Chili Gets the Deal He Wanted

Angel designated hitter Chili Davis has been brooding over the team’s April decision to renege on a three-year deal he agreed to over the winter. “The two words I’d used to describe how I felt were disappointment and frustration,” Davis said.

Thursday, those emotions were replaced by “happiness and appreciation.” Davis, 35, agreed to terms on a three-year, $11.4-million deal that virtually ensures he’ll finish his career in an Angel uniform and renewed his faith in a club he has publicly criticized.

The deal, which Davis said was virtually “the same” as the one pulled off the table last month, also means the Angels will avoid a June arbitration hearing, for which Davis had a submitted a one-year salary figure of $5.1 million. The Angels countered with $4.3 million, but the contract Davis will sign averages out to $3.8 million a year.

“There’s no better feeling than being wanted by someone, and I’ve experienced that today,” said Davis, a 13-year veteran who has been the team’s top hitter the last two seasons with 53 home runs and 196 runs batted in. “I hope it will show in my performance.”

Davis had been feeling overlooked in recent weeks. The switch-hitter last winter reached a tentative agreement on a multiyear deal that the Angels and agents Tom Reich and Adam Katz began working on last July.

But signing freezes imposed by the owners and players during the strike, financial losses suffered by the team and uncertainty surrounding future Angel ownership threw the deal into limbo as players returned to work in April.

Angel owner Jackie Autry, apparently concerned about making a long-term financial commitment to a player who is 35 and, until 1993 and ‘94, had a history of having subpar seasons after great ones, pulled the deal off the table.

Davis wondered why teammates such as Mark Langston, Tim Salmon and Gary DiSarcina were rewarded with long-term contracts last season, and his frustration came to a head Wednesday when he said he believed he has been a victim of racism by the Angels.

“I think it’s been used against me at some point,” Davis told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. “They’ve taken care of all the white players in this organization, they always have. Unless you’re Reggie Jackson or some superstar . . . “

Davis said he was unaware his agents and the Angels were closing in on a deal when he made those comments, which he claimed were “more wondering aloud than accusing anyone.” He apologized for them Thursday.

“There was a lot of frustration coming out, but it wasn’t directed as a fact,” Davis said. “If I felt that way at all I would not have signed this contract.”

Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi said Davis’ comments “had absolutely no influence” on the team’s decision to revive the offer.

“The only unfortunate thing is it erodes in the media’s minds our sincerity in pursuing this,” Bavasi said. “Tom, Adam and I had the wheels going on this yesterday, last night, and the final details were worked out today. I believe the relationship between Chili and this club is as strong as ever.”

It was difficult to determine exactly what changed, in ownership’s eyes, between the time the deal was pulled to when it was resuscitated. Bavasi would not not divulge factors in the team’s decision, and Angel President Richard Brown would only say he wanted Davis “because it makes us a better ballclub.”

Said Tim Mead, assistant GM: “It was a matter of emotion and timing. At some point you have to say you need Chili Davis on the club. It wasn’t a monetary consideration. There’s no hidden agenda. This is the right deal, that’s all.”

The new contract makes Davis the third-highest player on the Angel roster, behind pitchers Mark Langston ($5 million) and Chuck Finley ($4.5 million). Had Davis could have made more this year in arbitration, but security was as big an issue as salary.

“The three years was absolutely critical to the deal,” Reich said. “There’s no question that throughout the summer, fall and winter it was the toughest issue to resolve.”

Reich credited Bavasi’s persistence for keeping the deal alive.

“Bill Bavasi is a good guy, a real professional,” Reich said. “A lesser guy might of tanked once this thing started to spin out of control.”