In a three-way deal, the Orioles send Larry Bigbie to Colorado. The Rockies are to send him to Boston for Adam Stern and Kelly Shoppach.

01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, July 30, 2005

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Short of outfield help in the wake of Trot Nixon's injury earlier in the week, the Red Sox were close to completing a three-way deal last night with the Colorado Rockies and the Baltimore Orioles that would land them left-handed-hitting outfielder Larry Bigbie from the Orioles.

The Orioles last night sent Bigbie to Colorado in exchange for Eric Byrnes -- obtained only weeks ago from Oakland. The Rockies were then poised to flip Bigbie to the Red Sox for Pawtucket catcher Kelly Shoppach and Rule V outfield pick Adam Stern.

Bigbie, presumably, will platoon in right with Gabe Kapler -- due to come off the disabled list today and be activated by the Sox -- until Nixon returns.

Nixon suffered a pulled left oblique muscle Tuesday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The outfielder has said he expects to miss "two to three weeks," though the recovery time for such injuries is often longer. The Sox are prepared to be without Nixon for as long as six weeks, meaning he wouldn't return to the lineup until September.

Bigbie, 27, was hitting .249 with five homers and 21 RBI in 66 games for the Orioles before last night. He's considered a good outfielder who can play either left or right, and his arm strength is said to be slightly above average.

His best season came a year ago when he hit .280 with 15 homers and 68 RBI in 139 games.

With a modest salary -- $380,000 -- he becomes an inexpensive solution to the Red Sox' temporary outfield shortage. As recently as a week ago, Bigbie was to be part of a multi-player deal for Florida Marlins starting pitcher A.J. Burnett. But the deal fell apart at the 11th hour and has yet to be resurrected.

Shoppach, now in his second full season with the PawSox, was one of the Red Sox' more expendable prospects after the Sox re-signed free agent Jason Varitek to a four-year, $40-million contract last winter. Varitek's backup, Doug Mirabelli, is also signed through the end of 2006, blocking Shoppach's path to the big leagues.

Stern was taken in the Rule V draft last December from the Atlanta Braves organization. He suffered a broken thumb in spring training, then went down with a hamstring pull while on a rehab assignment in Pawtucket.

He made his major-league debut shortly before the All-Star break and has been used mostly as a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch-runner.

The Rockies will have to keep Stern on the 25-man roster for the entire season. Should they want to send him back to Triple A, they would first have to have him clear waivers, then offer him back to the Braves.