The Halo’s who have been trying to land another strong hitter for several years, agreed to a five-year, $90 million deal Wednesday with free agent Torii Hunter, who hit .297 with 28 homers and drove in 107 runs for Minnesota this year.Three teams -- the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals -- extended five-year offers to the former Minnesota Twins star, and the Angels seemed set in center field with Gary Matthews Jr., a superb defender who is entering the second year of a five-year, $50-million contract.
A seven-time Gold Glove winner, the 32-year-old Hunter will be the everyday center fielder and hit in the middle of the lineup, making it tougher for opposing pitchers to pitch around Guerrero.
Although Hunter's arrival seems to make last season's center fielder, Gary Matthews Jr. odd man out in an outfield with Guerrero in right and Anderson in left, Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said it would give him more options. Hunter said, "I've watched the Angels play for a long time, I've seen these guys work us [during the American League championship series] in 2002. They play the game the right way, they play hard-nosed baseball every day, they go first to third, which I like."
"Torii is going to be in center field virtually every day. Gary will be in the outfield almost every day, so the other two guys will split up the DH," Scioscia said in a conference call. "We want all four of those bats in the lineup."
The Angels, who for three years have been searching for a power bat to protect Vladimir Guerrero in the lineup, were in serious trade talks with the Florida Marlins for Miguel Cabrera, but Reagins refused to say Wednesday night whether they would still pursue the power-hitting third baseman. Two days earlier, the Angels traded Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Jon Garland.
Reagins says he plans to "speak with Gary in depth" in the next few days and said the signing of Hunter "is no indication" that Matthews, who recently spoke to Commissioner Bud Selig about a 2004 shipment of human growth hormone sent to him by a pharmacy being investigated for illegal performance-enhancing drugs, is facing a lengthy suspension in 2008.
Reagins, busy so far this winter, likely will stay that way this winter since the Angels currently have six starting pitchers, plus Matthews, among others who might go in a trade. Reagins first contacted Hunter's agent, Larry Reynolds, this week. "They came in trying to get something done in a hurry and it worked out," Reynolds said. "In the past, we said we're going to pursue every opportunity to make our club better. This was an opportunity. I had the support of some people around me, then I got aggressive."
The deal doesn't bode well for the futures of Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits in Anaheim. Rivera, one of the team's most productive hitters and a solid defender in 2005 and 2006, sat out most of 2007 because of a broken leg and now moves to fifth on the outfield depth chart. Willits, who replaced the injured Anderson last May and provided a much-needed spark in the leadoff spot, batting .293 with 74 runs in 136 games, may be out of a big-league job. Both could be used as trade bait to get an even bigger bat such as Miguel Cabrera or an infield upgrade such as Baltimore shortstop Miguel Tejada, whom the Angels would want to move to third base.
"Torii is going to be in center field virtually every day. Gary will be in the outfield almost every day, so the other two guys will split up the DH," Scioscia said in a conference call. "We want all four of those bats in the lineup."
The Angels, who for three years have been searching for a power bat to protect Vladimir Guerrero in the lineup, were in serious trade talks with the Florida Marlins for Miguel Cabrera, but Reagins refused to say Wednesday night whether they would still pursue the power-hitting third baseman. Two days earlier, the Angels traded Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Jon Garland.
Reagins says he plans to "speak with Gary in depth" in the next few days and said the signing of Hunter "is no indication" that Matthews, who recently spoke to Commissioner Bud Selig about a 2004 shipment of human growth hormone sent to him by a pharmacy being investigated for illegal performance-enhancing drugs, is facing a lengthy suspension in 2008.
Reagins, busy so far this winter, likely will stay that way this winter since the Angels currently have six starting pitchers, plus Matthews, among others who might go in a trade. Reagins first contacted Hunter's agent, Larry Reynolds, this week. "They came in trying to get something done in a hurry and it worked out," Reynolds said. "In the past, we said we're going to pursue every opportunity to make our club better. This was an opportunity. I had the support of some people around me, then I got aggressive."
The deal doesn't bode well for the futures of Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits in Anaheim. Rivera, one of the team's most productive hitters and a solid defender in 2005 and 2006, sat out most of 2007 because of a broken leg and now moves to fifth on the outfield depth chart. Willits, who replaced the injured Anderson last May and provided a much-needed spark in the leadoff spot, batting .293 with 74 runs in 136 games, may be out of a big-league job. Both could be used as trade bait to get an even bigger bat such as Miguel Cabrera or an infield upgrade such as Baltimore shortstop Miguel Tejada, whom the Angels would want to move to third base.
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