Galarraga Joins Braves, To Get $24.8 Million

The Atlanta Braves and first baseman Andres Galarraga agreed to terms on a three-year, $24.8 million contract, his agent’s office said.

Galarraga will replace veteran Fred McGriff, whom the Braves traded to the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Tuesday for a player to be named.

Galarraga batted .318 with 41 home runs and a National League-leading 140 runs batted in for the Rockies during the 1997 season. He became the first player to lead the N.L. in RBIs for two consecutive seasons since Dale Murphy did it for the Braves in 1982-83.

The 36-year-old Galarraga, a 13-year major league veteran, has a career .288 batting average with 288 homers and 1,051 RBIs in 1,467 major league games with the Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals and Rockies.

Royals trade for Conine

Jeff Conine, a fan favorite with the Florida Marlins since their first game in 1993, was traded to the Kansas City Royals for minor-league pitcher Blaine Mull.

Conine agreed to a two-year contract with Kansas City worth about $4 million and is expected to be the Royals’ starting left fielder next season.

The trade was part of an ongoing effort by the World Series champions Marlins to slash their payroll. Conine, 31, made $2.8 million last season and was eligible for arbitration after Florida declined a $3 million option.

Florida also traded left-handed reliever Ed Vosberg to the San Diego Padres for minor-league pitcher Chris Clark. Meanwhile, there were no new developments in the talks with the New York Mets over a possible Gary Sheffield trade.

Murray may coach for Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles will name former first baseman Eddie Murray to new manager Ray Miller’s coaching staff, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Orioles officials wouldn’t confirm the report. Murray’s Baltimore-based agent, Ron Shapiro, didn’t immediately return phone calls.

The move could mean the end of Murray’s likely Hall of Fame playing career. The 21-year veteran split last season between the Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers, batting a combined .222 with three home runs in 167 at-bats.

Murray, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron are the only players to have 500 home runs and 3,000 base hits.

Murray, who played his first 12 seasons with the Orioles, ended last season with a .287 career batting average with 3,255 hits, 504 home runs, 560 doubles and 1,917 runs batted in.

Group may buy team, move to Portland

A plan is emerging that could land a major league baseball franchise in Portland as soon as one season from now, The Oregonian reported Thursday.

At the center of the effort is a plan for Civic Stadium by architect John Vosmek that would upgrade the stadium into the kind of quaint, old-style yet modern ballpark that has become the model for new facilities across the country.

Dwight Jaynes, a sports columnist with the Portland newspaper, reported that at least one unnamed out-of-state buyer is interested in purchasing an existing team and moving it to Portland.

Jaynes mentioned teams in Oakland, Montreal and Pittsburgh as those that might be candidates to be purchased.

Expansion teams to open at home

The Arizona Diamondbacks will play their first game at home against Colorado on March 31 and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will open at home that day against the Detroit Tigers.

While Arizona probably will open with a night game, Tampa Bay hasn’t decided whether to open in the afternoon or evening.

The Diamondbacks will play at Bank One Ballpark, a $350 million retractable-roof ballpark under construction in downtown Phoenix. The Devil Rays will play at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly known as the Florida Suncoast Dome.

Teams usually receive their schedules for the following season in late June. However, the debate on realignment delayed the schedule for five months.