09:50 AM EST on Tuesday, December 13, 2005

The San Francisco Giants landed the proven starter they've been coveting for months.

Right-hander Matt Morris agreed to a three-year contract with the Giants, leaving the St. Louis Cardinals after nine seasons. The deal has been in the works for weeks and became official after Morris passing a physical yesterday morning.

Morris went 14-10 with a 4.11 E.R.A. last season and won his first eight decisions for the Cardinals, who lost to the Houston Astros in the N.L. Championship Series.

Morris' contract contains a club option for a fourth season.

"Simply put, Matt Morris is a winner," said Brian Sabean, the Giants general manager. "He's a gamer who not only gives his team a chance to win every time he pitches, but as his record indicates, he's around to collect the win himself. Matt will be a perfect complement to the top of the rotation and provide valuable leadership to our younger pitchers."

Morris is 101-62 with a 3.62 E.R.A. in his career.

ROUNDUP RANGERS ACQUIRE PADILLA: Spurned in their pursuit of Matt Morris and Josh Beckett, the Texas Rangers got former All-Star right-hander Vicente Padilla from the Phillies yesterday for a player to be named. The deal was pending Padilla passing a physical, according to two baseball officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been finalized. Padilla was 9-12 with a 4.71 E.R.A. in 27 starts last season in Philadelphia. Padilla made $3.2 million last year, and is eligible for salary arbitration. Padilla was an All-Star in 2002, when he was 14-11 with a 3.28 E.R.A., and he followed that by going 14-12 with a 3.62 E.R.A. in 2003. He is just 16-19 over the last two seasons.

PADRES, ROBERTS AGREE: Padres leadoff hitter Dave Roberts agreed yesterday to a $2.25-million contract for 2006, and San Diego closed in on a $1-million deal for reliever Doug Brocail. Roberts can make another $250,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances. Roberts played center field for the Padres last year, but will be moved to left field this season to make room for Mike Cameron, who was obtained from the New York Mets on Nov. 18. Roberts batted .275 with a team-high 23 stolen bases, 8 homers, 38 RBI and 65 runs. Brocail, who pitched for the Padres from 1992-94, must pass a physical this week before his deal is finalized. He pitched with Texas last year, going 5-3 with one save and a 5.52 E.R.A. in 61 appearances.

PRELIMINARY DEAL: The St. Louis Cardinals reached a preliminary agreement on a $2.9-million, two-year contract with free agent pitcher Ricardo Rincon. The 35-year-old left-hander, who must pass a physical, played for the Athletics the last three seasons, going 1-1 with a 4.34 E.R.A. in 67 games in 2005. He has a career 3.53 E.R.A.

ROGERS DEAL FINALIZED: Kenny Rogers expects to win with the Detroit Tigers. "They're an organization that is on the way up," Rogers said yesterday after agreeing to a $16-million, two-year contract to pitch for a team that hasn't had a winning record since 1993. The a 41-year-old left-hander was 14-8 with a 3.46 E.R.A. this year and won a career-high 18 games in 2004 with the Texas Rangers.

ONE-YEAR CONTRACT: Houston Astros first baseman Mike Lamb agreed yesterday to a $1.7-million, one-year contract with the club. Lamb had been eligible for salary arbitration. He batted .236 with 12 home runs and 53 RBI for the Astros last season, helping them reach the World Series for the first time.