Angels Withdraw Offer to Moore, Say They’ll Continue Negotiations

The Angels have withdrawn their latest contract offer to free-agent relief pitcher Donnie Moore, although both sides say the move is more a matter of standard procedure than controversy.

“It doesn’t really mean anything,” said Peter Rose, an attorney representing Moore. “We’ll continue to talk to them. They have indicated no willingness to cease negotiations, and neither have we.

“They just said they are taking this offer off the table. Since that offer is not acceptable to us, we don’t care if they do or not.”

The Angels had reportedly offered Moore a three-year contract worth $2.7 million, with the stipulation that the proposal would be withdrawn Monday at midnight. Moore and representatives Rose and David Pinter, seeking a four-year deal in the $5 million to $6 million range, let the deadline pass.

“The length of the contract is the major obstacle at the moment,” Rose said. “And the money is not satisfactory, either.”

Angel General Manager Mike Port said the team’s withdrawal of the offer “was done ‘without prejudice,’ meaning that we’re free to continue negotiations. We can come back with a proposal at the same terms or less or whatever.

“Nothing was done on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. We are not at an impasse, we are not at odds. (Signing) Donnie Moore is our No. 1 priority.”

Moore, 31, was voted the Angels’ most valuable player in 1985 after setting a club-record 31 saves with a 1.92 earned-run average.

Port said the Angels withdrew their offer because the team thought Moore’s representatives would be able to use their three-year proposal as bargaining leverage with other teams.

“If you were in an open-market situation, what would you do?” Port said. “We took it off the table so it wouldn’t become a floor for (Moore’s agents), a figure that they could shop around.”

Said Rose: “(The Angels) felt that if they left the offer on the table, it would’ve enhanced our ability to negotiate with other clubs. I doubt if it has had, or will have, any effect on the other clubs. It’s more formality than anything else.

“Donnie’s not all together thrilled. It’s no secret that Donnie would like to stay in Southern California. But, he’s not prepared to give up a lot of money to do that.”

Nonetheless, Rose said Moore could benefit from this development. According to Rose, a long negotiating period would work to the pitcher’s advantage.

“From the Angels’ perspective, I actually believe they would like to sign us as quickly as possible,” he said. “From our perspective, if we avoid talking to a potential club because we want to sign quickly with the Angels, that would deprive Donnie of an opportunity available to him. That wouldn’t be fair to him.”

Rose and Port said they believe nothing will be settled before baseball’s winter meetings, which will begin Dec. 8 in San Diego.

Said Rose: “I told Mike that if I were him, I wouldn’t expect to hear from me before the winter meetings. We want to see what else is available.”

Port said the Angels will be patient.

“This will give (Moore) a chance to get a feel for the market,” Port said. “Hopefully, this will crystalize and speed the situation. They can come back to us with what they’ve found and we’ll see if we can do better.”

Port said an agreement with free-agent second baseman Bobby Grich is “conceivable” before the end of the week. Grich, 36, is looking for a one-year contract.

“We’re having discussions and I see no real reason why we can’t reach an agreement,” Port said.

Port said negotiations with free-agent pitcher Don Sutton would resume later this week, once Sutton returned home from a vacation abroad.