Report: Arizona agrees to deal for 1B Sexson

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CHICAGO (Ticker) - It appears the Arizona Diamondbacks will be getting the slugger they have coveted.

According to ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago, the Diamondbacks have agreed to a five-player trade with the Milwaukee Brewers that will bring power-hitting first baseman Richie Sexson to Arizona.

After clearing room on the payroll by shipping high-priced righthander Curt Schilling to Boston on Friday, Arizona would send second baseman Junior Spivey, first baseman Lyle Overbay, versatile infielder Craig Counsell and lefthander Chris Capuano to the Brewers.


The trade is expected to be completed Monday after the players complete physicals, the radio station reported Saturday.

Lacking punch in the middle of their lineup beyond Luis Gonzalez, the Diamondbacks gladly would welcome Sexson, who matched a career high with 45 home runs last season, two behind National League leader Jim Thome.

The 6-8 slugger played every game for the Brewers in 2003, hitting .272 and driving in 124 runs, one shy of his career best.

Drafted by Cleveland in 1993, the 28-year-old Sexson owns a .273 career average with 191 homers and 593 RBI in 813 games.

The Brewers, who were ordered by the team's board of directors to trim the payroll this offseason, would have a new look on the infield as a result of the trade.

Spivey, 28, was one of several Diamondbacks to miss time due to injury last season. Sidelined for 31 games with a sprained ankle, he batted .255 with 13 homers and 50 RBI in 106 games.

The 2003 campaign was a disappointment compared to Spivey's breakout season the year before, when he hit .301 with 15 homers and 78 RBI and made the National League All-Star team.

Milwaukee hopes the 33-year-old Counsell brings his World Series magic to Miller Park. After scoring the series-winning run for Florida in 1997, Counsell was hit by a pitch to load the bases in the ninth inning of Game Seven in 2001, setting up Gonzalez's championship-winning single.

Counsell, who has played all four infield positions during his career, missed 53 games in 2003 after undergoing right thumb surgery. He batted .234 with three homers and 21 RBI in 89 games.

In 658 contests with Colorado, Florida, Los Angeles and Arizona, Counsell has a .266 career average with 16 homers and 188 RBI.

Given a chance to wrestle the first base job away from Mark Grace, Overbay was unable to produce and was sent to Class AAA Tucson in July. The 26-year-old was recalled in September and finished the season with a .276 average, four homers and 28 RBI in 86 games.

Capuano, 25, made his major league debut in 2003, going 2-4 with a 4.64 ERA in nine games, including five starts. The lefthander, who was an eighth-round selection in the 1999 draft, rebounded from "Tommy John" surgery, which he underwent in May 2002.



Updated on Saturday