Cone Gets Another Chance With Mets

David Cone has decided to give it one more try.

Out of baseball last year, the 40-year-old pitcher will attempt a comeback with the New York Mets, after signing a minor league contract Thursday.

The right-hander last pitched in 2001, going 9-7 with a 4.31 earned-run average in 25 starts for the Boston Red Sox. Cone worked as an analyst for the New York Yankees’ YES network last season and had been expected to do so again.

“My gut feeling is that I’ll probably retire at this point,” Cone said in late January while visiting the Yankee minor league complex in Tampa, Fla.

But after a lot of lobbying from Met left-hander Al Leiter -- and the possibility of winning a spot as the No. 5 starter -- Cone chose to give it a shot. He would get a $550,000, one-year contract if he makes the team and the chance to earn $200,000 more in performance bonuses.

Leiter, Tom Glavine, Pedro Astacio and Steve Trachsel hold down the first four spots in the rotation. Cone will compete with Mike Bacsik, Jason Middlebrook and Aaron Heilman for the fifth slot.

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Closer Jose Jimenez and the Colorado Rockies agreed to a $3.6-million, one-year contract.

Jimenez leads the Rockies with 82 career saves, setting a team record with 41 last season, when he was 2-10 with a 3.56 ERA. He is 13-13 with a 3.57 ERA in 199 innings pitched with the Rockies.

The 29-year-old right-hander, who made $1,937,500 last year, had asked for $3.9 million in arbitration and had been offered $3.2 million.

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The Kansas City Royals avoided arbitration with outfielder Raul Ibanez, agreeing to a $3-million, one-year contract.

Ibanez, 30, had a career-best .294 average last season and nearly doubled his career totals with 37 doubles, six triples and 24 homers. He had 103 runs batted in -- nine short of his total in his first four seasons.

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Former All-Star catcher Dave Nilsson ended his career with the Red Sox before it started, telling the team he was retiring because he has lost the will to play.

Nilsson, the first Australian to play in the major leagues, was set to embark on a trip from home Tuesday when he called team officials and announced his decision.

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Catcher Todd Pratt’s contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies from Scranton/Wilkes Barre of the International League.

Pratt, 36, hit .311 with three home runs and 16 RBIs as a backup catcher for the Phillies last season.

To make room for Pratt, the Phillies put 24-year-old right-hander Elio Serrano on waivers. Serrano was promptly claimed by the Colorado Rockies.