Sanders signs Minor League Baseball Contract with Reds

Thursday, January 20th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Deion Sanders has signed a non-guaranteed minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds and has been invited to spring training. "Deion hasn't played baseball in two years," general manager Jim Bowden said Thursday. "We don't know where his baseball skills are, but in spring training we want to give him the opportunity to compete for a roster spot." Sanders last played baseball in 1997 when he batted .273 and stole 56 bases in 115 games with the Reds. At that time, he said he was quitting baseball to devote full time to playing cornerback with the Dallas Cowboys. Sanders has a .266 lifetime average and 183 stolen bases in 609 major league games. He played for the New York Yankees in 1989-90,Atlanta Braves in 1991-93, split the season with the Braves and Reds in 1994, split 1995 with Cincinnati and San Francisco, and spent 1997 with the Reds after sitting out a year. The Reds also signed right-handed pitchers Mark Portugal and Johnny Ruffin to minor league contracts. Portugal, 37, was 7-12 with a 5.51 ERA for Boston last season. He was released by the Red Sox after dropping his final four decisions. Portugal is 109-95 in his major league career. He was traded from San Francisco to the Reds on July 21, 1995, in a multi-player deal that sent Sanders to the Giants. Ruffin, 28, was 1-1 with 10 saves and a 3.17 ERA for Albuquerque, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was 10-6 for Cincinnati from 1993-96.