Glaus, Kent find new teams

Arizona snapped up Troy Glaus and Los Angeles added Jeff Kent as teams made big-money deals with All-Stars on Thursday, one day before the start of the winter meetings.

Glaus, the 2002 World Series Most Valuable Player as Anaheim’s third baseman, agreed to a $45 million, four-year contract with the last-place Diamondbacks.

Los Angeles didn’t wait for the formal start of the meetings to hold the first news conference at the hotel baseball officials will gather at in Anaheim, Calif., traveling south to announce a $17 million, two-year contract with Kent, the second baseman who helped Houston come within a game of its first National League pennant.

In other deals, the Chicago White Sox agreed to a $10.15 million, two-year contract with outfielder Jermaine Dye; San Diego agreed to a $1 million, one-year deal with outfielder Eric Young; and 46-year-old first baseman Julio Franco stayed with the Atlanta Braves for a $1 million, one-year agreement.

Plenty of big names are likely to be bandied about on the trade market when baseball officials gather today for their annual weekend of business and gossip. At last year’s meetings in New Orleans, there were 13 trades, eight deals with free agents who agreed to major league contracts and six more contracts with free agents that were agreed to but not announced.

Randy Johnson, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, Kevin Brown, Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Shawn Green all have been mentioned in trade talk, but there’s been no indication their teams are ready to finalize any deals.

Most of the biggest names among free agents have held off agreeing to contracts, among them pitchers Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, Carl Pavano, Russ Ortiz, Eric Milton and Kevin Millwood; first basemen Carlos Delgado and Richie Sexson; third baseman Adrian Beltre; outfielders Carlos Beltran and Magglio Ordonez; and catcher Jason Varitek.

Marlins meet with Las Vegas

The Florida Marlins have met with Las Vegas officials about a possible move, saying negotiations for a new ballpark in Miami have lasted longer than the team anticipated.

Bruce Rubin, a spokesman for Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, said that Marlins officials met with Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman and others for about 90 minutes Wednesday.

“These were social discussions, a get-to-know-each-other meeting,” Rubin said. “Simply, Vegas wants a baseball team and the Marlins are a baseball team. It was decided that the two sides should get together.”

He said the Marlins are negotiating with Miami city and Miami-Dade County officials over a proposal to build a 38,000-seat, retractable-roof ballpark next to the Orange Bowl. The Marlins play in Pro Player Stadium, which was built for the NFL’s Dolphins.

Miami mayor Manny Diaz said the Marlins actions were “in very poor taste” and a breach of trust because the city had been negotiating in good faith.

“Shocked, disturbed, disappointed, disgusted,” was Diaz’s reaction.

Melvin: ‘Payrolls are on steroids’

To Milwaukee’s Doug Melvin, other major league teams look beefed up.

“I think some of the payrolls are on steroids,” the general manager of the lowest-spending team in the major leagues said.

Milwaukee had the lowest opening-day payroll in the majors last year at $27.5 million, a tiny fraction of the New York Yankees’ $183 million.

With third baseman Alex Rodriguez and shortstop Derek Jeter, the Yankees spent more money on the left side of their infield than the Brewers paid their entire roster.

Melvin will have more money and more flexibility soon. Los Angeles investment banker Mark Attanasio’s $223 million bid to buy the Brewers from the family of commissioner Bud Selig is expected to gain approval.

Melvin won’t say how much more money he’ll have at his disposal.