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The Los Angeles Dodgers declined to offer contracts to pitchers Troy Brohawn, Alfredo Gonzalez and Derek Thompson on Saturday, making them free agents.
Brohawn went 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 12 appearances for the Dodgers last season. He also pitched for San Francisco in 2002 and Arizona the previous year.
Gonzalez was 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in two games with Triple-A Las Vegas, and was 5-5 with a 5.47 ERA in 10 starts with Double-A Jacksonville.
Thompson, a left-hander, missed all of last season because of a torn ligament in his throwing elbow that required reconstructive surgery. Thompson, selected by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule V draft last winter and traded to the Dodgers for cash, spent the previous season in Cleveland's farm system and has never pitched above Single-A.
While saying good-bye to two closers from their world championship team, the Florida Marlins will be welcoming one of the best statistically over the past six years.
With Ugueth Urbina already out of the picture via free agency, the Marlins on Saturday non-tendered Braden Looper and signed fellow righthander Armando Benitez to a one-year contract.
Financial terms
were not disclosed on the deal, which becomes official after Benitez completes
a physical.
Looper recorded 28 saves last season but lost his closer's job down the stretch
to Urbina, who posted six saves after being acquired from Texas in July.
Urbina, who also had three wins and a 1.41 ERA in 33 games, held the job in the postseason, going 1-0 with four saves, two in the World Series.
Benitez posted a 4-4 record with 21 saves and a 2.96 ERA in 69 games with the New York Mets, New York Yankees and Seattle last season. The 31-year-old, who was the Mets' lone All-Star representative before being traded across town in July, appeared in just nine games with the Yankees before being shipped to the Mariners.
With 182 saves since becoming Baltimore's closer in 1998, Benitez ranks sixth in the major leagues. The Dominican native has a career save success mark of 84.9 percent, which is ninth-best all-time.
In 564 career games, Benitez is 30-31 with 197 saves and a 3.03 ERA.
The Marlins also agreed to terms with shortstop Alex Gonzalez on a two-year contract and righthander A.J. Burnett on a one-year deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The light-hitting Gonzalez enjoyed a breakout season in 2003, batting .256 with 18 home runs and 77 RBI, both career highs. He struggled in the postseason before belting the game-winning homer in the 12th inning of Game Four of the World Series, igniting a three-game winning streak for the Marlins.
In 607 career games, the 26-year-old Gonzalez owns a .244 average with 53 homers and 251 RBI.
Burnett, 26, made just four starts for Florida last season, going 0-2 with a 4.70 ERA. He underwent "Tommy John" surgery in late April and was shelved for the remainder of the year.
Drafted by the Mets in 1995, Burnett is 30-32 with nine complete games, six shutouts and a 3.86 ERA in 82 games, including two relief appearances.
In addition to Looper, the Marlins elected to non-tender relievers Armando Almanza and Toby Borland.
The 31-year-old Almanza appeared in 51 games in 2003, going 4-5 with a 6.08 ERA. The lefthander is 13-12 with two saves and a 4.79 ERA in 235 career games.
Borland, 34, posted a 1.86 ERA in seven games with the Marlins last season. In 189 major league games with Philadelphia, Boston, the Mets, Anaheim and Florida, he is 10-8 with eight saves and a 4.08 ERA.