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Friday Roundup Recently acquried Blue Jays pitcher needs shoulder rehab
Updated: Saturday January 20, 2001 2:09 AM
TORONTO (AP) -- Left-hander Mike Sirotka, acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays from the Chicago White Sox last Sunday, has a sore shoulder and will undergo rehab, the Blue Jays said Friday. Sirotka, obtained in a six-player deal that sent David Wells to the White Sox, admitted after the trade that he had shoulder stiffness. He was examined Friday in Florida by Dr. Steve Mirabello, who found a tight capsule in the shoulder but no instability. An MRI confirmed the diagnosis, and Mirablello recommended stretching and rehab. He expects Sirotka to be ready for Opening Day. Sirotka, 15-10 with a 3.79 ERA with Chicago, hyperextended his left elbow during his final regular-season start last season. While pitching for the major league All-Stars in the postseason tour of Japan, Sirotka favored the elbow and strained the shoulder. Toronto turned down a New York Mets deal that reportedly included left-hander Glendon Rusch. The Blue Jays also acquired outfielder Brian Simmons, right-handed reliever Kevin Beirne and a minor league pitching prospect from the White Sox. M's sign former All-Star Baerga to minor league dealSEATTLE (Ticker) -- After spending an entire season out of the major leagues, former All-Star second baseman Carlos Baerga signed a minor-league deal with the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Baerga has been invited to spring training by the Mariners after playing in his native Puerto Rico during the 2000 campaign. The 32-year-old Baerga batted a paltry .241 with three homers and 10 RBI in 55 games with San Diego and Cleveland in 1999. Baerga, a switch-hitter, owns a solid .291 career average to go with 124 homers and 686 RBI. He appeared in the 1992, 1993 and 1995 All-Star Games as a member of the Cleveland Indians and won the Silver Slugger Award in 1993 and 1994 as the best hitting second baseman in his league. But Baerga's career took a quick downward turn after the Indians reached the World Series in 1995. He was dealt to the New York Mets in 1996 and his offensive numbers dropped off steadily thereafter. Signed by San Diego as a non-drafted free agent in 1986, Baerga figures to battle for a utility role on the Mariners' roster when training camp opens in Peoria, Ari., on Feb. 21. Brock, Phillies agree to two-year contractPHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Phillies right-hander Chris Brock became the first player to sign among the 63 who exchanged arbitration figures with their teams, agreeing Friday to a two-year, $1.7 million contract. Brock, who turns 30 next month, was 7-8 with a 4.34 ERA in five starts and 58 relief appearances last season. He allowed 21 homers in 93 1/3 innings. After making $250,000 last year, Brock gets $700,000 this year and $1 million in 2002. He had asked for $845,000 this year in arbitration and the Phillies had offered $610,000. Philadelphia has three players remaining in arbitration: right-handers Wayne Gomes and Robert Person and first baseman Travis Lee. Mets designate Relaford for assignmentNEW YORK (AP) -- Infielder Desi Relaford was designated for assignment Friday by the New York Mets to open a roster space for reliever Rick Croushore, acquired in a deal Thursday from the Boston Red Sox. Relaford, claimed by the New York Mets off waivers from San Diego during the NL Championship Series, began last season with Philadelphia, then was acquired by San Diego on Aug. 4 for a player to be named. He hit a combined .215 with 14 doubles, three triples, five homers, 46 RBIs and 13 steals. The 27-year-old switch-hitter has a .230 career average with 11 homers, 120 RBIs and 30 steals. He had agreed to a one-year, $475,000 contract. Boston agrees to minor league contract with GrebeckBOSTON (AP) -- Craig Grebeck agreed Friday to a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox, who invited the free-agent infielder to spring training. Grebeck would get a one-year, $700,000 contract if he is added to the major league roster. He played in 66 games for the Blue Jays last season and batted .295 (71-for-241). In 1999 with Toronto, Grebeck batted .363 (41-for-113), giving him a .316 average in the last two seasons with 26 doubles, 56 runs, 33 RBIs, and a .390 on-base percentage. Yankee exec's championship ring found, returnedPHOENIX (AP) -- A glitter that caught a 20-year-old Phoenix man's eye at Sky Harbor International Airport turned out to be a 3-carat diamond ring from the 1999 World Series. It belonged to Mark Newman, vice president of the New York Yankees -- a reward he and other Yankees got for sweeping the Atlanta Braves. The finder, whose name wasn't released, said he had been watching planes through a window when he saw a glint "like a penny" on the airport floor. He called police, and Officer Bob Weigler tracked down the ring's owner. Newman had lost it while in Phoenix for Major League Baseball's owners meeting, police spokesman Bob Ragsdale said. Man throws no-hitter, homers in fantasy camp gameCLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- A Yardville, N.J., man lived the dream of a lifetime Friday, tossing the first no-hitter of his life and hitting a home run at the Phillies Phantasy Camp. "After I was ahead by five runs in the first it was easy," Steve Cooper said after striking out 11 and walking two in Friday's game. He also hit a two-run, inside-the-park homer and an RBI triple, said John Denny, Cooper's co-manager and 1983 Cy Young Award winner for the Phillies. The 8-0 victory came against a team managed by Dallas Green, in full view of his parents, Martin and Rita Cooper, who drove to Clearwater from Ft. Lauderdale on Friday to watch the game. "He was a one-man team out there," said his co-manager Del Unser. "But he plays as a team man. He had a lot of emotion out there, he was pumped." "I saw the whole thing," said Cooper's mother, Rita Cooper. "I don't remember Steve ever having a no-hitter." The camp concludes Sunday at Jack Russell Stadium, spring home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
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