Mariners Stay With Slocumb One More Year

Closer Heathcliff Slocumb, traded from Boston to Seattle last July 31, agreed Friday to a $3 million, one-year deal with the Mariners, the same salary he had last season.

Slocumb, 32, had 10 saves in 11 opportunities with the Mariners, including all six of his chances in September.

Slocumb finished the season with 27 saves. He was 0-4 with a 4.13 ERA with the Mariners.

The deal makes Slocumb the 17th player the team has under contract. The Mariners’ 1998 payroll now stands at $46 million, leaving them just $4 million in their budget to fill out their 40-man roster.

Raines, Baines stay put

Tim Raines returned to the New York Yankees and Harold Baines re-signed with the Baltimore Orioles as the midnight deadline for accepting salary arbitration approached.

Raines’ $1.8-million option was declined by the Yankees last month, and the team gave him a $200,000 buyout. His new deal is a $900,000, one-year contract that offers $400,000 in performance bonuses.

Baines, Baltimore’s designated hitter, agreed to a $1.15 million, one-year contract - the same amount as his base salary in 1997. He can earn another $625,000 in performance bonuses.

Angels sign Fielder

Cecil Fielder, who has hit 302 career home runs, signed a one-year contract with the Anaheim Angels, giving them a designated hitter to replace Tony Phillips.

Fielder, 34, batted .260 with 13 homers and 61 RBIs in 98 games last season with the New York Yankees, missing two months because of a thumb injury.

Fielder has driven in 940 runs during his 12-year career, playing for Toronto, Detroit and the Yankees.

White Sox swap for Gil

After more than a dozen years of Ozzie Guillen at shortstop, the Chicago White Sox traded two relief pitchers for Benji Gil of the Texas Rangers.

In return for Gil, the Rangers receive relievers Al Levine and Larry Thomas.

The White Sox did not offer Guillen, their shortstop since 1985, a contract.

Tigers sign top prospect

Pitcher Matt Anderson, first-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers, agreed to sign for a bonus believed to be in excess of $2.5 million.

Anderson, 20, was a first team All-American and rated as the top pitching prospect in college baseball by Baseball America.

Bonilla has surgery

Florida Marlins third baseman Bobby Bonilla has undergone successful surgery in Miami to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist, the team said.

Bonilla hit .297 with 17 home runs, 96 runs batted in and a team-record 39 doubles last season. He hit two more home runs with 10 RBIs in the postseason to help the Marlins win the World Series.