White Sox sign Lofton

? Less than two weeks before the start of spring training, Kenny Lofton found a place to play.

The six-time All-Star agreed Friday to a $1.25 million, one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, a big rival of the Cleveland Indians Lofton’s team for nine of his 11 major league seasons. The White Sox signed Lofton just three days after trading center fielder Chris Singleton to Baltimore.

Lofton, 34, a former Arizona basketball player known for his acrobatic defensive plays, has a .302 career batting average and 479 stolen bases in 1,366 games with Cleveland, Houston and Atlanta. Last year, Lofton hit a career-low .261 with 14 homers, 66 RBIs and 16 steals in 133 games with the Indians, battling a rib cage problem before the All-Star break.

Lofton’s departure is one of many for the Indians. Cleveland traded Roberto Alomar to the New York Mets and lost free agent Juan Gonzalez to Texas.