Loose Ends Tied Up in Leyritz Deal

The trade that brought backup catcher Jim Leyritz to the Dodgers was completed Wednesday after his contract situation was resolved, baseball sources said.

The New York Yankees sent Leyritz, who has hit several key postseason home runs, to the Dodgers late Tuesday for reserve infielder Jose Vizcaino. The commissioner’s office approved the deal, but the clubs had to determine who owed Leyritz an off-season balloon payment.

Under the terms of Leyritz’s one-year deal, $250,000 of his $1.25-million contract was deferred without interest until Jan. 15, 2001.

On Wednesday, the Yankees agreed to make the payment, sources said. The Dodgers will give the Yankees $500,000 to help offset the remainder of Vizcaino’s $3.5-million salary this season.

Leyritz was with the Yankees in Boston and is expected to report to the Dodgers today. Vizcaino joined the Yankees Wednesday.

“I have a lot of mixed emotions only because of what this organization has meant to me, but I understand the business side of the game,” Leyritz told reporters Wednesday while packing his bags before the Yankees played the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

“I talked with [Dodger General Manager] Kevin Malone, and he told me he knows what I did when I was with the [San Diego] Padres. He told me he wants me to do the same thing for the Dodgers.”

Leyritz helped the Padres win the 1998 National League championship. He was a member of the Yankees’ World Series championship teams in ’96 and last season.

Leyritz will be the Dodgers’ main right-handed batting pinch-hitter. He hopes to play more with the Dodgers after appearing in only 24 games for the Yankees.

“It’s good for me because it’s the National League, and I should get a chance to play more [pinch-hitting],” Leyritz said. “This should give me more of an opportunity to contribute.”

*

Reliever Jeff Shaw has been removed from the full-time closer’s role again after his sixth blown save in 18 opportunities.

Manager Davey Johnson said Shaw will be used only in favorable matchups after the right-hander gave up a tying homer Tuesday to Jeff Bagwell in the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 9-6, 10-inning victory over the Astros. Shaw also gave up a double and walked a batter before being removed.

The Dodgers will use a closing committee indefinitely. Mike Fetters and Terry Adams will share save opportunities with Shaw.

Shaw recently regained the job after taking time off to strengthen his tired pitching shoulder. This time, he is sharing the job because of ineffectiveness.

“I still consider him to be the primary guy, but I’m going to have to watch him a little closer,” Johnson said of Shaw, 2-3 with 12 saves and a 6.93 earned-run average.

“He’s still going to get his chances, but I’m going to have to watch his workload and make sure I use him in matchups that favor him. We’ll just see what happens from there.”

Shaw accepts Johnson’s decision.

“All you can do is keep working and try to get going again,” Shaw said. “I’ve never had a stretch like this in my career, and I’m going to keep doing everything I can to get it worked out.”

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Johnson said catcher Todd Hundley will begin a three-day rehabilitation assignment Friday at triple-A Albuquerque.

The switch-hitter has been on the disabled list since May 31 because of a rib-cage injury.

*

The investigation of the Dodgers for allegedly violating major league rules in signing a young Venezuelan pitcher before his 16th birthday is expected to be completed within a month, a baseball source said.

Felix Arellan, a left-hander in the club’s farm system, and his father recently accused the club of misleading them in his signing. The Dodgers are cooperating with the investigation.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’

DARREN DREIFORT

(4-5, 4.84 ERA)

vs.

ASTROS’

SCOTT ELARTON

(4-3, 7.97 ERA)

Enron Field, 5 p.m. PDT

TV--Fox Sports Net 2

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330)

* Update--After beginning the season 3-1, Dreifort has four losses in his last five starts. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 4.24 ERA against the Astros. Elarton is starting for the first time against the Dodgers.