES: The team will have new uniforms and a new logo when it moves into its new downtown ballpark in the spring. The team unveiled a tricolor scheme of navy, sand and sky blue. The colors are supposed to represent the sea, the sky and beaches. The new color scheme mirrors the decor of Petco Park, the new $458-million ballpark that will open in April.
FOREIGN FREE AGENT: Shingo Takatsu, Japan's career saves leader, filed for free agency and is interested in pitching for a major-league team. Takatsu, who throws sidearm and relies on a sinkerball, led the Central League with 34 saves for the Yakult Swallows.
