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The Atlanta Braves, who have seen their pitching staff undergo a transformation this offseason, Friday signed free agent reliever Antonio Alfonseca to a one-year contract.
Alfonseca, 31, was 3-1 with a 5.83 ERA in 60 games for the Chicago Cubs in 2003. It was his second season in Chicago after spending his first five years with Florida, where he was a member of the 1997 World Series champions.
The righthander has a lifetime record of 23-30 with a 4.11 ERA and 121 saves in 400 appearances.
Atlanta is likely to lose ace Greg Maddux, who was not offered arbitration, and traded away Jason Marquis and their top prospect Adam Wainwright. The Braves, who also saw setup man Roberto Hernandez sign with the rival Philadelphia Phillies, have added veteran arms like C.J. Nitkowski, John Thomson and Alfonseca in an attempt to compensate.
Right-hander Jose Santiago and the Chicago White Sox were close to agreement Friday on a minor league contract.
While the team originally said the deal had been finalized, spokesman Scott Reifert later said there were some outstanding issues.
If Santiago is added to major league roster, he would get a $550,000, one-year contract and the chance to earn $125,000 in bonuses: $25,000 each for 35, 45, 50, 55 and 60 games played.
Santiago, 29, spent last season with the Cleveland Indians, where he was 1-3 with a 2.84 ERA in 25 games.
He was with Kansas City from 1997-2001 and Philadelphia from 2001-2002. Santiago has a 17-22 record with four saves and a 4.39 ERA.