Pirate Galaxy » in 149 matches, including five go

MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins acquired Jeff Francoeur from the Atlanta Braves in a three-team trade Wednesday night, hoping the well-traveled outfielder can provide a boost toward a playoff spot.Francoeur was the only major leaguer included in the deal that also involved Texas. Any big league player traded after Aug. 1 had to first be put on waivers.As part of the trade, the Braves will send Marlins $104,959 to help offset Francoeurs contract.Francoeur hugged his Atlanta teammates and coaches goodbye in the visiting dugout early in Wednesdays game at Arizona.Its hard. Hes a great kid. Hes one of the finest human beings Ive ever been around, Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. Well miss him. Hes going to play meaningful games, good for him.Atlanta got minor league shortstop Dylan Moore from Texas and catcher Matt Foley from Miami and the Rangers obtained two international signing slots from Miami and one from Texas.Miami is contending for an NL wild-card spot and isnt sure whether star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton will return this season from a severe groin strain.Francoeur hit .249 with seven home runs and 33 RBI in 99 games for the Braves. The 32-year-old plays both left field and right field and is known for a strong arm.The Marlins will be Francoeurs eighth team in the majors. Besides Atlanta, he has played for Kansas City, the New York Mets, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Texas and San Diego.Hes been great for our young kids and has been great on the field as well, said Braves assistant general manager Billy Ryan. Unfortunately, the circumstances of where we are as an organization, the Marlins are in contention, theyre going for it, so it was an opportunity for him to get some meaningful at-bats and hopefully get in the postseason.---AP freelancer Jose M. Romero contributed to this report from Phoenix. Allonzo Trier Knicks Jersey . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Carmelo Anthony Jersey . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. http://www.knickssale.com/kids-kevin-knox-knicks-jersey/ . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Bernard King Knicks Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Charles Oakley Knicks Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. MADRID -- Neymar will sign a three-year contract extension with Barcelona on Friday, a deal that will keep the Brazil forward with the Spanish club until 2021.Barcelona and Neymar had made the announcement of the agreement in July.The previous contract was to end in 2018. The new deal will run through June 2021, Barcelona said Monday.The clubs announcement in July ended speculation that Neymar was unhappy in Spain and was looking to move to another club. Paris Saint-Germain was among the clubs reportedly trying to sign him.At the time, the club said the contracts buyout clause would be fixed at 200 million euros (around $220 million) for the first year of the new contract, 222 million euros for the second, and 250 million euros for the final three years. The buyout clauses reportedly match the ones on Lionel Messis contract.The 24-year-old Neymar has been with Barcelona since moving from Brazilian club Santos in 2013. He has scored 90 goals in 149 matches, including five goals in eight matches this season.A key player in Barcelonas potent attack along with Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar helped the team win nine titles: two Spanish league titles, two Copa del Reys, two Spanish Super Cups, the Champions League, the European Super Cup, and the Club World Cup.dddddddddddd.The trio of attacking players scored 122 goals in the 2014-15 season and 131 goals last season, both record figures.Neymar now has the longest contract among the teams top players. The contracts of Messi and Andres Iniesta end in 2018, while Suarez has a deal until 2019.Neymar and his father, who acts as his agent, are likely to face trial for fraud in Spain in a case into alleged irregularities regarding his transfer from Santos to Barcelona. A Brazilian investment group which was entitled to 40 percent of the transfer claims it received a smaller compensation than it should have because part of the fee was concealed.Barcelona also confirmed that defender Javier Mascherano will be staying with the club until 2019. That deal also had been announced in July.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni ' ' '