Padres, Yates agree to $7M deal; Pham gets $7.9M

SAN DIEGO (AP) >> All-Star closer Kirby Yates, who led the major leagues with 41 saves, agreed Friday to a one-year contract for $7,062,500 with the San Diego Padres.

Yates was named to his first All-Star team in his first full season as closer. He had 101 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings. He and the Padres have been discussing a long-term deal.

San Diego agreed to deals with all of its arbitration-eligible players. New left fielder Tommy Pham got a $7.9 million deal, right-hander Zach Davies a $5,250,000 contract and catcher Austin Hedges got $3 million.

The Padres agreed with right-hander Dinelson Lamet for $1.3 million, center fielder Manuel Margot for $2,475,000, right-hander Luis Perdomo for $950,000 and left-hander Matt Strahm for $1.4 million.

MILWAUKEE (AP) >> Infielder Jedd Gyorko signed a $2 million, oneyear deal Friday with the Milwaukee Brewers that includes a club option for 2021.

The 31-year-old Gyorko has played seven major league seasons with San Diego, St. Louis and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He was hampered by injuries in 2019 and batted .174 with two homers in 62 games with the Cardinals and Dodgers. He had been a steady contributor prior to last season and hit 30 homers for St. Louis in 2016.

A right-handed hitter with a sharp defensive reputation, Gyorko is expected to split time with left-handed hitting Eric Sogard at third base after Mike Moustakas and Travis Shaw left Milwaukee as free agents. Gyorko has also played second base, first base and shortstop, although he’s unlikely to play much short going forward.

LOS ANGELES (AP) >> Rob Pelinka was given the title of vice president of basketball operations by the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, almost three years after the former agent was hired as general manager.

The Lakers made the announcement before the team’s game in Dallas.

Pelinka joined the Lakers in March 2017 and has overseen the free agent signing of LeBron James and the blockbuster trade this past offseason that brought in Anthony Davis.

The 50-year-old Pelinka took on a more significant role with Magic Johnson’s surprising resignation as president basketball operations on the final day of the regular season last spring.

Pelinka had been an agent for almost 20 years when the Lakers hired him in the middle of a franchise-worst six-year run of missing the playoffs. With the best record in the Western Conference,