NEW YORK -- Second baseman Rich Aurilia and the Cincinnati
Reds agreed to a $1.3 million, one-year contract on Sunday night,
about three hours before the team would have lost the right to
re-sign him until May.
Jeff Weaver, who went 14-11 with a 4.22 ERA for the Dodgers last
year, did not reach an agreement with Los Angeles before the
midnight EST deadline.
Weaver led the Dodgers with a career-high 14 wins last year, but
he and the team failed to reach an agreement on a new contract by
Sunday night's 9 p.m. PST deadline. Now, the Dodgers are prohibited
from signing him until May 1, and it's just about certain the
29-year-old right-hander will hook on with somebody else long
before then.
"I wish Jeff Weaver would be pitching for the Dodgers in
2006," general manager Ned Colletti said shortly after the
deadline passed. "It's not going to happen. I wish there would
have been a way we could have figured something out, but it turned
out there was a difference in philosophy and a difference of
opinion."
Also letting the deadline pass were infielder Alex Gonzalez and
Tampa Bay, and pitcher Pedro Astacio and San Diego.
First baseman Eduardo Perez, the fifth remaining unsigned free
agent among the 26 offered salary arbitration on Dec. 7, has been
working on finalizing a contract with Cleveland and has not been
talking to the Devil Rays, his former club.
Under baseball's labor contract, free agents offered arbitration
have until Jan. 8 to re-sign with their former teams. After that,
they can't re-sign until May 1.
Aurilia's deal contains a $2 million mutual option for 2007. If
he has 400 plate appearances this year, a $100,000 buyout would
kick in if the option is declined. If he has 450 plate appearances,
the buyout amount would increase to $200,000.
Aurilia hit .282 with 14 homers and 68 RBI last year for the
Reds in his first season with the team.