Yankees, Ventura agree to $5 million contract

New York – Robin Ventura took a $3.25 million paycut to stay with the New York Yankees.

“I kind of figured there would be a little bit of a cut,” he said Thursday after passing a physical and finalizing a $5 million, one-year contract. “Obviously, with the labor deal that was reached, it’s a different year for the Yankees.”

New York, preparing for the luxury tax in the major leagues next year, is looking to cut its $135 million payroll.

Ventura, 35, hit .247 with 27 homers and 93 RBIs in his first season with the Yankees, who acquired him from the Mets in a trade last December.

Assistant GM Byrnes leaving for Red Sox

Denver – Colorado assistant general manager Josh Byrnes is leaving the Rockies to take a similar position with the Boston Red Sox.

Byrnes was the chief adviser to general manager Dan O’Dowd since joining the Rockies in 1999. He will become the Red Sox’s vice president of baseball operations and an assistant under new GM Theo Epstein.

“The Red Sox are such a unique team and Boston is a place with so much baseball tradition that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” Byrnes said Thursday.

Tavares says Expos have to trim payroll

New York – Bartolo Colon, Javier Vazquez and Vladimir Guerrero might be available for the right price.

The Montreal Expos have concluded they will have to shed some payroll in 2003 to keep to the budget given them by the commissioner’s office.

Expos general manager Omar Minaya began calling other GMs Thursday, telling them to think about proposals to bring to the winter meetings, which start Dec. 13 in Nashville, Tenn.

Montreal president Tony Tavares said the team had begun talking about possible trades and about extensions with the agents for Guerrero and Colon, both eligible for free agency after the 2003 season.

Friends, family remember McNally

Billings, Mont. – Dave McNally was remembered more as a family man and friend rather than a former All-Star at his funeral Thursday.

Hundreds of mourners attended the ceremony at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, including Andy Etchebarren, a catcher who played with McNally, and Jeff Ballard, a former Orioles’ pitcher. McNally died Sunday of cancer at the age of 60.

Nevin vetoes trade for Reds’ Griffey Jr.

San Diego – The Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres agreed to trade Ken Griffey Jr. for Phil Nevin last weekend but the deal died when Nevin wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause.

Nevin said Thursday that he told Padres general manager Kevin Towers that he wants to stay in San Diego, where he resurrected his career in 1999 after arriving as a backup catcher in a spring training trade with Anaheim.

A baseball source familiar with the proposed deal, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the teams agreed to the swap over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Erstad has surgery

Los Angeles – Anaheim Angels outfielder Darin Erstad underwent surgery on his right hand Thursday to remove part of a fractured bone. Erstad, who caught the last out of the World Series to give the Angels their first championship, was put in a short-arm cast that he’ll wear for three weeks, after which he’ll begin physical therapy, the Angels said. He was also given sutures that will be removed in 10 days.