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01/14/2005 5:48 PM ET
A's Agree To Terms With Durazo
Durazo Gets One-Year Contract; Bobby Smith Signed to Minor League Deal
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland A's announced today that they have agreed to terms with designated hitter Erubiel Durazo on a one-year contract. The A's also signed infielder Bobby Smith to a minor league contract and will invite him to Spring Training as a non-roster player.
Durazo hit a team leading .321 last year, which ranked fifth in the American League and was the fifth best single season batting average in Oakland history. He added career highs in hits (164), doubles (35), home runs (22) and RBI (88) and ranked seventh in the AL in on-base percentage (.396). Durazo, who turns 30 on January 23, batted .328 as the A's designated hitter, which was the fifth best mark by a designated hitter in AL history.
Durazo was eligible for arbitration and his signing leaves the A's with four arbitration eligible players: Eric Byrnes, Juan Cruz, Octavio Dotel and Bobby Kielty.
Smith spent the entire 2004 season at Triple-A Charlotte in the Chicago White Sox organization where he batted .272 with 28 home runs and 89 RBI in 134 games. He ranked third in the International League in home runs and extra base hits (67), tied for fourth in doubles (37), fifth in runs (84) and tied for fifth in RBI. The 30-year old Smith has spent parts of five seasons in the Major Leagues, all with Tampa Bay from 1998 to 2002. He is a .232 career hitter with 21 home runs and 107 RBI in 258 Major League games.
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