Baseball | Yankees reach agreement to acquire Curtis Granderson in a 3-team trade

INDIANAPOLIS — Instead of spending at these winter meetings, the New York Yankees are in a dealing mode.

The World Series champions pulled off the first big trade of this year's session, reaching a tentative agreement Tuesday on a three-team, seven-player swap that would bring them All-Star center fielder Curtis Granderson from Detroit.

New York would trade right-hander Ian Kennedy to Arizona, and lefty reliever Phil Coke and outfield prospect Austin Jackson to Detroit, a baseball official said on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet final.

"There's a lot of noise out there. Clearly I can't speak to the noise," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.

Detroit would trade All-Star pitcher Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks, and Arizona would send touted young pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to the Tigers. The teams were still working on technical aspects of the trade, the official said, including checking medical records.

"Granderson, of course he's going to make them better," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "He's a pretty good outfielder. He plays with a lot of energy. He's the kind of guy that fits into that landscape in New York, where he's going to thrive within that kind of a situation."

Last year, the Yankees and ace pitcher CC Sabathia agreed to a $161 million, seven-year deal during the winter meetings and also set in motion an $82.5 million, five-year contract with pitcher A.J. Burnett.

While Milwaukee was negotiating with Randy Wolf, the pitcher's agent said he didn't have an agreement with anyone yet.

Also, the Chicago Cubs were shopping mercurial outfielder Milton Bradley.

Among players eligible for salary arbitration, the Chicago White Sox agreed to a $14 million, three-year contract with third baseman Mark Teahen and the Atlanta Braves designated outfielder Ryan Church for assignment rather than offer him a contract by Saturday's deadline.

Some teams are waiting to find out which players won't be tendered contracts before making free-agent moves.

"Some of the non-tender guys will blend in equal to some of the free-agent guys," said general manager Omar Minaya of the New York Mets.

The fleet Granderson would displace Melky Cabrera as center fielder for the Yankees.

Cabrera, a 25-year-old switch-hitter, batted .274 last season with 13 homers, 68 runs batted in and 10 steals. He could shift to left, depending on whether New York re-signs Johnny Damon or designated hitter Hideki Matsui.

Cashman spoke last weekend with Damon's agent, Scott Boras, and met Tuesday with Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem.

Detroit, which failed to make the playoffs after a late-season slide, might be looking to cut payroll after a big attendance drop this year at Comerica Park. Granderson is owed at least $25.75 million: $5.5 million next year, $8.25 million in 2011, $10 million in 2012 and a $2 million buyout of a $13 million club option for 2013.

Edwin Jackson was 13-9 with a 3.62 earned-run average this year and is eligible for salary arbitration after making $2.3 million, including $100,000 in performance bonuses. He can become a free agent after the 2011 season.

Notes

• Randy Johnson, who was 8-6 for the San Francisco Giants this year, is weighing his decision about whether to pitch again in 2010 or retire after 22 major-league seasons.

Agent Alan Nero said he expects to know in the coming weeks whether ex-Mariner Johnson, 46, will return for another season.

"It depends whether he still has the fire and whether he wants to compete and how he feels," Nero said. "He's enjoying his family. In the past, he was always so motivated to get back out there. Now, it gets to a point he's going to make some decisions and I can't speak for him."

Johnson, 303-166, filed for free agency last month and plans to begin working out again soon, Nero said.

• The Minnesota Twins have designated right-hander Boof Bonser for assignment to make room on the roster for starting pitcher Carl Pavano. Pavano accepted Minnesota's offer of salary arbitration Monday night.

• Peter Gammons, 64, is leaving ESPN after 20 years to become an analyst for MLB Network.