Pitchers Trevor Hoffman and John Smoltz, long-time icons in their communities with Hall of Fame credentials, severed ties yesterday with their franchises.

Hoffman, baseball's all-time saves leader, left the San Diego Padres after 15 seasons and agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to agent Rick Thurman.

Smoltz, who pitched his entire 21-year career for the Atlanta Braves, agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, he confirmed.

Smoltz, who has 210 wins and 154 saves but was limited to five starts in 2008 with shoulder pain, rejected an incentive-laden offer by the Braves.

"We've offered him a package that would get him in the $10 million range if he were to pitch a full season and pitch well," Braves CEO Terry McGuirk told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "For him to walk away from that and to go to another place, I'm just shocked and surprised."

Smoltz, who thanked the Braves and manager Bobby Cox in a statement, said: "I was going to withhold comment until the announcement of my signing with a new team, but I now feel the need to clear up any misconceptions and inaccuracies about the contract negotiations between myself and the Atlanta Braves. There were large discrepancies between the offer from the Braves and offers from other teams."

Hoffman, who has 554 saves, also leaves after acrid negotiations. He was offered a one-year, $4 million contract by the Padres, but when he requested a meeting with team officials, the offer was rescinded, Thurman said.

"We never asked to change their offer," said Thurman, adding that Hoffman's new contract includes $1.5 million in incentives.

The Red Sox also signed outfielder Rocco Baldelli to a one-year, $500,000 contract.

ELSEWHERE

MMA: Former mixed martial arts light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has been ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and attend therapy for leading Costa Mesa, Calif., police on a chase in which he rammed three cars. Jackson, 30, pleaded guilty yesterday in Orange County Superior Court to felony police evasion against traffic and misdemeanor reckless driving for the chase July 15.

Tennis: The Russian brother and sister combination of Dinara Safina and Marat Safin won the mixed doubles match yesterday against France's Alize Cornet and Giles Simon, 6-4, 6-3, to secure a place in the final against Slovakia at the Hopman Cup at Perth, Australia. Slovakia, 3-0, advanced earlier when Dominika Cibulkova and Dominik Hrbaty won their singles matches over Germany.

Auto Racing: Richard Petty's famed No. 43 Dodge was rescued from near ruin when Gillett Evernham Motorsports agreed to merge with Petty's slumping organization to create a new team. GEM had been in exclusive negotiations with Petty Enterprises to combine the two teams into one four-car organization, and an agreement in principle was announced yesterday.

Golf: Sweden's Steven Jeppesen and South Africa's Trevor Fisher Jr. shot 8-under 63s yesterday to share the first-round lead in the Joburg Open at Johannesburg, South Africa. Jeppesen and Fisher opened on the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club's West Course. They will play the final three rounds on the East Course. Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey is one stroke back.

College football: TCU coach Gary Patterson has agreed to a new contract that runs through the 2014 season. TCU didn't release terms of the contract. The Frogs went 11-2 and handed Boise State its only loss with a 17-16 victory in the Poinsettia Bowl. It was TCU's fourth 11-win season in the past six years.