Delgado and Thome Headed to New Teams


NEW YORK - A pair of high-profile first basemen are headed to new teams, with Carlos Delgado going to the New York Mets and Jim Thome to the World Series champion Chicago White Sox.



The Mets reached a preliminary agreement to acquire Delgado and $7 million from the Florida Marlins for first baseman Mike Jacobs and minor league pitcher Yusmeiro Petit, a baseball official familiar with the talks said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal was not final.

Chicago agreed to a tentative deal to acquire Thome and $22 million from the Philadelphia Phillies for center fielder Aaron Rowand and minor league pitchers Giovany Gonzalez, Chicago's first-round pick in the 2004 amateur draft, and Daniel Haigwood.

While the White Sox and Phillies confirmed the agreement to swap Thome and Rowand, the identities of the other players were detailed by another baseball official, also speaking on condition of anonymity. A third official revealed the amount Philadelphia is sending the White Sox, which covers about half of what remains on Thome's $85 million, six-year contract.

Both deals are subject to players passing physicals — Thome's exam is set for Friday. Approval from the commissioner's office also is necessary because more than $1 million is changing hands in each trade.

"We're very happy because we will have Delgado in our organization. It's a matter of hours before he becomes a Mets player," Tony Bernazard, special assistant to Mets general manager Omar Minaya, said on Puerto Rican radio station WIAC. "I can't give any details, but I'm sure everything will have a happy ending for us."

In free-agent news, the Chicago Cubs agreed to a $12 million, three-year contract with former White Sox right-hander Bobby Howry, who joins a restocked bullpen that includes left-hander Scott Eyre, who agreed last week to a three-year deal that guarantees him $11 million.

Florida's trade was the second big deal struck this week by the payroll-slashing Marlins, who also have a pending agreement to send 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell to the Boston Red Sox for three prospects. The two trades would cut Florida's payroll, which was $60 million at the start of last season, by about $27 million next year.

New York would receive the money from the Marlins to offset part of the $48 million Delgado is owed over the next three seasons. He turned down the Mets' offer last January to accept a $52 million, four-year contract from the Marlins, who did not offer the no-trade clause contained in the Mets' deal.

Delgado's agent, David Sloane, said Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria called his client to inform him about the trade.

Because he is a veteran player traded during a multiyear contract, Delgado would have the right to file a trade demand during the 15 days following next year's World Series.

A two-time All-Star, he hit .301 with 33 homers and 115 RBIs in his lone season with the Marlins, reaching 30 homers for the ninth consecutive year. The 33-year-old Delgado, who spent his first 12 major league seasons with Toronto, has a .284 career average with 369 homers and 1,173 RBIs.

The 25-year-old Jacobs batted .310 with 11 homers and 23 RBIs in 100 at-bats with the Mets, who brought him up from the minors in mid-August. Petit, a right-hander who turned 21 Tuesday, went 9-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 21 starts at Double-A Binghamton, then went 0-3 with a 9.20 ERA in three starts at Triple-A Norfolk. During spring training, Delgado hit a three-run double off Petit.

Acquiring Thome does not necessarily mean the White Sox won't re-sign free agent first baseman Paul Konerko. In addition to playing first, Thome can also be a DH.

Thome totaled 89 home runs in his first two seasons in Philadelphia before back and elbow injuries limited him to 59 games this year, when he slumped to .207 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 193 at-bats. The 35-year-old has 430 career homers, but is coming off surgery on his right elbow in August.

He is owed $43.5 million over the final three seasons of his contract. The deal also calls for the final $2.5 million of his $10 million signing bonus to be paid next year, normally the responsibility of the original club.

Thome became expendable after the emergence of first baseman Ryan Howard, who won the NL Rookie of the Year award after batting .288 with 22 homers and 63 RBIs in 88 games.

Rowand batted .270 with 13 homers and 69 RBIs for the White Sox last season and established himself as one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball.

The trade was the first major move for new Phillies general manager Pat Gillick, who replaced Ed Wade this month. Wade lost his job after the Phillies missed the playoffs for the 12th straight year and 21st time in 22 seasons.