"The Marlins agreed to terms with veteran right-handed reliever Luis Ayala, who cleared waivers Thursday after being designated for assignment last week by the Minnesota Twins.

Ayala's agent, Joe Longo, said the pitcher would report to New Orleans and join the Triple A club in Omaha, Neb.

''He hasn't pitched in over two weeks, so he'll go down there for maybe three or four outings to make sure everything is working right,'' Longo said.

Ayala, 31, has pitched for the Nationals, Mets and Twins during his six major-league seasons. He had appeared in 28 games for the Twins this season, going 1-2 with a 4.18 ERA.

''He knows [Marlins general manager] Michael Hill , and he's played for years with [ Jorge] Cantu and [ Alfredo] Amezaga for Mexico,'' Longo said. ``I think he's got some familiarity with the [NL East] division, so I think it's a place where he's comfortable.''"