White Sox Get Johnson, Baines

The Chicago White Sox enhanced their already potent offense Saturday night by obtaining catcher Charles Johnson and designated hitter Harold Baines from the Baltimore Orioles for catcher Brook Fordyce and three minor league pitchers.

The White Sox started the day leading the American League in runs and batting .290 as a team.

“It gives everybody somewhat of a shot in the arm,� White Sox Manager Jerry Manuel said of the trade. “This should be some help for us.�

Johnson is batting .294 with 21 homers and 55 runs batted in. Baines, a left-handed batter, is hitting .266 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs in 72 games.

Even more valuable to the White Sox, though, is Baines’ and Johnson’s leadership and experience.

The White Sox have one of the youngest pitching staffs in the majors. Johnson was a member of the Florida Marlins’ 1997 World Series championship team.

The three pitchers in the deal are all right-handers: Miguel Felix, Juan Figueroa and Jason Lakman.

The Orioles earlier in the day traded right-hander reliever Mike Timlin to the St. Louis Cardinals for first baseman Chris Richard and minor league pitcher Mark Nussbeck.

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The New York Yankees, who already lead baseball in local television revenue, are close to a deal in which the team would receive $838 million for TV rights over the next 10 years.

The Yankees and IMG’s Trans World International subsidiary would form a new cable network to carry the team’s games, and the Yankees would own 95%, with TWI owning 5%.

The fee, with the Yankees essentially paying themselves from television-generated money, would start at $65 million next season and escalate 7% yearly to $119.5 million in 2010.

The Dodgers, by comparison, will make an estimated $30 million this season off local telecasts on Channel 5 and Fox Sports Net 2, and the Angels’ local TV revenue is considerably less than that.

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David Cone and Orlando Hernandez, taking steps to rejoin the Yankees, worked out at the team’s training center in Tampa, Fla. Cone worked on mechanics with team vice president of player personnel Billy Connors and threw 15 minutes in the bullpen. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner had Cone sent to Florida after the right-hander lost his eighth consecutive decision Thursday. Hernandez, on the 15-day disabled list because of a right elbow injury, reported no problems one day after his second bullpen session and is scheduled to throw batting practice today.

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A day after he cleared waivers after being released by Colorado, reliever Stan Belinda agreed to a one-year contract with Atlanta. . . . The Florida Marlins have lost left fielder Cliff Floyd for at least a month because of a sore left knee.