First baseman Adam LaRoche and the Arizona Diamondbacks finalized a 1-year contract yesterday that guarantees him $6 million.
LaRoche gets $4.5 million this year, and the deal includes a $7.5 million mutual option for 2011 with a $1.5 million buyout.
The 30-year-old hit .277 for Atlanta, Boston and Pittsburgh last season with 25 homers and 83 RBI.
Arizona designated outfielder Eric Byrnes for assignment. Byrnes is owed $11 million for the final year of a 3-year, $30 million contract.
Also, Conor Jackson agreed to a $3.1 million, 1-year contract that avoided arbitration.
In other baseball news:
* Four Phillies were among 128 major leaguers who filed for salary arbitration: righthanders Joe Blanton and Chad Durbin, catcher Carlos Ruiz and centerfielder Shane Victorino. Giants two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum also was among the 128 players who filed.
* Closer Heath Bell said he and the San Diego Padres agreed to a $4 million, 1-year contract to avoid salary arbitration. Bell led the NL with 42 saves last year.
* The Padres agreed to trade third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and a minor leaguer to the Athletics for outfielders Scott Hairston and Aaron Cunningham, the Associated Press reported.
* The Cleveland Indians agreed to an $850,000, 1-year contract with free-agent catcher Mike Redmond.
* Brandon McCarthy and the Rangers agreed to a 1-year, $1.3 million contract, avoiding arbitration.
Soccer
* Ivory Coast advanced to the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations with a 3-1 victory over Ghana. Meanwhile, hundreds of mourners gathered in Togo to remember the two victims of an attack on the national soccer team in Angola on the eve of the tournament.
* Diego Maradona is back as Argentina's soccer coach, ending a 2-month suspension imposed by FIFA following a profanity-filled rant after his team qualified for the World Cup against Uruguay.
Tennis
* Top-seeded Serena Williams lost to Elena Dementieva in the Sydney International final, a tuneup for the Australian Open, which begins next week. Williams also appeared to hurt her left knee during the match but later downplayed any suggestion of an injury. In men's play, former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis and Richard Gasquet advanced to the final.
* Alastair Martin, a longtime amateur tennis champion who helped transform the game by opening major tournaments to professionals, died at 94.
Winter Sports
