Astros Acquire Beltran

Star center fielder Carlos Beltran was traded from the Kansas City Royals to the Houston Astros on Thursday night as part of a three-way deal that also sent reliever Octavio Dotel to the Oakland Athletics.

The Royals wound up with three prospects: highly touted third baseman Mark Teahen and right-hander Mike Wood from Oakland, and catcher John Buck from the Astros.

“This is obviously huge for our organization,” Astro General Manager Gerry Hunsicker said. “Carlos Beltran is one of the most exciting, complete players in our game today.”

The A’s also received cash from Kansas City, an amount under $1 million.

The 27-year-old Beltran, the biggest prize on the trade market, can become a free agent after the season. He is represented by Scott Boras, who usually does not have his players re-sign, preferring to test the free-agent market. Beltran is hitting .278 with 15 homers, 51 runs batted in and 14 steals. Dotel, 30, is 0-4 with a 3.12 earned-run average and 14 saves in 17 chances in his first year as a closer.

*

New York Yankee pitcher Jose Contreras and his family landed in the New York area, two days after they were reunited in South Florida.

Contreras’ wife, Miriam Murillo, and the couple’s two daughters, Naylan, 11, and Naylenis, 3, defected from Cuba on Monday. They gathered Tuesday in Miami Beach.

*

Fresh off a surprising team-record 12-game winning streak, Tampa Bay Manager Lou Piniella wants to see something else new and different: more payroll for more players.

“Instead of trading our better players for the future, let’s start looking at other teams’ better players for our future,” he said. “And I’m talking within a salary framework that works for us too. I’m not talking about a Alex Rodriguez-type deal.”

*

Cleveland Indian left-hander Cliff Lee dropped his appeal and began serving a six-game suspension for throwing a ball behind Ken Griffey Jr.