Angels Won’t Sign Forsch or Zahn : Team Offers Spring Tryout to Injury-Plagued Pitchers

After waiting nearly two years for Ken Forsch to successfully rehabilitate his injured right arm, the Angels may have said goodby to the 39-year-old pitcher Thursday.

In a move anticipated since the end of the 1985 season, the Angels announced they would not be offering 1986 contracts to Forsch and Geoff Zahn, another pitcher attempting to recover from arm problems. The deadline for tendering contracts to players for next season is today.

Thus, both Forsch and Zahn become free agents. Angel General Manager Mike Port says the team will invite the pitchers to spring training as non-roster players, but Forsch doubts if he will accept.

“It doesn’t look very good,” Forsch said. “If a better opportunity presents itself, I’ll try that, and I’ve already got several teams in mind.

“To me, the Angels have a roster problem. They’re talking about possibly going with a nine-man pitching staff, and they’ve already got five solid starters. If they sign Donnie Moore, that’s six pitchers. And then you have (Stewart) Cliburn, (Urbano) Lugo, (Jim) Slaton--right on down the line.

“If I’m going to try out with a ballclub, I’m going to look for one with one or two openings on its starting staff. The Angels, right now, have an abundance of starters.”

Forsch’s last full season with the Angels was 1983, when he finished 11-12 with a 4.06 earned run average. He made only two starts in 1984 before dislocating his right shoulder and missed all of 1985 because of bone spurs in his right elbow, a condition that required surgery in June.

Forsch’s contract expired at the end of the season, and Port told the pitcher then that the team wouldn’t take a chance by re-signing him before a spring training tryout. Thursday’s decision made it official.

“I’m not surprised,” Forsch said. “They did the same thing with (Bruce) Kison. He had the same problem and they released him after the season. Mike told me that they didn’t want to take a chance on my arm by committing to me.”

Forsch said he has been working out three times a week at Anaheim Stadium, throwing at full velocity for the past month.

“I’ve been going full-out and last Wednesday, I started throwing breaking balls,” he said. “The program’s coming along so good, it feels like I’m wasting time. I’ve had to speed the program up.”

According to Forsch, his agent has contacted several teams and has already lined up a tryout with one. Forsch wouldn’t offer any specifics, but he has long been interested in joining his brother, Bob Forsch, who pitches for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Zahn, who turned 39 Thursday, is recuperating from August shoulder surgery and has indicated he will accept the Angels’ tryout offer next spring.

Forsch, however, will probably look elsewhere.

“Right now, I need a chance,” Forsch said. “I need to get back into the swing of things.

“But, things can change. Mike has left the opportunity to try out with the Angels open. They could’ve said, ‘Goodby, get out of my life,’ but they haven’t.”

The Angels also announced Thursday that their Class A affiliate, the Redwood Pioneers, will move to Palm Springs for the 1986 season.

The Pioneers will be renamed the Palms Springs Angels and have signed a three-year lease with the city. They will play their first game in Palm Springs April 11.