Baseball

Three-way deal close

By wire services
Published December 17, 2004

NEW YORK - Randy Johnson was on the verge of joining the New York Yankees in a three-team, megadeal that also includes Shawn Green and Javier Vazquez, the Associated Press reported on Thursday night.

Green would go from Los Angeles to Arizona while Vazquez would move from the Yankees to the Dodgers in the trade that would put the Arizona ace in Yankee pinstripes.

Newsday and Fox Sports reported on their Web sites that the other players involved in the deal were Dodgers pitchers Brad Penny and Yhency Brazoban, and Yankees prospects Eric Duncan and Dioner Navarro.

There was no confirmation from any of the teams that a deal had been finalized.

"We're still in conversations with a lot of different clubs about a lot of different possibilities," Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said earlier Thursday. "We have talked about some three-way deals and some four-way deals. I don't know if it's going to happen or not."

OAKLAND, Calif. - Tim Hudson was traded from the Oakland Athletics to Atlanta, a blockbuster deal Thursday that further bolstered the Braves' revamped rotation.

Los Angeles, Boston and the New York Yankees were rumored to be pursuing Hudson, but the Braves swooped in and got the Oakland ace for outfielder Charles Thomas and pitchers Juan Cruz and Dan Meyer.

With the A's facing yet another payroll crunch, general manager Billy Beane finally broke up his "Big Three" starting pitchers of Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito.

"Honestly it was tough to hear the news," Hudson said in a phone interview. "I understand Billy has to do what he feels is best for the organization. You've got to move on sometimes. The hard part for us is all the friendships we've built in the Bay Area."

It was Atlanta's second big trade in a week. Last Saturday, the Braves acquired All-Star closer Dan Kolb from Milwaukee - a move that allowed them to move John Smoltz back into the rotation.

"This winter, we have set our sights on going back to sort of the old-fashioned Braves' way of building championship teams with dominant pitching," Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz said. "That's what we think we have done, and we are excited about the pitching staff we have put together for the season."

Moments after the trade was announced, the Braves unveiled another deal - they sent outfielder Eli Marrero and cash to Kansas City for pitcher Jorge Vasquez.

The Braves began the day by reaching agreement with Smoltz on a $20 million, two-year contract.

Schuerholz said the flurry of activity "helps us create one of the stronger pitching staffs we've had here for many, many years." He first began talks with Beane during last weekend's winter meetings in Anaheim.

The trade was finalized around midday Thursday, said Beane, who until Wednesday was still talking to three teams about Hudson. The A's wanted to make sure they acquired a pitcher - Meyer - who could compete right away for a spot in the rotation.

WASHINGTON - As the future of a Washington team hangs in the balance, the mayor said it's still possible to meet the Dec. 31 deadline for a deal. Mayor Anthony A. Williams said his administration is working to pull together private financing to win the vote of District of Columbia Council Chairwoman Linda W. Cropp.

An amendment she introduced requiring at least half the stadium funding come from private sources was declared "wholly unacceptable" by Major League Baseball officials.

Before she offers any compromises, Cropp wants baseball to extend its deadline. "They have everything that they had requested basically" including a free stadium, Cropp said. "By setting back the Dec. 31 deadline as truly an end point does absolutely no harm to Major League Baseball. That would be a move of good faith, I think, on their part to the district citizens."

MARINERS GET BELTRE: Prized free agent Adrian Beltre and the Seattle Mariners agreed to a $64-million, five-year deal, the Associated Press reported. Beltre's contract is subject to him passing a physical. The deal could be announced as early as today. Seattle did not comment on the agreement.

ROYALS-PIRATES TRADE: Benito Santiago was traded by the Royals to the Pirates, who have sought a veteran catcher since dealing Jason Kendall to Oakland last month. The Royals get right-handed prospect Leo Nunez for Santiago, but also must pay about $1-million of Santiago's $2.15-million salary in the second season of his two-year contract.

WHITE SOX: Infielder Juan Uribe agreed to a $9.75-million, three-year deal, avoiding arbitration. Uribe hit .283 and set career highs with 23 home runs and 74 RBIs last season, his first with the White Sox after being acquired from Colorado.

[Last modified December 17, 2004, 00:08:09]