Hours after they back out of an agreed-upon trade with Colorado for Larry Bigbie, the Red Sox send two minor-leaguers to Arizona for Jose Cruz.

01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, July 31, 2005

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- After mysteriously backing out of a deal with the Colorado Rockies late Friday night for an outfielder to temporarily fill the void created by Trot Nixon's injury, the Red Sox last night completed of another deal to address their outfield needs.

After last night's victory over Minnesota was finished, the Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks announced a trade that sent outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. to the Sox in exchange for Double-A infielder Kenny Perez and minor-league pitcher Kyle Bono. The terms were agreed upon late yesterday afternoon, and the teams delayed the announcement until they received approval from the commissioner's office.

Cruz had designated for assignment by Arizona on Wednesday. The 31-year-old outfielder has been with five organizations, including four in the last four seasons. In 64 games with the Diamondbacks, Cruz was hitting .213 with 12 homers and 28 RBI with an on-base percentage of .347.

He won a Gold Glove in 2003. During his career he has topped 20 homers five times (including four of the last five years).

Perez, a 23-year-old switch-hitter, split time between Portland (where he hit .285 with 4 homers and 28 RBI in 66 games) and Pawtucket (.167/1/5 in 14 games) this year. 23-year-old switch-hitter. Bono, an eighth-round pick in 2004, was 2-2 with a 4.07 ERA in 24 relief appearances for Single-A Wilmington.

Last year, Cruz hit .242 with 21 homers and 78 RBI in 153 games for Tampa Bay. He was dealt to Arizona Feb. 6 for former Red Sox pitcher Casey Fossum. Originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners, he was later traded to Toronto, where he spent parts of six seasons. After spending 2003 with the San Francisco Giants, he signed as a free agent with Tampa for 2004.

The Sox are expected to pick up at least some of Cruz' contract. He was scheduled to earn $3.5 million in 2005.

The talks with Arizona came hours after the Sox pulled out of a deal that would have sent catching prospect Kelly Shoppach and Rule V outfielder Adam Stern to Colorado for Larry Bigbie.

On Friday night, the Rockies dealt outfielder Eric Byrnes to Baltimore for Bigbie with the express purpose of flipping him to the Sox for Shoppach and Stern. The two teams had completed the necessary paperwork with the commissioner's office, but the Sox pulled out of the deal.

According to multiple baseball sources, the deal was killed by Red Sox ownership, which reportedly objected to the sheer number of players coming and going from the organization as the team discussed multiple trades involving slugger Manny Ramirez.

The Rockies refused comment on the breakdown of the deal, but one baseball official with knowledge of the deal: "They're livid -- and that's an understatement."