Another day, another $20 million man.
Tom Glavine and the Atlanta Braves moved closer to formally announcing their big deal, agreeing on dollar figures Wednesday.Glavine, a 20-game winner in each of the past two seasons, would be guaranteed $20.5 million for four years. The contract calls for an option year that could make the pact worth $25 million for five years.
In other moves, free agent catcher Benito Santiago and the Florida Marlins finalized a two-year, $7.2 million contract and free agent reliever John Candelaria reached agreement with Pittsburgh on a one-year deal for $760,000.
The Pirates also agreed with shortstop Jay Bell, who had been eligible for salary arbitration, on a one-year contract for $2.6 million.
Glavine, 20-8 last season with a 2.76 ERA, would have been eligible for salary arbitration after the 1993 season. He made $2,975,000 this year.
Meanwhile, the agents for first baseman Mark McGwire and outfielder Ruben Sierra said they weren't close to contracts. Both agents said they will reject arbitration offers before Saturday's deadline.
Bob Cohen, McGwire's agent, said he hoped to have a deal "maybe before Christmas."
"That's not unrealistic," Cohen said. "There are two clubs and a third club just came into the picture."
Oakland is trying to re-sign McGwire and the Chicago White Sox are attempting to lure him.
Bob Woolf, the agent for Sierra, said he wasn't close, either.
Santiago, an All-Star for four straight seasons, had fallen out of favor with the San Diego Padres' management and fans. "His reputation," Marlins general manager Dave Dombrowski said, "hasn't been the greatest."
Santiago said he rejected at least one deal more lucrative than the Marlins' offer, partly because of Miami's large Latin population. The Montreal Expos were one of the other teams which showed interest.
Santiago, a three-time Gold Glove winner, hit .251 last season with 10 homers and 42 RBIs. He hit .267 with 17 home runs and 87 RBIs the previous year.
Candelaria, 39, was 2-5 with five saves and a 2.84 ERA for Los Angeles last season. He began his career with the Pirates in 1975.
Candelaria was the Pirates' second-round draft selection in 1972. He was traded in August 1985 to the California Angels. He pitched the Pirates' last no-hitter in a 2-0 win over the Dodgers on Aug. 9, 1976.