Martinez to Take Big Mac’s Position

Tino Martinez signed a three-year contract with St. Louis on Tuesday, giving the Cardinals a power-hitting replacement for Mark McGwire at first base.

“I don’t think any of the fans expect me to do what he [McGwire] has done,” Martinez said. “I do think they expect me to go out and produce.”

Martinez was replaced in the New York Yankees’ lineup by the signing last week of free-agent slugger Jason Giambi.

“You are never able to truly replace a player of Mark McGwire’s stature,” St. Louis General Manager Walt Jocketty said. “When looking at Tino’s credentials, we felt that he was the perfect guy to not only help offset the loss of McGwire, but he’ll also be someone who will lend valuable leadership to our ballclub.”

Martinez said the Cardinals were his first choice once he learned the Yankees planned to go with Giambi.

“As soon as Mark McGwire announced he would retire, I started thinking it would be a great place to go,” he said.

Martinez, 34, hit .280 with 34 homers and 113 runs batted in last season for the American League champion Yankees. He has driven in at least 100 runs in six of the last seven seasons and is a two-time all-star, a good fielder with a career .996 fielding percentage.

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Another former Yankee, Chuck Knoblauch, is going to a Kansas City Royal team that twice in the last three seasons has lost almost 100 games.

“Coming to Kansas City, it’s a challenge and I look forward to it,” the infielder-turned-outfielder said after signing a one-year contract with the Royals.

Knoblauch, 33, became a free agent when the Yankees declined to make him an offer.

He has a .293 lifetime average but dipped to .250 last year, when he moved to left field from second base after persistent throwing problems.

The Royals, who haven’t been in the playoffs since 1985, will play him mostly in left and count on him to bat leadoff.

“This guy’s got plenty of baseball left,” General Manager Allard Baird said.

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The Cincinnati Reds, continuing to cut their payroll, traded infielder Pokey Reese and reliever Dennys Reyes to the Colorado Rockies for pitchers Gabe White and Luke Hudson.

Reese, whom the Reds didn’t want to trade for Ken Griffey Jr. two years ago, hit .224 with nine home runs, 40 RBIs and 25 stolen bases last season, while Reyes, a former Dodger, went 2-6 with a 4.92 earned-run average.

The deal comes one week after outfielder Dmitri Young was traded to the Detroit Tigers. Young’s $3.5-million salary was the Reds’ fourth-highest and he was eligible for salary arbitration this spring.

White, 30, is returning for his second stint with the Reds.

He was 1-7 with a 6.25 ERA in a career-high 69 appearances for the Rockies last season.

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Free-agent outfielder Juan Gonzalez plans to reject the Cleveland Indians’ salary arbitration offer and focus on signing a long-term contract with another club, his agent said. ... Seattle Mariner outfielder Jay Buhner will retire after a 15-year major league career, the Seattle Times reported. ... Free-agent John Burkett has accepted an $11-million, two-year offer from the Boston Red Sox, his agent said. The team, however, said it had no news regarding the pitcher. ... The Arizona Diamondbacks re-signed outfielder Danny Bautista, who hit .583 with seven RBIs in the World Series, and added Hall of Famer Robin Yount as a coach.

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A federal judge blocked an investigation by Florida’s attorney general into baseball’s plan to eliminate two teams, saying the inquiry was barred by the sport’s antitrust exemption.

The order Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle frees major league baseball and its two Florida teams from having to give Attorney General Bob Butterworth documents involving plans to fold franchises before the start of next season.

Butterworth was seeking information on those plans, saying Floridians deserve to know if the Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays will be disbanded or moved.