The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Reds signed left-hander Pete Schourek to a one-year contract Wednesday, avoiding arbitration.

Schourek, who's coming off surgery on his pitching elbow, agreed to a base salary of $2.64 million - which represents the maximum 20 percent the Reds were allowed to reduce his 1996 salary of $3.3 million. But Schourek could reach $3.3 million with incentives.

Pitching through elbow trouble, Schourek went 4-5 with a 6.01 ERA last season, after going 18-7, 3.22 and finishing runner-up in Cy Young Award voting the year before.

Schourek, who earlier had balked at signing a deal heavy on incentives, could not be reached for comment.

The Reds have had encouraging progress reports on Schourek, who underwent surgery to tighten ligaments and clean out scar tissue in his elbow last July.

Schourek joins John Smiley, Dave Burba, Mike Morgan and new acquisitions Kent Mercker and Ricky Bones in the Reds' rotation picture heading into spring training.

Schourek was one of four Reds eligible for salary arbitration. None of the others - Burba, Bret Boone and Hector Carrasco - filed Wednesday.

Non-roster players will bid for jobs

The Reds have invited 15 non-roster players to spring training and perhaps as many as four veteran free agents - Stan Belinda, Billy Brewer, David Nied and Scott Bullett - could make the club.

''I love competition,'' Reds General Manager Jim Bowden said. ''While 20 or 21 spots may be taken, we love the competition for the other four or five.''

The four vets have had varying degrees of success in the majors:

• Belinda, 30, RHP: He was 2-1 with a 6.59 ERA last season for the Boston Red Sox. But he's a year removed from an 8-1, 3.10 ERA season with the Red Sox, and he saved 19 games for the Pirates in 1993.

  ''He was dominating in '95,'' Bowden said.

• Brewer, 29, LHP: He struggled last year (1-0 with a 9.53 ERA in 5ö innings for the New York Yankees, and 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA at Triple-A Columbus). In 1994, he was 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA for the Kansas City Royals.

• Nied, 27, RHP: He was the No. 1 pick in the 1992 expansion draft by Colorado, but injuries slowed his progress there. Bowden thinks getting him out of Coors Field could help.

• Bullett, 28, OF: He was with the Chicago Cubs last year, hitting .212 with three home runs and 16 RBI in 109 games.

''Without question, they all have a legitimate chance,'' Bowden said.

Reds pitchers and catchers report for spring training Feb. 14 and work out the next day in Plant City, Fla.

The position players report four days later, with the first full-squad workout set for Feb. 20.

Major League Baseball's mandatory reporting date is Feb. 27. The Reds open the spring training season Feb. 28 at home against Texas.

SPRING TRAINING GAMES SCHEDULE