Brewers raising ticket prices

Updated: November 3, 2005, 8:12 PM ET

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Associated Press

Milwaukee Brewers: The team will raise prices on 24,000 seats for the first time since 2002. The average ticket price next season will be $18.82, under the expected league-wide average of about $22, according to Team Marketing Report.

The Brewers, who had their best season since 1992 with an 81-81 finish, are one of four teams that didn't raise regular game ticket prices from 2002-05.

The biggest price increase is in the loge bleachers -- up 50 percent to $15 a game -- followed by the loge infield box (up 15 percent to $30), loge diamond box (10 percent to $33), loge outfield box (10 percent to $22), field infield box (8.5 percent to $38) and field outfield box (7 percent to $30). Milwaukee also combined the club infield box and club outfield box -- the infield box will remain $35, while the outfield box will increase 35 percent to $35.

The team will also charge more for marquee games in 2006 -- seven games against the Cubs and a three-game weekend series in June against the Cardinals. Those prices will range from 31 percent more to 140 percent more per game. Last year, the team had 13 marquee games.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Pitcher Elmer Dessens declined his option for 2006 with the Dodgers and filed for free agency Thursday.

The 34-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 3.56 ERA in seven starts and 21 relief appearances last seasons. His ERA was the lowest on the Dodgers' staff among pitchers who pitched 20 innings or more.

Los Angeles exercised its part of the mutual option, which would have paid him $1.35 million next season, but he rejected it and gets a $250,000 buyout.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Roberto Alomar and Danny Bautista were reinstated from the voluntary retired list by the Devil Rays, and the pair filed for free agency.

Alomar, a 12-time All-Star, was just 276 hits shy of 3,000 when he retired on March 19, during spring training. The 37-year-old second baseman, who had signed a $600,000, one-year contract with Tampa Bay, filed for free agency to preserve future options rather than with the specific intent of playing next year, agent Jaime Torres said.

Bautista, a 33-year-old outfielder, hit .286 with 11 homers and 65 RBI for Arizona in 2004 and announced his retirement the same day as Alomar. Tampa Bay had given him a $1.9 million, one-year contract.

Texas Rangers: Outfielder Adam Hyzdu, third baseman/catcher Jamie Burke and catcher Nick Trzesniak agreed to minor league contracts with the Rangers and were invited Thursday to the team's major league spring training camp.