The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - First baseman Randall Simon was traded Saturday by Pittsburgh to the Chicago Cubs for a minor-league outfielder.

The Pirates get Ray Sadler, who is hitting .291 with 31 doubles, six homers and 42 RBI at Double-A West Tenn.

Simon is best known this season for hitting one of the Milwaukee Brewers' racing sausages with his bat last month.

With the Cubs struggling for production at first base, Simon figures to get considerable playing time down the stretch. The left handed-hitter is batting .274 with 10 homers and 51 RBI.

Simon, who is making $1,475,000, is eligible for arbitration after this season. With the Pirates looking to trim their payroll by as much as $20 million in 2004, general manager Dave Littlefield said he didn't fit into their long-range plans.

"With where we're at now, we're looking at giving our at-bats at first base to other players," Littlefield said. "As we look to 2004, we didn't see Randall being part of our team."

CARDINALS: St. Louis placed outfielder J.D. Drew on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 9, because of a strained right oblique muscle, and recalled So Taguchi from Triple-A Memphis.

Drew hit .281 with 12 homers and 30 RBI in 79 games this season. Taguchi hit .256 with two homers and 24 RBI in 90 games at Memphis.

RANGERS: Outfielder Juan Gonzalez is considering having a procedure to drain a pocket of fluid near his injured right calf. Texas trainer Jamie Reed said draining the fluid would speed up Gonzalez's recovery from the calf injury that has kept the two-time AL MVP on the disabled list since July 23.

RED SOX: Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was scratched from Saturday's lineup against Seattle because of lower back spasms. He is listed as day-to-day.

SHORT HOPS: The Dodgers optioned right-hander Masao Kida to Triple-A Las Vegas and recalled left-hander Scott Mullen, who started one game for them, on Aug. 3 at Atlanta, and allowed three runs in three innings.

• Andruw Jones hit his 30th homer Friday night, joining Atlanta teammates Javy Lopez and Gary Sheffield in the 30-homer club. It's the first time since 1998 the Braves had three players with 30 homers.

• Cliff Floyd of the Mets will have season-ending surgery on his right Achilles' tendon at the end of the month.