D-backs continue to spend, sign Ortiz

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Just down the road from the Magic Kingdom, major league teams toyed with trades and focused on free agents as the winter meetings began Friday.

Russ Ortiz, Steve Finley and Richard Hidalgo found new teams, though there were no trades announced as of mid-evening.

Arizona, coming off a 111-loss season, set the free-agent pace for the second straight day, agreeing to a $33 million, four-year contract with Ortiz in an effort to complement Randy Johnson in its starting rotation.

Finley, who started last season with the Diamondbacks and finished it with the Dodgers, moved down Interstate 5, agreeing to a $14 million, two-year contract with the Anaheim Angels.

And the Texas Rangers agreed to a $5 million, one-year deal with right fielder Richard Hidalgo, who split last season between Houston and the New York Mets.

As for the biggest names, agents appeared to be holding back, waiting for the market to rise even higher.

"When you look at last year's attendance growth, all those things put more money in the marketplace," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said.

Carlos Beltran, Adrian Beltre, Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe are represented by Scott Boras, whose clients have not reached deals until later in the offseason in recent years.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman expected to talk Friday night with Boras and with other top agents during the weekend, including Scott Shapiro, who represents Carl Pavano. Cashman also said Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and staff ace Mike Mussina were to have called Pavano in the past week.

"He just needs some time to see where his heart is," Shapiro said.

Anaheim, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit and Seattle also are competing for Pavano, who pretty much has ruled out returning to the Marlins.

"At this point in time, I'd say it's very slim," Shapiro said. "Ultimately, I don't know if they have the financial resources to compete as the market has matured to a certain level."

New York is close to an agreement with Jaret Wright on a $21 million, three-year deal, and Cashman would like to get at least one other starting pitcher this weekend. He's been talking with Eric Milton, remains interested in Pedro Martinez and said he received a telephone call Thursday from a familiar voice -- David Wells.

Boston, coming off its first World Series title since 1918, offered a one-year contract to Wells. The Red Sox also hope to re-sign Martinez and Varitek.

"I'm sure before all the players are off the board, there will be players for whom the price is right for the Boston Red Sox," Boston GM Theo Epstein said.

Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Shawn Green have all been mentioned in trade talk, but it appears Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown won't be going anywhere soon.

The Diamondbacks said Friday that while Johnson had asked them to explore trading him to a contender, they expect the 41-year-old left-hander will remain in Arizona. The Yankees pulled out of talks last week, saying Arizona's asking price was too high, and it's not clear whether the Big Unit would waive his no-trade clause to go anywhere else.

New Arizona chief executive officer Jeff Moorad said the talks were over and would not resume unless "they choose to re-engage." Cashman, in turn, said it was up to the Diamondbacks to call him.

Arizona, responsible for large amounts of deferred payments in past contracts, was thought to be on a tight budget heading into the offseason. But the Diamondbacks agreed Thursday to a $45 million, four-year deal with third baseman Troy Glaus, the 2002 World Series MVP with Anaheim. Then came the deal for Ortiz, a right-hander who went 15-9 with a 4.13 ERA for Atlanta but won just twice in his last 10 regular-season starts.

While the Diamondbacks tied for the 10th-most losses in major league history last season, Ortiz expects a quick turnaround.

"I could see that they were serious," Ortiz said. "Winning's important. I wanted to be a part of what they're trying to accomplish. They convinced me from day one they were headed in that direction."

Arizona won the World Series in 2001 and Anaheim took the title the following year. Both have struggled since.

By adding the 39-year-old Finley, the Angels can move Garret Anderson to left field, where he played in 2002.

"Hey, I'm still in Los Angeles, right? Just wearing a different color," Finley said.

Finley, who turned down a $17 million, three-year offer from the Giants, was a key factor as the Dodgers advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1996. He hit .263 with 13 homers and 46 RBIs in 58 games after the July 31 trade, finishing at .271 overall with 36 homers and 94 RBIs.

"This is something that came together for us fairly quickly," Angels general manager Bill Stoneman said. "Once we took a look at it, we said, 'This is a natural.' "

Anaheim appears to be out of the competition for Beltran, who is being pursued by the Yankees, Houston and Chicago Cubs.

"Beltran's a special player," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I'm not going to say that Beltran wouldn't have been a good fit on our club. He would be a fit on any club. But for our needs and what we're looking for, now we can use the resources that Bill has to fill more spots. If you sign Beltran, you're pretty much done for the winter."