|
|
|
|
 |
| MLB |
|
Scores Schedules Standings Statistics Transactions Injuries: AL | NL Players Offseason moves Free Agents Message Board Minor Leagues MLB Stat Search MLB en espaņol Clubhouses |
|
SportsMall
|
| Sport Sections |
|
|
| Thursday, January 25 | |||||
| Deion signs minor-league deal with Reds | |||||
| CINCINNATI -- Deion Sanders, who snubbed the Cincinnati Reds
when they tried to call him up from the minors last season, is
getting another chance to play for their Triple-A team.
The Washington Redskins cornerback got a non-guaranteed minor
league contract Wednesday to play for Triple-A Louisville. He'll
report to Sarasota, Fla., with the rest of the Reds' minor leaguers
on March 4.
Because Sanders filed for free agency and the contract was
agreed to after the Dec. 7 deadline, it will be scrutinized by the
commissioner's office.
In similar situations in the past, all other major league teams
and the players' association have had to waive objections to deals
agreed to after the deadline.
Reds general manager Jim Bowden is one of Sanders' biggest fans
and has repeatedly given the two-sport professional a chance to
resurrect his baseball career. Bowden didn't immediately return a
phone message Wednesday.
Sanders, 33, returned to baseball last spring after a year of
concentrating solely on his NFL career. He couldn't run during
spring training because of a football injury to his knee, which
required arthroscopic surgery.
Sanders opened the season in Louisville, batted .200 and decided
to go home rather than to continue playing in the minors. Bowden
gave him permission to return to Texas on May 11.
When outfielder Alex Ochoa had an emergency appendectomy in late
May and went on the disabled list, Bowden called Sanders about
returning to the Reds to take his place. Sanders turned him down,
saying he wanted to concentrate solely on football.
The Reds then put Sanders on a restricted list. In November,
they declined a contract option for 2001 that would have paid him
$3 million.
That contract also included mutual options for $4 million in
2002 and $5 million in 2003.
It is unlikely the Reds would be given permission to use Sanders
in a major league game before May 1, the first day they technically
are allowed to re-sign him under baseball's collective bargaining
agreement.
A member of two Super Bowl championship teams, Sanders' shining
moment in baseball came with the 1992 National League champion
Braves. He batted .533 (8-for-15) with two doubles, an
RBI and five stolen bases in the World Series, which the Braves
lost in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Redskins spokesman Karl Swanson said the team was unaware of the
signing.
Information from The Associated Press and SportsTicker was used in this report. | AUDIO/VIDEO  ESPN's Rob Dibble breaks down Deion Sanders return to the game of baseball.wav: 2209 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 | ||||