Reds Acquire Sierra From Tigers

Ruben Sierra, a key figure in the trade that sent Cecil Fielder to the New York Yankees, went to his third team of the year Monday when the Cincinnati Reds acquired him.

The Reds sent two low-level minor leaguers to the Detroit Tigers for Sierra, 31, who hit 12 homers and drove in 72 runs for the Yankees and Tigers last season.

The Tigers agreed to pay most of Sierra’s $5.5-million salary for 1997, the final year on his five-year contract. The Tigers will pick up $4.875 million, leaving the Reds to pay $625,000.

The Reds gave up outfielder Decomba Conner, 23, who hit .281 for Class A Winston-Salem last year, and pitcher Ben Bailey, 22, who was 10-11 with Winston-Salem and Charleston.

The Yankees gave up on Sierra last July, sending him to the Tigers for Fielder along with minor-league pitcher Matt Drews and $1 million.

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Pitcher Mark Clark’s $2.05-million option was exercised by the New York Mets, who decided they would rather have him back than pay a $27,500 buyout.

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The San Diego Padres find themselves in a dilemma over outfielder Greg Vaughn.

If the club re-signs Vaughn, one of the premier free agents this off-season, it likely will cost $5 million a year. That’s a price General Manager Kevin Towers indicated would be beyond the team’s budget.

But if the Padres choose to allow Vaughn to sign elsewhere, it would leave a large power gap. Vaughn was one of only two pure power hitters in San Diego’s lineup last season.

The other--Ken Caminiti--recently underwent extensive surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. The recovery time for Caminiti is expected to take from five to nine months.

Another factor in the decision about whether to re-sign Vaughn is Rickey Henderson. The 37-year-old Henderson is still under contract for one more season at $2 million.

It became apparent last season that it would be difficult to retain Henderson and Vaughn, in 1997. Neither was happy in the platoon situation created by Manager Bruce Bochy after San Diego acquired Vaughn in a deal with Milwaukee before the trading deadline.