White Sox acquire shortstop Cabrera

~ Lowell re-signs with Red Sox and Rivera stays with Yankees.

The Associated Press

The Los Angeles Angels traded Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Jon Garland on Monday, while World Series champion Boston kept Mike Lowell and the Yankees held on to closer Mariano Rivera.

The Red Sox and their popular third baseman reached a preliminary agreement on a three-year, $37.5 million contract, according to two people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been finalized.

Rivera told the Yankees he is accepting their $45 million, three-year offer.

Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, former teammates with Atlanta, also made news on different coasts. Glavine returned to the Braves with an $8 million, one-year contract, and Maddux finalized a $10 million, one-year contract with the San Diego Padres.

"It's hard to describe," Glavine said at a news conference, flanked by his wife, Christine, new Braves general manager Frank Wren and manager Bobby Cox. "Obviously we still love it here. This is home for us."

Second baseman Luis Castillo stayed with the New York Mets, agreeing to a $25 million, four-year deal.

The 33-year-old Cabrera batted .301 with eight homers, 86 RBIs and a career-high 101 runs for the AL West champions this season. He also led AL shortstops in fielding percentage (.983) and won his second Gold Glove. The other came in 2001 with the Montreal Expos.

Garland, an 18-game winner in 2005 and 2006, was 10-13 with a 4.23 ERA in 32 starts this year. He joins a solid Angels rotation that includes John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Jered Weaver.

The deal came 12 days after the White Sox re-signed shortstop Juan Uribe to a $4.5 million, one-year contract. Now, he could wind up on the bench or with another team.

"We saw an opportunity to acquire one of the best shortstops in the game and one of the smartest shortstops in the game. Somebody who can fit into the No. 2 spot in our lineup for 155 games," Chicago general manager Ken Williams said, adding the trade frees up money that could help the White Sox pull off another deal.

"We're not done yet. We're still out there trying to land some big fish," he said.

In the three weeks since winning their second championship in four seasons, the Red Sox have retained their two biggest free agents, World Series MVP Lowell and pitcher Curt Schilling, and exercised options on Tim Wakefield and Julian Tavarez.

The 33-year-old Lowell, who made $9 million this season, was seeking four guaranteed years and might have gotten it elsewhere. While the sides have reached the outline of the deal, there are still minor issues to be worked out.

Rivera's agreement is pending a physical. The Yankees also have a preliminary agreement on a $52.4 million, four-year contract with catcher Jorge Posada.