Angels Reject Frey’s Contract Proposal

ANAHEIM — The Angels rejected reliever Steve Frey’s revised contract proposal Friday, a move that probably will end his Angel career.

Steve Comte, Frey’s agent, said they submitted a modified contract proposal at the Angels’ request, laden with incentives, but the Angels never budged from their original offer. The Angels, it is believed, offered a

two-year contract worth about $1.5 million to avoid arbitration the next two years.

“I want to be fair,” Angel General Manager Whitey Herzog said, “but I don’t want to be Santa Claus. I mean, we’d really like to have him, but it just seems like we’re way apart.”

Frey, who led the Angels with 13 saves last season, will become a free agent Monday if he does not receive a tendered contract. Herzog said there will be no contract.

Herzog said the Angels probably will explore the free-agent market to replace Frey. He reiterated that he’s not interested in Lee Smith, baseball’s all-time saves leader.