Angels Are Pursuing Righetti

Despite their vow to avoid plunging into the free agent market, the Angels could become serious suitors for the services of left-handed reliever Dave Righetti, who has spent all of his nine-plus major league seasons with the New York Yankees.

Whether the Angels pursue the San Jose native apparently hinges on his desire for a five-year contract. The Angels have said in the past they are reluctant to sign pitchers for more than three years, a sentiment that has also been expressed by the Dodgers.

Righetti’s agent, Bill Goodstein, said Wednesday he has had “continuing” talks in recent weeks with Angel General Manager Mike Port and senior vice president Dan O’Brien, who handles the club’s contract negotiations. According to Goodstein, the Angels’ intentions are earnest.

“There’s no question they have an abiding interest in Righetti for several reasons,” Goodstein said by phone from his New York City office. “They know Righetti to have had an immensely successful career as a left-handed reliever, a position they’re interested in filling, and in addition, I know the Angels like Righetti because of his conduct and (good) reputation off the field.

“It’s very hard to assess degrees of interest since you have lots of conversations with lots of teams. But I would say the Angels clearly have reasonable interest. His wife, Kandice, is from Orange County and he’s from California. We think the Angels have a very good team and will be a contending team and that’s a factor I know interests David.”

However, Righetti and Goodstein’s desire for a long-term contract is a complicating factor. Goodstein said he would prefer a five-year deal but would settle for a “solid” four-year contract, which may still be longer than the Angels are willing to offer despite their pressing need for a left-handed closer. Righetti’s 1990 salary was $1,550,000.

“I’ve heard he’s looking for five years and I don’t think we’d be interested in doing something like that,” O’Brien said. But when asked if he’d change his mind should Righetti be willing to accept a shorter contract, O’Brien replied, “Anybody can make something interesting . . . The door is ajar.” Asked whether Righetti was worth pursuing, O’Brien said, “At a very slow and well-informed pace.”

Righetti, who turned 32 on Wednesday, had 36 saves in 39 opportunities last season. His 224 career saves is the most by a left-hander and seventh on the all-time list. He is one of only five pitchers in major league history who have earned 20 saves in seven consecutive seasons, sharing that distinction with Bruce Sutter, Jeff Reardon, Lee Smith and Goose Gossage. He holds the Yankee record for games appeared in, with 522 appearances as a starter and reliever.

It’s believed the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins have made offers to Righetti.

O’Brien also said the Angels are unlikely to acquire Steve Sax from the Yankees to fill their need at second base. “I think that’s a dead issue because the Yankees are going to keep him,” O’Brien said.

Angel Notes

The Angels hired former major league outfielder Gene Richards to join the coaching staff of their double-A Midland farm club. Richards played eight years in the major leagues, seven with the San Diego Padres.