Champion Marlins Trade Lee to Cubs for Choi

The breakup of the Florida Marlins has begun.

The World Series champions traded first baseman Derrek Lee to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in a cost-cutting measure, getting Hee Seop Choi and a minor leaguer to be named.

More deals could follow.

“There were two main reasons for the move. One is, obviously, we need to achieve our goal of operating within our payroll,” Marlin General Manager Larry Beinfest said. “Two, we want to make sure we have the appropriate allocations to retain our core pitching.”

The Marlins insist their off-season changes won’t be as drastic as the ones after they won their first World Series title in 1997. The best components of that team were sold to the highest bidder.

This time, second baseman Luis Castillo, catcher Ivan Rodriguez and closer Ugueth Urbina are free agents. Third baseman Mike Lowell, right fielder Juan Encarnacion and starting pitchers Brad Penny and Mark Redman are among a long list of players eligible for salary arbitration.

Lee also is eligible for arbitration, and his salary is expected to go from $4.25 million to at least $6 million. By trading him, the Marlins said they were able to offer right-hander A.J. Burnett a contract.

“I don’t think this situation is anything like ’97. We just have so many guys due for big pay jumps....” Lee said. “I was hearing all the rumors and my name seemed to be in every one, so I wasn’t shocked to be traded.”

Last season, Lee hit .271 with 31 home runs, 92 runs batted in and 21 steals, and had a slugging percentage of .508. He has 20 homers in each of his last four seasons and 40 steals over the last two years -- the most by any first baseman in the majors.

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John Smoltz will remain in the Atlanta Braves’ bullpen instead of returning to the starting rotation.

“He’s going to keep doing the things he’s done for us for years and doing it well,” General Manager John Schuerholz said. “He’s going to be our closer.”

Smoltz, who had elbow surgery in October and can’t throw until January, had expressed interest in returning to his former role as a starter.

Schuerholz acknowledged the possibility of a switch had been discussed in the last year, but he said it was never seriously pondered.

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Gary Sheffield had an informal meeting with the New York Yankees, who may be interested in signing the free-agent outfielder.

Sheffield came across several Yankee officials at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ game with the New York Giants on Monday night.

His agent, Rufus Williams, said it was an informal conversation. Sheffield is talking with several teams, Williams said.

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Former Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove, fired by the Baltimore Orioles in September, was hired by the Indians as a senior advisor to the team’s baseball operations department.... Luchy Guerra of the Dodgers was selected female executive of the year in the minor leagues by the National Assn. of Professional Baseball Leagues. Guerra, the team’s assistant director of minor league operations, has been with the Dodgers for 10 years.

Volleyball

The United States posted a 28-26, 25-16, 25-23 victory over Venezuela to improve to 7-1 in the men’s volleyball World Cup at Tokyo.

Twelve teams are competing in the round-robin competition, which ends Sunday. Brazil and Serbia and Montenegro each are 8-0. The top three teams qualify for next year’s Athens Olympics.

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USC senior outside hitter April Ross has been selected the Pacific 10 Conference player of the year after leading the top-ranked Trojans to an 18-0 conference record, 27-0 overall.

Ross, a four-time all-conference selection from Newport Beach, is the first Trojan to win the award.

Miscellany

Women’s shotput Olympic champion Yanina Korolchik, 26, of Belarus was banned for two years after failing a drug test, the International Amateur Athletics Federation said.

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Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley, closed for nearly a month because of damage from last month’s wildfires, will re-open its Shadow Course on Thursday.

The Sky Course remains closed while damage is repaired. Green fees are $79 Monday-Thursday, $89 Friday and $109 on weekends and holidays.