Millwood, Pujols Are Asking for Big Rewards

Philadelphia pitcher Kevin Millwood asked for $12.5 million, while Albert Pujols and St. Louis had the biggest difference among 27 players who swapped proposed salaries with their teams in arbitration Tuesday.

Millwood, who became a free agent and accepted the Phillies’ offer to arbitrate, was offered $10 million.

Pujols, the 2001 National League rookie of the year, asked for $10.5 million while the Cardinals offered $7 million.

Pujols filed the highest request by players eligible for arbitration for the first time, baseball officials said, topping Derek Jeter’s $5-million figure in 1999. Pujols made $950,000 last season.

American League Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay of Toronto asked for $9 million and was offered $6.5 million.

Sixteen more players settled Tuesday among the 65 who had filed for arbitration last week.

Boston pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim received a $10-million, two-year deal, and Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon got a $6.6-million, one-year deal.

Kansas City outfielder Carlos Beltran, eligible for free agency after next season, agreed to a $9-million, one-year deal, and New York Yankee second baseman Alfonso Soriano settled on a $5.4-million, one-year contract.

The Seattle Mariners agreed to a $1.95-million, one-year contract with Gil Meche.

The right-hander was part of a Mariner rotation that featured only five pitchers all last season, matching a major league record.

Tampa Bay second baseman Damian Rolls submitted the lowest request in arbitration, $900,000, and the Devil Rays offered $700,000.

The $200,000 spread was the smallest among the players who exchanged figures with their clubs.

*

Hall of Famer Rod Carew will rejoin the Minnesota Twins’ organization as a member of its executive staff.

Carew, who played 12 of his 19 major league seasons with the Twins, will assist the business department, working on corporate partnerships, community affairs and broadcasting.

He was last a member of the organization in February 1979, when he was traded to the Angels.

Carew batted .328, won seven batting titles and finished with 3,053 hits.

He was the 1977 AL most valuable player and was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1991.

*

The Montreal Expos renewed their Olympic Stadium lease for 2004 and are replacing the ballpark’s hard artificial surface with FieldTurf.

“The new playing field will be a welcome improvement for the players in terms of safety, playability and comfort,” Claude Delorme, the team’s executive vice president of business affairs, said.

“It represents the closest synthetic surface to natural grass that we have seen on the market today.”

*

Outfielder Karim Garcia agreed to an $800,000, one-year contract with the New York Mets.

Garcia was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Yankees in June, batting .262 overall with 11 homers and 35 RBIs in 244 at-bats.

*

Left-hander Glendon Rusch agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers and was invited to spring training.

Rusch, a seven-year major league veteran, has played with Kansas City, the Mets and Milwaukee.

He has started 167 games during his career and is 42-76 with a 5.11 ERA.

Rusch is guaranteed $75,000 and would get a $750,000, one-year contract if he’s added to the major league roster.