Abbott Says Deal Close After Angels Offer Arbitration : Baseball: “Flurry” of phone calls convince team to keep dealing with popular pitcher. Finley and Gallagher also offered salary arbitration.

The Angels took a major step toward stabilizing their pitching staff Thursday when they offered salary arbitration to free-agent left-handers Chuck Finley and Jim Abbott, and Abbott said he’s “real close” to signing a long-term deal to remain in Anaheim.

“I think we’re in the same vicinity, and I think we can move on and finish the deal,” said Abbott, who is seeking a three-year contract in the $3.2-million-a-year range. “My preference is to play here for the rest of my career.”

The Angels did not seem real confident they would be able to retain the popular pitcher, but Abbott, who went 11-8 with a 3.70 earned-run average last season, said a “flurry” of phone calls Thursday, in which he “made it clear to the Angels I wanted to stay,” helped persuade the team to offer arbitration.

Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi was so encouraged by Thursday’s negotiations with Abbott that he felt comfortable offering arbitration--even though, he admitted, “we don’t like being exposed to arbitration unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Added Bavasi: “We’d like to think we can make headway toward [long-term] deals [with Finley and Abbott] so we won’t have to go to arbitration.”

Still, Bavasi, whose 1996 budget is not expected to be set until the Walt Disney Co. assumes operational control of the team from the Autry family, remained cautious about the possibility of retaining both pitchers.

“I’m taking it one step at a time,” Bavasi said. “It’s a big move, but with everything we do, we have to keep in mind the unsettled ownership picture. The future looks very bright [for retaining Finley and Abbott] but we still have to be careful.”

The arbitration offers to Abbott, who made $2.8 million in 1995, and Finley, who made $4.5 million, do not guarantee they’ll be re-signed, but Thursday’s decision allows the team to continue negotiating with them until Jan. 8.

The Angels also offered arbitration to reserve outfielder Dave Gallagher and signed reserve outfielder Mike Aldrete to a minor league contract Thursday.

But the team did not extend arbitration offers to catcher Greg Myers, reliever Bob Patterson, third baseman Tony Phillips, pitchers John Habyan and Mike Bielecki and infielder Rene Gonzales.

The Angels will lose negotiating rights to those players until May 1, effectively eliminating any chance of them re-signing with the team. If those players sign elsewhere, the Angels will not be eligible for compensation in the form of draft picks.

Finley, Abbott and Gallagher have until Dec. 19 to accept or reject the offers. If the Angels don’t re-sign them by Jan. 8, they’ll lose negotiating rights to them until May 1. But any team that signs Finley or Abbott would have to relinquish a top draft pick to the Angels.

Finley, who went 15-12 with a 4.21 ERA in 1995, is looking for a three-year deal in the $4-million-a-year range.

Bavasi said signing both Finley and Abbott amid the current budget crunch would be “difficult, but possible.” But asked if the Angels could add a quality free-agent right-hander in addition to Finley and Abbott, Bavasi said, “Not likely.”

Several teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, have expressed serious interest in Abbott, and Finley has drawn interest from the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers.

A source close to the Finley negotiations said there have been no substantive talks between the sides. But Alan Hendricks, Finley’s agent, said Thursday’s arbitration offer “gives us an additional month to get something resolved.”

The loss of Finley or Abbott would put a huge dent in the pitching staff, and the loss of Abbott would be a particularly large blow considering the Angels gave up four minor leaguers, including their 1994 No. 1 pick and two top pitching prospects, to the Chicago White Sox for Abbott last July.