White Sox trade Lee to Brewers

The Chicago White Sox traded outfield slugger Carlos Lee to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Scott Podsednik, reliever Luis Vizcaino, and a player to be named in a deal announced yesterday at baseball's winter meetings in Anaheim, Calif.

Lee, who batted .305 with 31 homers and 99 RBIs last season, gives the Brewers a righthanded power hitter in the middle of the lineup to complement lefthanded batters Geoff Jenkins and Lyle Overbay.

"A profile like Carlos's was our biggest need and we felt we accomplished that -- but it didn't come cheaply," Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin said.

Also at the meetings, the Blue Jays reached an agreement with third baseman Corey Koskie on a $17 million, three-year deal.

Steroid agreement?
Senator John McCain is "guardedly optimistic" that major league baseball and its players could reach an agreement on tougher testing for steroids.

McCain, who has threatened to propose federal legislation that would override the drug-testing provisions in baseball's collective bargaining agreement, said yesterday in Phoenix that he spoke with union head Donald Fehr last week and thought something could be worked out.

Major league players told their lawyers last week to work toward a new agreement with owners on tougher standards.

"It would have to be credible with the media," McCain said. "It would have to be, at a minimum, the same standards they propose for the minor leagues -- things like offseason testing, frequent testing, and testing for substances that are not now known."

Yankees get a call
The Diamondbacks called the Yankees again in an effort to restart trade talks on Randy Johnson. Jeff Moorad, Arizona's incoming chief executive, called Yankees president Randy Levine, a baseball official said on condition of anonymity. Moorad asked if anything was new on Johnson, but did not make a new proposal, and the discussion ended there . . . Former Red Sox first baseman Wil Cordero, 33, reached a preliminary agreement with the Washington Nationals on a one-year, $600,000 contract . . . Former Red Sox righthanded reliever Todd Jones agreed to a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Marlins . . . The Giants and catcher Mike Matheny agreed to a $10.5 million, three-year contract . . . The Angels agreed to terms of a two-year contract with righthander Esteban Yan . . . Infielder Jose Hernandez and the Indians agreed to a $1.8 million, one-year contract.