With Alomar leaving, Jorge Cantu figures to take over at second base. He hit .301 in 50 games for Tampa Bay last season, his first in the majors.

“I learned a lot from him and I have all the respect in the world for him,” Cantu said. “I watched him when I was a kid and looked up to him all through the minor leagues. You have to respect what he’s done.”

Also Saturday, Tampa Bay outfielder Danny Bautista retired. Bautista batted .286 with 11 homers and 65 RBIs last season with Arizona.

Bautista was in the major leagues for parts of 12 seasons with Detroit, Atlanta, Florida and the Diamondbacks. He hit .272 in 895 career games, and went 7-for-12 to help Arizona beat the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series.

“I wasn’t caught totally off-guard,” LaMar said. “Danny had been struggling the last five days, so we have had a feeling something might happen, but this was kind of surprising. I just think that he’s a class act.”

The Devil Rays signed speedy outfielder Alex Sanchez, released by Detroit on Tuesday. Sanchez hit .322 with 19 stolen bases in 79 games for the Tigers last season.

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