$6.25 Million for Two Years Keeps Molitor in Minnesota

Paul Molitor decided to stay with the Minnesota Twins, agreeing Thursday to a $6.25-million, two-year contract.

Molitor, 40, batted .341 in his first year with the Twins and got the 3,000th hit of his career on Sept. 16. He declined to exercise a $2-million player option for next season, which made him eligible for free agency again, but he stayed with the Twins for a deal that pays him $3.5 million next season and $2.75 million in 1998.

Molitor has the option of terminating the contract after next season. He has said that if he doesn’t play well in 1997, he will retire.

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Atlanta pitchers John Smoltz and Steve Avery have decided to test the market, filing along with 20 others for free agency.

However, Smoltz, the probable National League Cy Young Award winner, is expected to stay with the Braves after going 24-8 with a 2.94 earned-run average last season. Avery, who has had three consecutive so-so seasons, is not expected to return.

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In moves that were expected, the New York Yankees exercised a $700,000 option on outfielder Darryl Strawberry and a $1.5-million option on third baseman Charlie Hayes. The Yankees must decide today whether to exercise Dwight Gooden’s 1997 option. . . . Yankee left-hander Kenny Rogers found out he will need arthroscopic surgery on his pitching arm and his elbow.

Dennis Eckersley’s $1,625,000 option for next season was exercised by the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals also announced center fielder Ray Lankford will be sidelined for up to six months after having surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff. He may sit out up to a month of the 1997 season.

Cleveland, as expected, exercised its $4.75-million option on outfielder Kenny Lofton. . . . Infielder Jose Valentin and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to a three-year contract worth about $5 million. . . . Texas opted to pay right-hander Mike Henneman a $250,000 buyout rather than exercise a $2.1-million option.

San Diego decided to give right-hander Bob Tewksbury $125,000 rather than bring him back at $1.75 million. . . . Philadelphia let left-hander David West go for $200,000 rather than exercise a $1.5-million option. . . . Chicago Cub right-hander Jamie Navarro, who had a $3.6-million player option for next season, declined it and became eligible for free agency.

Alex Rodriguez, who began the season batting ninth for Seattle and became the top hitter in the majors at age 21, has been voted the Associated Press major league player of the year. . . . Cleveland third baseman Jim Thome had surgery to remove a broken bone in his right hand.

Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo, a member of a major league all-star team, will pitch in Tokyo Saturday night in the second game of a U.S.-Japan exhibition series. Nomo will pitch again in the sixth game at Koshien Stadium, near his hometown of Osaka in western Japan.

Tennis

Michael Chang became the latest seeded player to fall at the Paris Open, losing, 6-1, 6-3, to Arnaud Boetsch.

Top-seeded and defending champion Pete Sampras as well as Andre Agassi and Boris Becker had already been eliminated.

Jennifer Capriati, ranked 50th in the world, defeated defending champion Magdalena Maleeva, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, in a second-round match of the Ameritech Cup at Chicago.

Top-seeded Monica Seles beat Romania’s Irina Spirlea in a quarterfinal match, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2. Second-seeded Lindsay Davenport advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Argentina’s Paola Suarez, 7-6 (7-5), 6-0.

Golf

Todd Barranger, 28, who dropped out of golf for nine months after discovering he had testicular cancer in February 1995, shot a seven-under-par 65 to take a one-shot lead over defending champion Frank Nobilo in the opening round of the Sarazen Open World Championship at Braselton, Ga.

Miscellany

Promoter Don King announced that Nashville will be the site of the Lennox Lewis-Oliver McCall World Boxing Council heavyweight title match on Jan. 11. . . . Cal State Fullerton basketball guard Chris St. Clair will be sidelined three to six weeks after breaking a finger on his left hand during practice.