Sele, Guzman, Rhodes reject arbitration

While professional baseball players David Segui and Rudy Seanez accepted salary arbitration and are going back to their old teams, Gerald Williams left Atlanta for a $5.75 million, two-year contract with Tampa Bay.

While professional baseball players David Segui and Rudy Seanez accepted salary arbitration and are going back to their old teams, Gerald Williams left Atlanta for a $5.75 million, two-year contract with Tampa Bay.

Williams was among 12 players rejecting salary arbitration offers in the hours before Sunday's midnight EST (0500 GMT Monday) deadline, a group that included pitchers Aaron Sele, Juan Guzman and Arthur Rhodes.

Also rejecting were pitchers Norm Charlton, Chris Haney, Graeme Lloyd, Omar Olivares, Darren Oliver and Steve Trachsel, along with outfielders Shawon Dunston, Thomas Howard and Williams.

Free agents who accepted arbitration are considered signed, while those who rejected can still negotiate with their former teams through January 8.

In all, teams offered 21 players arbitration on December 7. Seven signed before Sunday.

Segui goes back to the Toronto Blue Jays, who acquired him from Seattle on July 28. The 33-year-old first baseman hit .298 last season with 15 homers, 27 doubles and 52 RBIs.

Seanez, a 31-year-old right-hander, returns to the Atlanta Braves. He was 6-1 with a 3.35 ERA and three saves in 56 relief appearances,

Williams joins the revamped Devil Rays, who last week acquired Vinny Castilla from Colorado and agreed to a $34 million, four-year contract with Greg Vaughn.

The 33-year-old outfielder was a big surprise last year for Atlanta and was the leadoff hitter during the final two months of the season. Atlanta went 39-14 with him at the top of the order, and he joins a lineup that includes Castilla, Vaughn, Jose Canseco and Fred McGriff. The five combined to hit 161 homers last year - 16 more than the Devil Rays' team total.

Williams hit .275 and had career highs in home runs (17) and RBIs (68). After making $1.4 million last season, he gets $2.5 million next year and $3 million in 2001. The Devil Rays have a $4 million option for 2002 with a $250,000 buyout.

Sele is considered the best of the free-agent pitchers still on the market. The 29-year-old right-hander was 18-9 with a 4.79 ERA for the Texas Rangers last season.

Guzman, a 33-year-old right-hander, went 6-3 with a 3.03 ERA for Cincinnati in the final two months of the season after going 5-9 with a 4.18 ERA for Baltimore. Rhodes, a hard-throwing 30-year-old left-hander reliever, was 3-4 with three saves and a a 5.43 ERA for the Orioles.

Of the seven players offered arbitration who signed before Sunday, two went back to their old teams. Terry Shumpert re-signed with Colorado for $750,000 and Dale Sveum returned to Pittsburgh for a minor league contract that would be worth $400,000 if he is added to the major league roster.

The other five signed with new teams: John Olerud ($20 million, three-year contract with Seattle), Todd Zeile ($18 million, three-year contract with the New York Mets), Jose Hernandez ($10 million, three-year contract with Milwaukee), Wil Cordero ($9 million, three-year contract with Pittsburgh) and Jeff Conine ($5.5 million, two-year contract with Baltimore).