Trimmer Watson Gets Hefty Raise From Angels Without Arbitration
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Angel pitcher Allen Watson dropped 15 pounds over the winter but his wallet was fattened considerably Tuesday.
Watson and the Angels avoided arbitration when they agreed to a one-year, $2.9-million contract, a raise of $1.7 million over 1997, when he went 12-12 with a 4.93 earned-run average and led the major leagues in home runs allowed with 37.
Watson, 27, had asked for $3.375 million in arbitration, and the Angels countered with $2.3 million. In five years as the team’s general manager, Bill Bavasi has not gone to an arbitration hearing.
With Watson signed, the Angels have now committed $35 million to 17 players on the 1998 payroll, $38 million when Jim Abbott’s $3-million salary is factored in.
The Angels hope to keep their payroll at about $40 million, but still must sign Darin Erstad, Todd Greene and Jason Dickson.
The Angels also hired two new radio announcers--Brian Barnhart for English broadcasts and Ivan Lara for Spanish broadcasts.
Barnhart, 33, joins Mario Impemba on KRLA (1110 AM). Barnhart, the host of a sports talk show in Oklahoma City, did play-by-play for triple-A Oklahoma City from 1988-94.
Lara, 34, did play-by-play in Spanish for triple-A Tucson from 1990-96. Lara becomes the Angels’ first Spanish voice since the club abandoned Spanish broadcasts in 1991.
