There's no dodging LA offer

Six-time All-Star Nomar Garciaparra and the Dodgers agreed yesterday to an $18.5 million, two-year contract.

The 33-year-old Garciaparra, the NL comeback player of the year, will get a $2.5 million signing bonus, which is deferred until 2009 and 2010, and salaries of $7.5 million next season and $8.5 million in 2008. He would get $250,000 each year for 500 plate appearances.

Also, ESPN.com, citing an unidentified source, said free agent center fielder Juan Pierre has agreed to a five-year contract with the Dodgers. The deal is believed to be worth $44-45 million.

A two-time AL batting champion as a shortstop with the Red Sox, Garciaparra shifted to first base with the Dodgers last season, his first with the team. He hit .303 with 93 RBIs and 20 home runs.

Garciaparra earned $8.5 million last season, including $2.5 million in performance bonuses.

Alfonso Soriano passed his physical yesterday, making official a $136 million, eight-year contract with the Cubs. Just the fourth player in major league history to reach 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a season, Soriano seemed surprised when informed he'd agreed to the fifth-richest contract in history. "I'm happy to be here in Chicago," he said. "Everybody wants to win, so that's the most important for me. It's a big contract, but that's not my goal. My goal is to play hard and give you a championship for the city." . . . As expected, Mike Mussina and the Yankees reached a preliminary agreement on a $23 million, two-year contract. Mussina is scheduled to take a physical today that would allow the deal to be finalized. The righthander, who turns 38 Dec. 8, left the Orioles after the 2000 season to sign an $88.5 million, six-year contract with the Yankees. He was 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA last season.

Needing a shortstop and a late-innings reliever, the Cincinnati Reds yesterday committed roughly $20 million to fill two of their bigger holes. Later, they spent a little more to get rid of their logjam behind home plate. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez and lefthanded reliever Mike Stanton finalized multiyear contracts with the Reds. Cincinnati then traded catcher Jason LaRue to Kansas City for a player to be named, agreeing to pay part of his $5.45 million salary next season. Gonzalez, who played for the Red Sox last season, will get $3.5 million next year, $4,625,000 in 2008, and $5,375,000 in the third year. There's a $6 million mutual option for 2010 with a $500,000 buyout . . . The Mets and 40-year-old slugger Moises Alou finalized an $8.5 million, one-year contract. Alou's deal includes a $7.5 million club option for 2008 with $1 million buyout. The six-time All-Star gets a $7.5 million salary next season. The NL East champions also declined their $14 million option on lefthander Tom Glavine. Glavine went 15-7 with a 3.82 ERA during the season. But he will be 41 when next season begins and is deciding between staying in New York and trying to return home to Atlanta. Earlier this month, the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner declined his $7.5 million option to stay with the Mets, who would like to keep him for the right price . . . Barry Bonds's personal trainer, Greg Anderson, returned to a Dublin, Calif., prison for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating Bonds's steroid use.