Teams Deny Rocker Rumors

The Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos say they aren’t working on a deal that would send John Rocker to Montreal. The Record of Hackensack (N.J.), citing a highly placed baseball official, said the trade was close to complete.

“It’s not true,” Expo owner Jeffrey Loria told the Montreal Gazette on Monday. “I’ve heard for weeks now about Urbina, Rocker, a combination. There’s nothing on the table.”

Atlanta General Manager John Schuerholz, in Kissimmee, Fla., with the Braves, also discounted the trade rumor. “That’s an old story. It’s not even part of our camp,” he said. “We’re just concerned with how John is pitching.”

Rocker, who had 38 saves and a 2.49 earned-run average last season, is suspended for the first two weeks of the season for his disparaging comments about minorities, gays and foreigners.

The Cleveland Indians also have been involved in Rocker rumors, prompting Indian Manager Charlie Manuel to joke about it after a spring game against Florida at Melbourne, Fla. “We got Rocker yet?” Manuel said. “I think probably everyone in baseball has asked about Rocker. I know his name came up, but how involved and deep we got, I don’t know. I don’t think that it’s gotten to where we were dickering over a deal.”

Indian General Manager John Hart wouldn’t confirm or deny a report in Monday’s Cleveland Plain Dealer that he’s discussed a trade involving Rocker and left-hander Bruce Chen for starter Jaret Wright, reliever Paul Shuey and infielder John McDonald or Jolbert Cabrera.

“This is the time for a lot of rumors,” Hart said.

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Shawn Haggerty-Martin, who says she’s the wife of San Diego Padre outfielder Al Martin, was put on probation for a year and ordered to undergo counseling for hitting Martin.

Police arrested Haggerty-Martin and Martin on assault charges after a fight at Martin’s Scottsdale, Ariz., home March 20. Martin has a pretrial date set for April 12.

The argument started when Haggerty-Martin accused Martin of still being married to another woman, police said. Since his arrest, Martin has been sequestered with his wife, Cathy, at their home.

Martin told police he is not married to Haggerty-Martin but that she had been his girlfriend for about six years. He told police he attended a ceremony in Las Vegas a couple of years ago, but didn’t believe it was real.

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Rickey Henderson scored two runs and drove in one as the New York Mets defeated Seibu, 8-1, in an exhibition game at Tokorozawa, Japan. Japanese comedian Kyotaka Nambara threw out the ceremonial first pitch and playfully threw at Henderson, who was in the batter’s box. Henderson hammed it up for the fans, sprawling in the batter’s box and rolling on his back. The Chicago Cubs, meanwhile, lost to the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, 6-0. The Mets play the Cubs on Wednesday at Tokyo to start the major league season.

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A day after he was released by Boston, former American League rookie of the year Marty Cordova agreed to a $500,000, one-year contract with Toronto. . . . Brian Hunter, last season’s AL stolen-base champion, was put on unconditional release waivers by the Seattle Mariners. Hunter, who had 44 steals last year, gets $593,407 in termination pay instead of the $2.4 million salary he won in arbitration. . . . The Baltimore Orioles purchased the minor-league contract of reliever Tim Worrell, the brother of former Dodger Todd Worrell. . . . Jeff Cirillo, expected to replace Dante Bichette as Colorado’s cleanup hitter, aggravated a strained right quadriceps while hitting eight times in a minor league game, and his status for Monday’s opener against Atlanta is in doubt. . . . Milwaukee second baseman Ron Belliard, who dislocated his right thumb March 8, played five innings for Milwaukee’s triple-A Indianapolis squad and said he may be in uniform on opening day.