Baseball: Morneau comes to terms with Twins

American League Most Valuable Player Justin Morneau was among 11 players in salary arbitration who reached agreements Friday, receiving a $4.5 million, one-year contract from the Minnesota Twins.

Minnesota also agreed to a $4.2 million, two-year contract with third baseman Nick Punto and one-year deals with reliever Juan Rincon ($2 million) and outfielder Lew Ford ($985,000).

Toronto agreed to one-year contracts with left fielder Reed Johnson ($3,075,000), right fielder Alex Rios ($2,535,000) and pitcher Scott Downs ($1,025,000). The Pittsburgh Pirates settled with newly acquired first baseman Adam LaRoche ($3.2 million) and lefty reliever John Grabow ($832,500).

Colorado right-hander Josh Fogg agreed at $3,625,000 and Milwaukee catcher Johnny Estrada landed a deal for $3.4 million. Twenty-one players remain in arbitration from among the 106 players who filed last month.

Mariners sign pitcher

Jim Parque, a left-hander who has not pitched in the major leagues since 2003, agreed to a minor league contract with Seattle and will be at the Mariners’ spring training camp this month.

Parque, who has a career record of 31-34 and turns 31 next week, retired from Triple-A Tucson in 2004. He quit while rehabilitating a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, ending a seven-season career spent primarily as a starter with the Chicago White Sox before a stint with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in ‘03.

“The two years off really helped my shoulder,” Parque said. “It feels really good, pain free, and I’m looking forward to getting back on the field.”

The former All-American from UCLA lives with his family in Puyallup, Wash.

Giants explain Bonds deal

San Francisco Giants owner Peter Magowan sent a letter to about 27,000 season-ticket holders this week explaining why the club decided to re-sign free-agent slugger Barry Bonds for another season.

“The process of negotiating this contract was complex, lengthy and highly unconventional,” Magowan wrote Monday in his letter, obtained by the Associated Press. “This decision was not taken lightly and we spent significant time evaluating all of the elements and circumstances surrounding the negotiations before we made a final determination to move forward.”

Magowan said signing Bonds made sense as the team prepares to move ahead with a younger roster that still has its share of experienced veterans.

Delegation goes to Ghana

A delegation headed by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield and former Chicago Cubs and Giants manager Dusty Baker arrived in Ghana for a goodwill trip aimed at promoting the sport in a region where little is known about it.

The delegation is expected to donate baseball equipment, organize baseball clinics and visit schools in Accra. It also will tour the coast and meet with President John Kufour on Monday before returning to the United States the next day.

Former catcher dies

Ray Berres, a former major league catcher and longtime pitching coach for the White Sox, has died. He was 99.

Berres died Thursday of heart failure and pneumonia at his home in Kenosha, Wis., the White Sox said.