MAJORS

• McCarthy agrees to 2-year deal with Diamondbacks: PHOENIX (AP) — Right-hander Brandon McCarthy and the Arizona Diamondbacks finalized their deal Tuesday on a $15.5 million, two-year contract.

Oakland’s opening day starter last season, McCarthy was hit in the right side of the head by a line drive off the bat of the Los Angeles Angels’ Erick Aybar on Sept. 5. The 29-year-old pitcher sustained an epidural hemorrhage, brain contusion and skull fracture, then underwent a two-hour surgery.

Last month, the 6-foot-7 McCarthy spent two days undergoing extensive evaluations by renowned concussion expert, Dr. Michael Collins, at the University of Pittsburgh. He was cleared by Collins to begin working out and resuming his regular offseason routine.

McCarthy was 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA last season, his sixth in the majors and second with Oakland. Overall, he is 37-39 with a 4.02 ERA in 153 games with the Chicago White Sox, Texas and Oakland.



• Choo to Reds, Bauer to Indians in 3-team trade: CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have traded outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to the Cincinnati Reds and acquired pitcher Trevor Bauer from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-team deal involving nine players.

Center fielder Drew Stubbs was sent from Cincinnati to Cleveland as part of the trade announced Tuesday night.

In addition to Stubbs, the Indians received Bauer, the No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft, and right-handers Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw from the Diamondbacks.

Cleveland shipped Choo, infielder-outfielder Jason Donald and cash to the Reds, while sending left-handed reliever Tony Sipp and first baseman Lars Anderson to Arizona.

The Diamondbacks also received minor league shortstop Didi Gregorius from Cincinnati



• AP source: Youkilis, Yankees reach 1-year deal: NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that free agent Kevin Youkilis and the New York Yankees have reached agreement on a one-year deal.

The contract is worth $12 million and pending a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement.

The deal was first reported by Fox Sports.

Youkilis is expected to play third base while Alex Rodriguez recovers from hip surgery. A-Rod plans to have the surgery in mid-January and could be sidelined until the All-Star break or beyond.

Youkilis turns 34 in March. He played third base and first base last season for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox.



HOCKEY

• NHL, union to return to bargaining, with mediators: TORONTO (AP) — NHL labor negotiations will resume Wednesday, with mediators rejoining the talks at an undisclosed location in an effort to save the hockey season.

The Canadian Press on Tuesday reported the restart of bargaining between the league and union, citing unidentified people on both sides of the dispute.

U.S. federal mediators Scot Beckenbaugh and John Sweeney are to return to the process. At the end of last month, mediators left the negotiations after two days.

Tuesday marked the 87th day of the lockout. Wednesday’s session will be the first meeting since the sides blamed each other after talks broke off last week.

Until then, they appeared to be making progress during three days in New York in which they exchanged proposals. Union executive director Donald Fehr maintains there are agreements on almost all the important issues.

The NHL eliminated 16 more days from the regular-season schedule Monday, canceling games through Dec. 30 in addition to the New Year’s Day Winter Classic and the All-Star Game, which were already wiped out.

In all, more than 40 percent of the regular season that was scheduled to begin Oct. 11 has been scratched.



FOOTBALL

• Tagliabue overturns Saints suspensionS: NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has overturned the suspensions of four current and former New Orleans Saints players in the league’s bounty investigation of the club.

Tagliabue, however, found that the players’ conduct was detrimental to the league. He says they participated in a performance pool that rewarded key plays — including hard tackles — that could justify fines.

But the former commissioner said Tuesday that “this entire case has been contaminated by the coaches and others in the Saints’ organization.”

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma initially had been suspended the whole season, while Saints defensive end Will Smith, Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita and free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove received shorter suspensions.