Baltimore ? Sammy Sosa will be taking aim at American League pitchers and the short left-field wall at Camden Yards this summer.

The trade that sent Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles from the Chicago Cubs was finalized Wednesday after commissioner Bud Selig approved the deal, and the slugger passed his physical.

Chicago received second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. and two minor-leaguers, second baseman Mike Fontenot and right-handed pitcher Dave Crouthers.

“I had a great time in Chicago,” Sosa during a news conference at Camden Yards. “This is my new house, and I love it.”

Under terms of the addendum to Sosa’s contract that he signed Wednesday, the Cubs will pay $16.15 million of the $25 million Sosa was still owed under his $72 million, four-year contract, according to details obtained by the Associated Press.

Baltimore is responsible for just $8.85 million of Sosa’s $17 million salary this year, with the Cubs paying the rest. Because Sosa is paid on a 12-month basis and already had received $1,307,692 of his salary this year, that amount was credited to what the Cubs owe Baltimore, meaning the Orioles will receive $6,842,308 in cash from Chicago.

As part of the trade, Chicago will pay Sosa $3.5 million in severance within 30 days. The $18 million 2006 option in his contract was eliminated, and the $4.5 million buyout was converted to a $4.5 million assignment bonus, which the Cubs must pay by March 15. He also agreed to eliminate the $19 million option for 2007 that his contract said would be added if he was traded.