Sheffield’s Bonus May Benefit Belle

Because of $7.5 million in secret payments made to Gary Sheffield by the Dodgers and Florida Marlins, Chicago White Sox outfielder Albert Belle might become eligible for free agency this fall.

To get Sheffield to waive his no-trade clause and accept a trade from Florida to the Dodgers on May 15, the Marlins and Dodgers agreed to each give the outfielder a $2.5-million payment each, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. Also, the Marlins agreed to forgive a $2.5-million loan to Sheffield.

Those payments, which increased Sheffield’s contract to $68.5 million over six seasons, were not announced at the time of the trade.

Belle’s $55-million, five-year contract with Chicago includes an opportunity to become a free agent if his contract isn’t among the top three by average value among players with deals three years or longer.

Sheffield’s bonuses mean Belle falls to a tie for fourth with Sammy Sosa at $10 million, behind Boston’s Pedro Martinez ($12,083,333), Atlanta’s Greg Maddux ($11.5 million) and Sheffield ($11,416,667).

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Jim Abbott has been brought up from triple-A Calgary by the Chicago White Sox and is scheduled to start against the New York Yankees on Saturday night. Abbott, a 30-year-old left-hander who was born without a right hand, was 2-2 with a 2.61 earned-run average with Calgary in his first season back after retiring from the Angels in 1997.

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Atlanta’s Andres Galarraga began serving a three-game suspension after NL President Leonard Coleman turned down his appeal. Galarraga charged the mound Aug. 22 after being hit by a pitch by the Dodgers’ Darren Dreifort. . . . Toronto catcher Benito Santiago, out nearly the entire season after a January car accident, was recalled from triple-A Syracuse.