Angels’ Jose Arredondo to sit out 2010

Angels reliever Jose Arredondo will undergo elbow reconstruction surgery and is expected to miss the 2010 season, the club announced Friday.

Arredondo recently returned from winter ball after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow. He spent time on the minor league disabled list last season because of a sprained right elbow.

Arredondo, 25, was considered a closer in waiting after his 2008 rookie season, when he was 10-2 with a 1.62 earned-run average. He was 2-3 with a 6.00 ERA last season and was demoted to triple-A Salt Lake in June.

He had fallen behind Brian Fuentes, Scot Shields, Kevin Jepsen, Jason Bulger and Matt Palmer on the bullpen depth chart. The Angels also are trying to re-sign veteran reliever Darren Oliver.

-- Bill Shaikin White Sox get Putz

Reliever J.J. Putz, an All-Star in 2007, agreed to a one-year, $3-million contract with the Chicago White Sox and will fill a setup role in the bullpen.

Putz is 23-19 with a 3.24 ERA and 103 saves in 337 relief appearances over seven major league seasons with Seattle and the New York Mets.

He was 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA with the Mets last season in 29 appearances before undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow on June 9, causing him to miss the remainder of the season.

“He passed the physical with flying colors and we couldn’t be happier with what was communicated to us,” White Sox General Manager Ken Williams said. “Needless to say, we feel from the top of our rotation down through the end of the bullpen, we feel as strong as we’ve ever been.”

Putz will serve as a setup man, along with lefty Matt Thornton, for closer Bobby Jenks.

K.C. gets Kendall

Jason Kendall agreed to a $6-million, two-year contract with the Kansas City Royals and is expected to become their everyday catcher.

Kendall is a .290 hitter over his 14-year career. The 35-year-old was an All-Star in 1996, 1998 and 2000 but hit only .241 with two homers and 43 runs batted in last season with Milwaukee.

The Royals did not offer a contract to Miguel Olivo, who led the team last year with 23 home runs, and aren’t expected to re-sign backup catcher John Buck.

Feliz moves

Pedro Feliz is moving from the National League’s best team to one that he thinks has the potential to make the playoffs next season.

The former Philadelphia third baseman signed a one-year, $4.5-million contract with the Houston Astros on Thursday, the last day of the winter meetings.

The 34-year-old Feliz is expected to start at third base for the Astros.

Feliz hit .266 with 12 homers and 82 RBIs for the NL champion Phillies in 2009. The team declined his $5.5-million option for 2010 and opted to pay a $500,000 buyout. Philadelphia replaced Feliz with Placido Polanco.

Rays-Braves trade

The Tampa Bay Rays completed a trade with the Atlanta Braves, acquiring right-handed pitcher Rafael Soriano and agreeing to a $7.25-million, one-year contract with the reliever.

The deal sent right-hander Jesse Chavez to the Braves, who weren’t willing to give Soriano a long-term contract and recently signed free agent relievers Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito.

‘Pudge’ to Nationals

The Washington Nationals signed catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a two-year, $6-million deal, even though the team has a potential star in Jesus Flores.

“He’s going to be a significant contributor to the ballclub,” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said of Rodriguez, 38. “Now if that means 70-80 games, or if that means 70-80-90-100 games, those are questions that will be answered throughout the course of the season.”