Pat Burrell went from one World Series team to the other.

The Tampa Bay Rays added a big bat to the middle of their lineup, agreeing yesterday on a $16 million, two-year contract with Burrell.

The 32-year-old slugger spent the past nine seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, who defeated the Rays in the World Series a little more than two months ago.

"At the end of last year, obviously I got a chance to know the team pretty well," said Burrell, who hit .250 with 33 homers, 33 doubles, 86 RBIs and 102 walks in a career-high 157 games in 2008.

"Coming into free agency, the thing that was most important to me was to go somewhere I thought had as good a chance or better to repeat and go back to the World Series, or at least get into the playoffs."

A .257 career hitter with 251 homers and 827 RBIs, Burrell has averaged 31 homers, 99 RBIs and 103 walks over the past four seasons. He was the everyday left fielder in Philadelphia, but Tampa Bay plans to use him mostly at designated hitter.

One of the Rays' top priorities was to add a power hitter to a lineup that also features Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford.

CUBS

BRADLEY WILL SIGN FOR THREE YEARS, $30 MILLION

The Chicago Cubs and free agent Milton Bradley reached a preliminary agreement on a $30 million, three-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The deal is subject to a physical scheduled for Thursday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been finalized.

Adding Bradley was one of the top priorities this offseason for the Cubs, who got swept out of the playoffs for the second straight year after a lineup loaded with right-handers struggled against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A switch-hitter, Bradley batted .321 with 22 homers for Texas while leading the American League with a .436 on-base percentage.

CARDINALS

ACE CARPENTER COULD MOVE INTO CLOSER'S ROLE

Still looking for a closer, St. Louis might consider turning to oft-injured ace Chris Carpenter next season.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told The Associated Press yesterday that he'd think about using the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner in that role if it were the best way to keep him on the mound.

Carpenter made only four appearances last season following reconstructive elbow surgery and underwent another procedure in November to transpose an elbow nerve that was causing irritation.

"We want Chris pitching for us, and if I was told he couldn't be healthy throwing 100 pitches every five days and he could be a reliever, I'd take him as a reliever," La Russa said.

ELSEWHERE

Angels: The Los Angeles Angels, ensuring the term "lame-duck" was never used in conjunction with their manager, announced that Mike Scioscia has agreed in principle to a contract extension that will take him through at least the 2014 season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Twins: Carl Pohlad, a billionaire banker whose Minnesota Twins won two World Series titles during his nearly quarter-century as owner, died yesterday. He was 93. When Pohlad bought the Twins from Calvin Griffith in 1984, he was widely credited for saving baseball in Minnesota. The Twins won World Series titles in 1987 and 1991.