Angels’ Pursuit of Righetti Depends on Length of Deal

Despite their preference to avoid the free-agent market, the Angels could become a serious suitor 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 whether he insists on a five-year contract. The Angels have said they are reluctant to sign pitchers for more than three years, a sentiment that also has been expressed by the Dodgers, and might keep them from signing Righetti.

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.

“It’s very hard to assess degrees of interest since you have lots of conversations with lots of teams,” Goodstein said from New York. “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, the desire for a long-term contract is a complication. Goodstein said he would prefer a five-year deal but would settle for a “solid” four-year contract. Righetti made $1.55 million in 1990.

Asked whether Righetti was worth pursuing, O’Brien said, “At a very slow and well-informed pace.”

Righetti, who turned 32 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.