Tribune Co. and its CEO Sam Zell rejected an Illinois state agency's plan to buy Wrigley Field and are pushing ahead to sell the ballpark together with the Chicago Cubs, a top company official said Tuesday.

Crane Kenney, the Cubs' chairman and outgoing general counsel of parent Tribune, said there still is a chance Wrigley could be sold separately to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.

But after months of talks with the ISFA that have failed to produce an agreement, he confirmed Tribune is moving ahead to package the stadium together with the ballclub in a private sale that outside experts believe could fetch as much as $1 billion for the cash-crunched media conglomerate.

"We'll continue to work with city and state officials if there is a transaction that makes sense for the Cubs, Tribune and the public," Kenney said in an e-mail. "We are also moving the private process forward and expect to have the descriptive memorandum in the market within the next two weeks."

Keppinger sidelined with broken left kneecap: Cincinnati Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger left the game against the Florida Marlins with a broken left kneecap.

Keppinger fouled a pitch off his knee in the second inning. He drew a bases-loaded walk, giving the Reds a 2-0 lead, and played defense in the third and fourth innings before departing.

The team said X-rays revealed the injury and Keppinger is scheduled for an MRI exam today.

Santana to start opener of Subway Series: Johan Santana's next scheduled start was pushed back a day by the New York Mets and the two-time Cy Young Award winner is slated to start Friday's Subway Series opener at Yankee Stadium against Darrell Rasner.

Hank Steinbrenner, the Yankees' co-chairman, cut off trade talks for Santana in December when he heeded the advice of general manager Brian Cashman and kept his team's top prospects. The Mets then acquired Santana from the Minnesota Twins in February.

"It's always good to get an extra day," Santana said. "I have a philosophy. I got to do my job no matter who I'm facing or who the team is."

Pirates call up Salas: The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased the contract of right-handed reliever Marino Salas from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Salas replaced righty John Van Benschoten, demoted to the minors Monday after losing to Atlanta in the second game of a doubleheader. Van Benschoten, a first-round draft pick in 2001, was 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA in four games this season.