Reds acquire right-hander Saarloos from Oakland
The Oakland Athletics traded pitcher Kirk Saarloos to the Reds on Tuesday, giving the right-hander a chance to win a spot at the back end of Cincinnati’s rotation.
Oakland got minor league reliever David Shafer in the deal. Each team also received a player to be named.
The 27-year-old Saarloos went 7-7 with two saves and a 4.75 ERA last season for the American League West champions. After being Oakland’s No. 5 starter in 2005, he made 16 starts and 19 relief appearances last year.
The Reds are trying to fill out their rotation and bolster a bullpen that was one of their biggest problems last season. Saarloos could fit in either place.
“That will be something that gets decided in spring training,” Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky said. “He’s done both. He gives you that kind of versatility to be used either way. We’ll let him compete with the other people there.”
Saarloos had a chance to rejoin the rotation full time this year under new A’s manager Bob Geren. Last week, Saarloos and the Athletics avoided salary arbitration when they agreed on a one-year contract worth $1.2 million.
The right-hander throws a sinker and induces twice times as many ground balls as fly balls, a trait that will be handy in Cincinnati. Great American Ball Park is one of the most homer-friendly parks in the major leagues.
Shafer, a 24-year-old right-hander, had 26 saves and a 2.36 ERA for Double-A Chattanooga last year.
Podsednik sidelined
Chicago White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik, a hero in the 2005 World Series who slumped last season, will be sidelined six weeks after having groin surgery, according to several reports.
The White Sox are also close to signing free agent Darin Erstad, the Chicago Tribune reported on its Web site.
Podsednik’s average dipped from .290 during the first World Series run for the White Sox in 88 years to .261 last season and his stolen bases dropped from 59 to 40. He hit a game-winning homer in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series against the Astros.
Yanks will host in 2008
Baseball is set to announce Yankee Stadium as site of the 2008 All-Star game.
Commissioner Bud Selig will hold a news conference at New York’s City Hall with Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Jan. 31. Selig has said since last summer that Yankee Stadium was a leading candidate for the game.
The ballpark, which opened in 1923, is scheduled to close after the 2008 season, and the Yankees will move into a new stadium, being built across a street, the following year.
This year’s All-Star game will be at San Francisco, and the 2009 game will be in St. Louis.
The timing of the news conference was reported by Newsday.
Little Delgado due
New York Mets star Carlos Delgado could miss a few games at the start of the regular season for the birth of his child.
The first baseman, speaking from San Juan, Puerto Rico, said his wife was due to give birth to the couple’s first child within a few days of the Mets’ April 1 opener at St. Louis.
Clearing the bases
Right-hander Tomo Ohka and the Toronto Blue Jays reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said the deal was pending a physical. Performances bonuses could make the deal worth as much as $3 million. Ohka, who turns 31 in March, went 4-5 with a 4.85 ERA in 18 starts with Milwaukee last season. He missed more than two months due to a partial tear of his right rotator cuff and didn’t pitch in late September because of a right strained hamstring. … Right-hander Antonio Alfonseca agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. … Los Angeles Angels infielder Dallas McPherson underwent surgery to remove a herniated disc in his lower back and is expected to be sidelined for most, if not all, of the upcoming season.