Cardinals sign Lankford, two others

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- Second baseman Marlon Anderson reached a preliminary agreement with the St. Louis Cardinals on a $600,000, one-year contract, and the team announced it has agreed to terms with free agent right-hander Julian Tavarez.

Veteran outfielder Ray Lankford -- a former Cardinal -- also has signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Anderson's deal was contingent on his passing a physical, which was scheduled for Friday.

Anderson, who turned 30 on Tuesday, hit .270 last season with six homers runs and 67 RBIs in 145 games with Tampa Bay. He stole 19 bases in 22 chances and made 15 errors.

In six major league seasons, the first five with Philadelphia, Anderson is a .267 hitter with 32 homers and 249 RBIs.

Anderson would get a $50,000 bonus if he has 502 plate appearances. He became a free agent when Tampa Bay didn't offer a contract by the Dec. 20 deadline.

Tavarez, who was required to pass a physical before the deal was complete, gets $1.6 million this season and $2.6 million in 2005.

Tavarez, 30, was 3-3 with 11 saves and a 3.66 ERA in 64 relief appearances for Pittsburgh last season.

Tavarez is 63-48 in a major league career that started with Cleveland in 1993. He also has pitched for San Francisco, Colorado, the Chicago Cubs and Florida.

Tavarez was primarily a starter before joining the Pirates. He had only two career saves until last season.

Before being traded to San Diego in 2001 in a deal that brought pitcher Woody Williams to the Cardinals, Lankford, 36, had been with St. Louis his entire career, coming up for good in 1990.

His play declined after he underwent reconstructive knee surgery without consulting team doctors after the 1998 season. He was batting .235 with 15 homers, 39 RBIs and 105 strikeouts in 264 at-bats when he waived a no-trade clause in his contract and agreed to the deal for Williams.

The Padres declined to exercise Lankford's $7.5 million option for 2003, choosing instead to pay a $1 million buyout, after Lankford -- a lifetime .272 hitter with 232 home runs and 852 RBIs -- had only four homers in 40 games after joining the Padres.