Abbott Talks Angels Into $1.85-Million Deal : Baseball: Pitcher splits difference between his arbitration figure and what club was offering.

Proving he’s as adept at negotiating as he is at pitching, left-hander Jim Abbott solved the financial differences that might have taken him and the Angels to arbitration.

It was Abbott’s idea to split the difference between the $2.1-million salary arbitration figure he had filed and the Angels’ figure of $1.6 million. That resulted in an agreement Thursday morning to a one-year, $1.85-million contract.

“He may be a candidate for the U.N. when he’s through pitching,” said Dan O’Brien, the Angels’ senior vice president for baseball operations.

Abbott, 24, earned $357,500 last season, when he was a career-best 18-11 and ranked among the American League leaders with a 2.89 earned-run average. After an 0-4 start that triggered suggestions that he might benefit from a demotion to the minor leagues, Abbott won seven of eight decisions through early July. He went on to win seven consecutive decisions from Aug. 7 through Sept. 8, the longest streak of his career.

This was Abbott’s first year of eligibility for salary arbitration, a process he was happy to avoid.

“We felt very strongly the number we filed was fair, and the Angels felt the same with theirs. It was a situation where we both wanted to do something both sides would feel was fair, and I think we accomplished that,” said Abbott, the Angels’ first-round draft pick in 1988. “I feel great about it, and I hope the Angels do, too. It’s just incredible. I don’t know how to justify that much money in today’s economy. I’m just thrilled.”

Abbott’s agent, Scott Boras, said he believed Abbott would have prevailed in an arbitration hearing but went along with his client’s willingness to compromise in order to reach an agreement.

The contract contains no bonus clauses beyond guaranteeing Abbott a single room on the road. Abbott’s 1992 salary will be the fourth-highest on the pitching staff, after Chuck Finley ($4 million), Mark Langston ($3.25 million) and Bryan Harvey ($2.75 million).

“The Angels’ position changed quite a bit,” Boras said, “and I think everyone is happy.”

Boras also said the Angels told him they would discuss a long-term contract for Abbott after their arbitration cases are resolved. Hearings begin Monday and will continue through Feb. 21. The Angels face hearings with outfielders Shawn Abner, Junior Felix and Luis Polonia and pitcher Mark Eichhorn.

“The most important thing with Jim was to secure the one-year thing, and look at the other thing when we have time,” O’Brien said.

Abbott, a fan favorite at Anaheim Stadium, welcomes the prospect of playing for the Angels for years to come.

“If that works out, it would be that much greater. I do hope it works out,” said Abbott, who lives in Newport Beach. “I like playing in California and if the Angels want me around on a long-term basis, that would be terrific.”