Cards sign eight to minor-league deals

ST. LOUIS -- Infielders Wilton Guerrero and Abraham Nunez are among eight players who have agreed to contracts with the St. Louis Cardinals' Class AAA affiliate in Memphis, Tenn., the Cardinals announced Wednesday.

The Cardinals also signed pitchers Chris Gissell, Bob File and Toby Borland; first baseman Mike Bell; and outfielders Raul Gonzalez and Brandon Berger.

Guerrero, 30, hit .231 in 26 at-bats with Kansas City last season, but hit .326 at Class AAA Omaha. He is a career .282 hitter in 672 major-league games.

Nunez, 28, hit .245 in 97 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2004. His best season was 2001, when he hit .262 in 115 games.

Bell, 30, is the son of former player and manager Buddy Bell and brother of David Bell of the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit 25 homers at Class AAA Charlotte last season.

Gissell, 27, led the Pacific Coast League with 14 wins last season for Class AAA Colorado Springs. The right-hander was 0-1 with a 14.54 ERA in five games with the Colorado Rockies.

Both Borland and File are right-handed relievers. Borland, 35, was 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 19 games with the Florida Marlins. File, 27, was 1-0 with a 5.04 ERA in 18 games with Toronto.

Gonzalez, 31, hit .310 at Class AAA Buffalo and had one hit in 11 at-bats for the Cleveland Indians.

Berger, 29, played at three different levels for the Royals last season with a combined 26 home runs and 89 RBIs. He hit .212 in 10 games with Kansas City.