Angels Land a Closer : Baseball: All-time save leader Lee Smith agrees to two-year, $4-million contract.

The Angels, who spent the last two seasons in anguish while watching their bullpen struggle, got the man they believe will make them an instant contender in the American League West, assuming there is a normal 1995 season.

Lee Smith, baseball’s all-time saves leader, agreed Tuesday to a two-year, $4-million contract with the Angels that potentially is worth $6 million.

Smith will receive an $800,000 signing bonus, payable when baseball resumes, and a base salary of $1.5 million in 1995 and $1.7 million in 1996. He also can earn $500,000 a season for appearing in 55 games, and $500,000 for winning the Rolaids Relief award. The contract will become official after Smith passes a physical this week.

“I think our club last year would have been a much, much better club with a closer,” Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi said. “So obviously, I think we’re a much better club with this signing. This was a major component missing in our team.”

No one was actually predicting a pennant in the Angel offices, but considering the bullpen since the departure of Bryan Harvey . . .

“I know he’s not superman, he’s not going to save every game,” Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “But you watch, he’s going to make a difference of 10 to 15 games. To have a guy of his caliber picks up the whole ballclub.

“When we get into the ninth inning, we’ll be in great shape. Obviously, we couldn’t say that before.”

The signing of Smith also may rectify the Angels’ mistake of a year ago. They discussed signing Smith last winter but backed out when former General Manager Whitey Herzog received unfavorable scouting reports.

When Herzog resigned, Bavasi immediately brought up the prospect of signing Smith. Sorry, but this time Angel Manager Buck Rodgers wasn’t interested. He wanted a bullpen-by-committee.

Last season, Smith saved a major league-leading 33 games in a strike-shortened season--12 more than the entire Angel bullpen.

“The last four or five years, I’m supposed to have been washed up,” said Smith, 37. “So what’s new about that? I’ve been written off since I was with the Cubs, and I was only 30 then.

“I don’t look at my velocity; I look at the results.”

Despite his ’94 performance, it wasn’t until Monday that anyone else besides the Angels even bothered to submit an offer. The Baltimore Orioles--fearing Smith’s 0-4 record and 5.59 earned-run average after May 30 last season--offered a one-year contract Monday for about $2.3 million.

“I wouldn’t have minded being back in Baltimore, but you can’t always get what you want,” Smith said. “I looked at the team, the options I had, and decided the California Angels were best-suited for me.

“Hopefully, they’ll feel the same about me.”

The Angels are happy to have Smith, but there will be repercussions.

They already have committed about $23 million of their $24.5-million budget to only 12 players, and say they have to trade center fielder Chad Curtis, who is making $1.9 million, and probably starter Chuck Finley ($4.5 million).

They removed left-handed reliever Bob Patterson from their roster Tuesday.

The Cardinals offered outfielder Mark Whiten and third baseman Todd Zeile for Finley, and the Blue Jays are willing to make an offer.

“Signing Lee doesn’t mean we’re going to have to jettison our team,” Angel President Richard Brown said, “but we might have to do some tinkering.

“Right now, you take everything with a grain of salt. I mean, what good is a Lee Smith or any signing without knowing when we’ll be playing again.”

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Smith’s Record

Year Team IP W-L Sv ERA 1980 Cubs 22.0 2-0 0 2.86 1981 Cubs 67.0 3-6 1 3.49 1982 Cubs 117.0 2-5 17 2.69 1983 Cubs 103.1 4-10 29 1.65 1984 Cubs 101.0 9-7 33 3.65 1985 Cubs 97.2 7-4 33 3.04 1986 Cubs 90.1 9-9 31 3.09 1987 Cubs 83.2 4-10 36 3.12 1988 Red Sox 83.2 4-5 29 2.80 1989 Red Sox 70.2 6-1 25 3.57 1990 Red Sox 114.1 2-1 4 1.88 Cardinals 68.2 3-4 27 2.10 1991 Cardinals 73.0 6-3 47 2.34 1992 Cardinals 75.0 4-9 43 3.12 1993 Cardinals 50.0 2-4 43 4.50 Yankees 8.0 0-0 3 0.00 1994 Orioles 38.1 1-4 33 3.28 Totals 1163.2 68-82 434 2.92