Baseball Notes: White Sox make room for Drabek

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

The Chicago White Sox, looking to shore up their starting rotation, have signed 1990 Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek to a one-year contract.

Drabek, who won the Cy Young after going 22-6 with Pittsburgh, has pitched the last four seasons with the Hou ston Astros, compiling a 38-42 record.

The 34-year-old right-hander was 7-9 with a 4.57 earned run average in 30 starts with the Astros last season. He is 137-112 lifetime, with a 3.41 ERA.

The deal signed Tuesday will pay him $1.3 million, and he can earn another $1.3 million in performance bonuses.

Drabek can earn $100,000 bonuses for pitching 170, 180 and 190 innings, and $200,000 bonuses for pitching 200 and 210 innings. After that, he would earn bonuses of $20,000 per inning.

Drabek, who made $5.05 million with the Astros last season, talked with several other teams, including the cross-town Cubs. He chose the Sox, he said, because they were persistent and because they have a chance to go to the postseason. He was drafted by the White Sox in 1983.

"Really, with the Cubs it seemed like there was not a set offer. They didn't come at me with a contact per se," Drabek said. "The Sox kept calling and showing interest and kept trying to come up with something."

* WELLS HURT IN FIGHT: David Wells, signed as a free agent to solidify the New York Yankees' injury-plagued starting rotation, could miss the start of spring training after breaking his pitching hand in a weekend fight. Wells, 33, who agreed to a $13.5 million, three-year contract with the Yankees last month, could face felony assault charges after being involved in the brawl early Sunday morning that left two other men injured, police said. "A detective has talked to Wells' attorney," police spokesman Bill Robinson said Tuesday. "There have been no arrests. The charge could be felony assault. The decision to prosecute has to be made by the DA." Wells' agent, Gregg Clifton, said the left-hander would be out for six weeks because of the injury, which New York newspapers described as a fracture of the fifth metacarpal - the bone below the pinkie.

* ROYALS OBTAIN WILLIAMS: The Kansas City Royals signed left-handed reliever Mitch Williams to a minor-league contract and have invited him to spring training camp. Williams, 32, last pitched in the major leagues in 1995 with the California Angels, when he posted a 1-2 record and a 6.75 ERA in 20 games. He spent nearly 10 seasons in the majors, finishing with a career mark of 45-57 with 192 saves and a 3.56 ERA in 612 games. He pitched for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros before joining the Angels.

* REDS ADD HUNTER: The Cin cinnati Reds signed outfielder-first baseman Brian Hunter to a minor league contract and have invited him to the major league spring training camp. Hunter, 28, a free agent, was signed to a one-year contract. He spent most of the 1996 season with Seattle and hit .268 with seven home runs and 28 runs batted in during 75 games. He batted .348 with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 25 games at Class AAA Tacoma.