Baseball Notes: Padres ink Hawpe to play first base

The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms of a one-year contract with Brad Hawpe to play first base, two sources with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press on Friday.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending Hawpe's passing a physical exam.

Hawpe will replace three-time all-star Adrian Gonzalez, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox earlier this month. Hawpe has mostly been an outfielder in his seven major- league seasons, with a handful of starts at first base. He was released by the Colorado Rockies in August and signed by the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Padres had to go outside the organization to replace Gonzalez because Anthony Rizzo, one of the prospects obtained from Boston, isn't expected to be ready for perhaps a season.

Kyle Blanks, once considered the heir apparent to Gonzalez, had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in late July and is expected to be sidelined until perhaps mid-season. Before he got hurt, Blanks had been moved to left field to give him playing time.

Hawpe hit a combined .245 with nine homers and 44 RBIs last year. He was an all-star in 2009 with Colorado, hitting .285 with 23 homers and 86 RBIs.

Signing Hawpe is expected to be the last major off-season move by the Padres, who surprisingly won 90 games last season before missing the playoffs with a final-day loss in San Francisco to the eventual World Series champion Giants.

Marlins sign Nolasco. Right-hander Ricky Nolasco has signed a three-year, $26.5 million contract with the Florida Marlins, the team announced.

Nolasco is expected to earn $6 million in 2011, $9 million in 2012 and $11.5 in 2013.

He made $3.8 million last season, when he went 14-9 with a 4.51 ERA. The 28-year-old missed the final month after undergoing arthroscopic right knee surgery.

In a conference call with reporters, Nolasco said he has been running and exercising without any setbacks. "I should be 100 percent by spring training," he said.

Nolasco is 54-39 with a 4.45 ERA in five years with the Marlins, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 638-169.

Pirates add Atkins. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed infielder Garrett Atkins to a minor-league contract and invited him to their major-league spring-training camp. Atkins played for the Rockies from 2003 to '09.