Lee, Phillies reach a deal

Cliff Lee is returning to the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that traded him nearly one year ago.

The free-agent pitcher reached a preliminary agreement on a $100-million, five-year contract with the Phillies on Monday night, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press.

The deal is subject to the 32-year-old left-hander’s passing a physical, the person said on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not final.

The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers received telephone calls Monday night telling them they were out of the running, two people familiar with those team’s negotiations said, also on condition of anonymity.

Lee, the 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner, turned down longer and more lucrative offers to return to the team he helped reach the 2009 World Series after a midseason trade from Cleveland.

Free-agent slugger Hideki Matsui and the Oakland Athletics worked Monday to finalize a contract that would make him the team’s new designated hitter.

A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to the Associated Press that the sides were close. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no formal announcement. The deal was expected to be finalized Tuesday after a physical.

The 36-year-old Matsui batted .274 with 21 home runs and 84 runs batted in last season with the Angels, the Athletics’ AL West rival.

The Dodgers signed infielder Juan Castro, outfielder Eugenio Velez and catcher J.D. Closser to minor league contracts and invited them to major league spring training camp.

Castro and Velez played in the major leagues last season -- Castro with the Philadelphia Phillies and Dodgers, and Velez with the San Francisco Giants. Closser, who has played for the Dodgers’ triple-A affiliate in New Mexico in each of the last two seasons, last played in the big leagues in 2006.

-- Dylan Hernandez

The average salary in Major League Baseball finished over $3 million in 2010 for the first time.

The 912 players in the big leagues before rosters expanded in September averaged $3,014,572, the Major League Baseball Players Assn. said.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Iowa suspends running back

Iowa starting running back Adam Robinson won’t make the trip to the Insight Bowl because he failed to comply with team policies, and oft-injured back Jewel Hampton will transfer.

Hawkeyes Coach Kirk Ferentz announced the moves in a statement released Monday night. The release from the school said Ferentz won’t have additional comment until he and Athletic Director Gary Barta hold a news conference Tuesday.

Robinson’s suspension and Hampton’s plans to transfer made a bad month even worse for the scuffling Hawkeyes.

Wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos has been suspended from team activities following his arrest on drug charges last week. Those charges include possession of controlled substances, keeping a drug house and unlawful possession of a prescription drug.

Northern Illinois hired Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren as its head coach. Doeren succeeds Jerry Kill, who is the new coach at Minnesota.