Angels Sign Hillegas to Triple-A Contract

The Angels, who still have a vacancy for a fifth starter, signed right-hander Shawn Hillegas to a triple-A contract Thursday and will invite him to spring training.

Hillegas, 29, who spent five years in the Dodger organization, was 3-6 with a 6.97 earned-run average in 18 games last season for the Oakland Athletics. Hillegas, who will earn $200,000 if he makes the major leagues, has a 24-38 career record and 4.61 ERA with five teams.

Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi also received the latest contract proposal Thursday from agent Jeff Moorad in their quest to sign reliever Gregg Olson. The Angels are one of six teams who have made competitive offers, Moorad said, and a decision likely will be reached by next week.

The Angels have offered a one-year, incentive-laden contract that would be worth $3.5 million the first year, with rollover options that could turn it into a four-year contract. Olson, however, already has a three-year guaranteed offer from one club and a one-year, $4-million proposal from another.

“I think we’ll find out real soon whether we can get together with Jeff,” Bavasi said, “or have to jump off.”

The finalists in the Olson sweepstakes are the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and the Angels.

In other news, the Angels made an undisclosed cash settlement to the Seattle Mariners to resolve a dispute regarding Mike Hartley. The Mariners selected Hartley in the Rule 5 draft during the winter meetings only to learn that the Angels already had sold him to the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese League. The Mariners demanded compensation or the rights to Hartley.