NEW YORK — Cliff Lee went from the minor leagues to the pinnacle of pitching in one fantastic year. Now, he's eager to repeat his award-winning performance.

Lee took the American League Cy Young Award in a runaway yesterday, capping a dominant comeback season that made him the second consecutive Cleveland Indians lefty to earn the coveted prize.

"It feels a lot better than it felt in '07," Lee said on a conference call from his Arkansas home. "I want to win this Cy Young again. I want to make a habit of it."

Demoted to the minors last year, Lee went a major league-best 22-3 this season with a 2.54 ERA. He received 24 of 28 first-place votes and 132 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Toronto ace Roy Halladay was a distant runner-up with four first-place votes and 71 points. Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Angels finished third with 32 points.

Lee became the third Cleveland pitcher to win a Cy Young, following Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972 and CC Sabathia last year.

"We are pretty close friends, and there's a lot of things I picked up from him and I'd like to think there's a few things he picked up from me," Lee said of Sabathia. "I've tried to help him out in situations and he's tried to do the same for me. Apparently it's worked. We've turned into pretty good pitchers."

CUBS-MARLINS

TRADE LEAVES WOOD OUT

The Chicago Cubs acquired reliever Kevin Gregg in a trade with the Florida Marlins yesterday, a move that appears to end Kerry Wood's career with the team. Gregg was acquired for minor league pitcher Jose Ceda.

Wood, the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year who saved 34 games this year, had been the longest-tenured player on the Cubs. General manager Jim Hendry said Wood was deserving of a three- or four-year deal and the Cubs are not prepared to offer him one.

DIAMONDBACKS

JOHNSON TO TEST MARKET

Randy Johnson filed for free agency yesterday after failing to reach a contract agreement to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 45-year-old lefty is five victories shy of 300 and "hopes to find a team where he can continue to pitch at a high level and contribute to another world championship," agents Barry Meister and Alan Nero said in a statement.

A five-time Cy Young Award winner, Johnson made $16 million last year and went 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA. He struck out 173 and walked 44.

TWINS

EXTENSION FOR MANAGER

Minnesota signed manager Ron Gardenhire to a two-year contract extension through the 2011 season, and also re-signed pitching coach Rick Anderson, bench coach Steve Liddle and the rest of Gardenhire's top staff.

The Twins went 88-75 and nearly made the playoffs, losing a tiebreaker to the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central title. Gardenhire has led the Twins to four division titles in seven seasons, and the team has finished with a winning record six times.

YANKEES

MARTE GETS 3-YEAR DEAL

Left-hander Damaso Marte is remaining with the New York Yankees after agreeing to a $12 million, three-year contract that includes a club option for 2012.

New York last week declined a $6 million option on the 33-year-old reliever, choosing to pay a $250,000 buyout.

Marte was acquired with outfielder Xavier Nady from Pittsburgh on July 26 for pitchers Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens and Daniel McCutchen and outfielder Jose Tabata. Marte went 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 25 games for the Yankees and 5-3 with a 4.02 ERA overall.