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Atlanta Braves: Second baseman Marcus Giles skipped salary arbitration by agreeing Thursday to a $2.35 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves.

Giles received a big raise from the $430,000 he made last season. Eligible for arbitration for the first time, he had asked for $2.7 million while the Braves had offered $2.05 million.

With the signing of Giles, pitcher Kevin Gryboski is the Braves' only player in arbitration who has yet to settle. The right-handed reliever has requested $975,000, while the Braves are proposing $780,000.

Giles' contract also includes $25,000 bonuses for reaching both 550 and 600 plate appearances.

Chicago Cubs: Nomar Garciaparra feels healthy going into what should be his first full season in Chicago.

"The Achilles is feeling really good," he told the Chicago Sun Times.

Garciaparra signed a one-year, $8 million contract to return to the team.

''I've never made my decision solely on money," he told the paper. ''We saw a place that I know I liked being in and I liked being a part of."

Tampa Bay Devil Rays: The long wait is over for Devil Rays pitching prospect Jeff Niemann.

The fourth pick in the draft last June, Niemann agreed to terms Thursday on a major league contract worth $5.2 million over five years, including a $3.2 million signing bonus.

The 6-foot-9, 260-pound right-hander will earn $100,000 in the minors this year. If he makes a quicker-than-expected transition from college to the majors, he'd make $316,000.

Niemann went 28-4 with a 2.41 ERA in three seasons at Rice, including 17-0 to tie an NCAA Division I record and help the Owls win the College World Series in 2003. He was 6-3 with three saves and a 3.02 ERA in 17 games for the Owls in 2004, allowing just 59 hits in 80 1-3 innings while striking out 94 and holding opponents to a .207 batting average.

Minnesota Twins: Johan Santana may not know how special it is to be honored with an award named after Hall of Fame lefty Warren Spahn, but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire certainly does.

Gardenhire grew up in Okmulgee and was more than familiar with Oklahoma baseball idols like Spahn, Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench. On Thursday, he accepted the Warren Spahn Award on behalf of Santana, who was with family in Venezuela and unable to attend.

"From a guy that grew up in Oklahoma, this is a neat thing for me," Gardenhire said during a news conference at the Oklahoma Sports Museum in Guthrie.

Gardenhire said Santana may not know much about Spahn, whose 363 wins are the most of any left-hander in Major League history. The manager said Santana was probably more aware of the fact that when he won the American League Cy Young Award last year, he was the first Venezuelan to do so.

Gardenhire said he'd pass some of that knowledge on to Santana.

"I guarantee you this: When we go back home, he will know how important this trophy is," Gardenhire said.

Kansas City Royals: Infielder Denny Hocking agreed to a minor league contract with the Royals and would get a $500,000 deal if he's added to the major league roster.

Hocking, 34, played 55 games for the Colorado Rockies last season, batting .202. Before that, he hit .252 over 11 seasons with Minnesota.

After being released by Colorado in July, the switch hitter played 39 games for the Chicago Cubs' Triple-A Iowa team, hitting .288 with three homers.

In 2000, he became the first major league player to play seven positions at least 10 times in the same season. He will likely compete for a utility infield position with Chris Clapinksi and Luis Ugueto.

If he's added to the big league roster under the deal he agreed to this week, Hocking would get a contract paying him at an annual rate of $500,000 if he is in the majors and $90,000 if he is in the minors. He would be able to earn $50,000 bonuses for 100, 110 and 120 games in the majors.

New York Yankees: The Yankees paid $3.6 million to settle a rent dispute with New York, Newsday reports.

An audit by the city comptroller's office found that the team had underreported revenue and overstate deductions from 1997 to 2002, the paper reported.

"The Yankees cooperated fully and we're pleased with the result," Yankees spokesman Howard Rubenstein told the paper.

Washington Nationals: Major league baseball's return to the nation's capital will be under the lights.

The Nationals said they will play their April 14 home opener against Arizona at 7:05 p.m. It will be the first regular-season game at RFK Stadium since the expansion Washington Senators left after the 1971 season and became the Texas Rangers.

The Nationals will play an exhibition game at RFK against the New York Mets on April 3, then open at Philadelphia the following day.

D.C. United's home opener in Major League Soccer is scheduled for April 9, and officials plan to place grass over the infield dirt before every United game and remove it afterward for the Nationals.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.