Pitcher Kyle Lohse defeated the Minnesota Twins yesterday in the first salary arbitration case of the year.

Eligible for arbitration for the first time, Lohse will get a raise from $395,000 to $2.4 million, arbitrators Robert Bailey, Christine Knowlton and Elliott Shriftman decided, one day after hearing the case. Minnesota had offered $2.15 million to Lohse, a 26-year-old right-hander who went 9-13 with a 5.34 ERA in 34 starts last season.

Eight players remain scheduled for hearings, including Twins pitcher Johan Santana, the AL Cy Young Award winner.

Devil Rays

Tampa Bay and right-hander Travis Harper settled their case, agreeing to a $745,000, one-year contract, the midpoint between his request for $840,000 and the team's offer of $650,000. He also can earn $20,000 bonuses for 55 and 60 games pitched.

Mets

Cuban defector Alay Soler, who has yet to pitch for the Mets despite agreeing to a $2.8 million contract seven months ago, might miss the beginning of spring training, according to the New York Daily News. His agent, Miami-based Joe Cubas, has been suspended by the players' union because it concluded he withheld immigration papers that would allow Soler to complete the visa process and enter the United States. Cubas purportedly told union officials he was withholding items Soler needed because he was owed money by the player. Soler had complained that Cubas was attempting to take a 15 percent cut, three times the maximum allowed. ... Darryl Strawberry is rejoining the Mets as a special instructor for a few days during spring training. It will be his first time with the team since he left after the 1990 season to sign with the Dodgers.

Elsewhere

The lawsuit by the former limited partners of the Montreal Expos against former owner Jeffrey Loria was dismissed when a federal judge approved an arbitration panel's ruling. If the former limited partners had prevailed, they would have sought an injunction to block the Expos' move to Washington.