Red Sox Are Sold forRecord $660 Million

In a $660-million deal that would double the record price for a baseball team, the limited partners of the Boston Red Sox voted unanimously Thursday to sell the franchise to a group led by Florida Marlin owner John Henry and former San Diego Padre owner Tom Werner.

The team said the agreement also included $40 million in assumed debt, bringing the total to $700 million. The current record is the $323 million that Larry Dolan paid for the Cleveland Indians last year.

“The Boston Red Sox represent the spirit and passion of New England,” the winning group said in a statement. “We will become active and visible members of this great community and always remember that the team belongs, not to us, but to all of you.”

Henry’s involvement is bad news for the Angels. Disney, which owns the Angels, had hoped Henry’s bid to land the Red Sox would fail because he was considered a prime candidate to purchase the Anaheim franchise.

The record price for a sports franchise is $800 million, paid by Daniel Snyder in 1999 for the Washington Redskins and the team’s stadium in Landover, Md.

Thursday’s agreement includes 100 percent of the Red Sox franchise, which owns Fenway Park and 80 percent of the New England Sports Network. The agreement must be approved by 75 percent of the 30 major league owners, who usually take about six months to consider sales.

Henry is negotiating to sell the Marlins to Jeffrey Loria, the owner of the Montreal Expos, a team Commissioner Bud Selig wants to eliminate.

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In other Red Sox news, the team agreed to a four-year contract with free-agent outfielder Johnny Damon worth $31 million, another major move in their busy off-season makeover.

Damon, 28, was among the top hitters on the free-agent market. He batted .256 with nine homers, 49 runs batted in and 27 steals for Oakland this year.

Damon joins what had been a thin outfield corps after Boston traded Carl Everett to Texas and saw Dante Bichette, Darren Lewis and Troy O’Leary become free agents.

Duquette also said the team had agreed to a one-year, $5-million deal with first baseman Tony Clark, who was claimed off waivers from Detroit on Nov. 20.

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The World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks are on the brink of adding David Wells to their already potent rotation.

Wells needs to pass a physical, and other minor details need to be worked out. The 38-year-old left-hander’s agent said Thursday the deal is 85% complete, and that Wells expects to sign a one-year deal loaded with incentives shortly after the new year.

Wells was 5-7 with a 4.47 earned-run average in 16 starts for the Chicago White Sox this year. His season was cut short because of back surgery.

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Right-hander Albie Lopez agreed to a one-year, $4-million contract with the Atlanta Braves after going a combined 9-19 with Tampa Bay and Arizona last season.

Lopez was 5-12 with a 5.34 ERA with the Devil Rays, who traded him with catcher Mike DiFelice for pitcher Nick Bierbrodt and outfielder Jason Conti. Lopez was 4-7 with a 4.00 ERA for the Diamondbacks and was the losing pitcher in Game 5 of the World Series, giving up a 12th-inning RBI single to the Yankees’ Alfonso Soriano.

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Former 20-game winner Rick Helling, outfielder Ricky Ledee, pitcher Justin Thompson and infielder Scott Sheldon were not offered contracts for 2002 by the Texas Rangers, making them free agents. Helling was Texas’ opening-day starter this season and went 12-11 with a 5.17 ERA in 34 starts.... Catcher Scott Hatteberg, outfielder Clifford Brumbaugh and catcher Sal Fasano became free agents when the Colorado Rockies decided not to offer them 2002 contracts. Rocky General Manager Dan O’Dowd spent the day negotiating with the agent for Hatteberg, acquired Wednesday from Boston for second baseman Pokey Reese. By allowing Hatteberg to become a free agent, Colorado can re-sign him and get around the rule prohibiting salary cuts of greater than 20%.... Right-hander Jeff D’Amico agreed to a $1.84-million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, who cut loose Jimmy Haynes, another right-handed starter.... Infielder Tony Graffanino and the Chicago White Sox agreed to a two-year, $1.25-million contract.... The Detroit Tigers signed pitcher Juan Acevedo to a minor league contract and claimed outfielder Endy Chavez off waivers from Kansas City.

Miscellany

Oscar De La Hoya is expanding into the business side of boxing, forming his own promotional company. De La Hoya, who has held championships in four weight classes, said he has acquired Roy Englebrecht Promotions, a 12-year-old Orange County company, and is renaming it Golden Boy Promotions LLC.

The 28-year-old boxer, who will be the company president, will also continue to fight. He said he plans to promote local fights as well as cable and pay-per-view events.

The Copa Mercosur final between Argentine champion San Lorenzo and Brazil’s Flamengo will be played in January, local reports said. The second game of the series originally was scheduled for Wednesday at San Lorenzo’s Nuevo Gasometro Stadium. But the game was suspended after rioting across Argentina ended with the government imposing a state of emergency. ... Paolo Maldini, the captain of Italy’s national team and AC Milan, will be sidelined for two months because of ligament damage in his left knee.

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Jim Michaelian was named president and chief executive of the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach, succeeding Chris Pook, who had just resigned to become president and chief executive of CART.

Since 1997, Michaelian, 58, had served as chief operating officer of the organization that stages the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. He has been with the organization in various capacities since its inception in 1974.