Astros get Tejada from Orioles for five players

Miguel Tejada was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Houston Astros for five players on Wednesday, giving the 2002 American League most valuable player a fresh start on a team looking to boost its lineup.

The Orioles got outfielder Luke Scott, pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Dennis Sarfate, and third baseman Michael Costanzo for the four-time All-Star shortstop.

“I feel very happy with this trade, because it’s something that I’ve been really looking forward to,” Tejada said.

Tejada, 31, hit .296 with 18 home runs and 81 RBIs last season. He is owed $13 million in each of the next two years, the final seasons of a $72-million, six-year contract.

Gold Glove center fielder Aaron Rowand agreed to a $60-million, five-year contract with the San Francisco Giants.

The 30-year-old Rowand is expected to bat fifth for San Francisco after spending the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. Before that, he helped the Chicago White Sox win the 2005 World Series.

“Bottom line, I wanted to get in a spot where I would be long term,” Rowand said. “In this day of free agency, that’s not commonplace. That’s really the thing I was looking forward to most.”

He is coming off his best season yet, earning his first Gold Glove award and All-Star selection while helping the Phillies to the National League East title. Rowand batted .309 with 27 home runs and career bests of 89 RBIs, 105 runs and 45 doubles in 161 games.

Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy signed a $52-million, three-year extension, the biggest deal in San Diego Padres history.

The deal was finalized less than a month after Peavy was the unanimous winner of the NL Cy Young Award.

Peavy will make $6.5 million in 2008 and $11 million in 2009.

The new money kicks in in 2010, when he’ll make $15 million. He’ll earn $16 million in 2011 and $17 million in 2012.

The club holds a $22-million option for 2013, or a $4-million buyout. If he remains with the Padres through 2013, he’ll make $87.5 million.

The Padres also agreed to terms with free-agent second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, pending a physical.

Iguchi hit .304 in Philadelphia after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline to fill in for injured All-Star Chase Utley. Iguchi will replace Marcus Giles, who slumped badly and eventually lost his starting job during his one season in San Diego.

The Chicago Cubs declined to offer a 2008 contract to right-hander Mark Prior, an 18-game winner in 2003 whose career has been sidetracked by injuries. He becomes a free agent. . . . Andy Pettitte and the New York Yankees agreed to a $16-million, one-year contract. The 35-year-old left-hander had turned down a $16-million player option last month, saying he needed more time to make his decision. . . . Chris Gomez, a 15-year veteran utility infielder who split last season between Baltimore and Cleveland, signed a $1-million, one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. . . . The Texas Rangers acquired first baseman Ben Broussard from the Seattle Mariners for minor league infielder Tug Hulett.