Angels Avert Arbitration by Signing Minton

The Angels canceled their opening round of arbitration hearings, scheduled for Wednesday with Greg Minton, by signing the 37-year-old relief pitcher to a 1-year contract worth about $650,000 Saturday.

Of the club’s four remaining arbitration cases, Minton’s figured to be the most likely to produce an early agreement, as only $90,000 separated the two sides. Minton filed for a $690,000 salary in 1989, and the Angels offered $600,000.

In 1988, Minton appeared in 44 games for the Angels, finishing 4-5 with 7 saves. His 2.85 earned-run average was second only to Bryan Harvey’s 2.13 on the Angel pitching staff.

Minton’s signing leaves first baseman Wally Joyner, outfielder Chili Davis and shortstop Dick Schofield on the club’s arbitration ledger. Joyner, who is asking for $965,000, turned down a reported $2.24-million, 2-year proposal, plus incentives, from the Angels on Friday. The Angels’ original arbitration offer was $750,000.

Davis and Schofield remain separated from the Angels by $300,000 and $255,000, respectively. Davis filed at $1.3 million, the Angels at $1 million. Schofield, who filed at $910,000, was offered $655,000.