BASEBALL : Myers Accepts One-Year Deal With Twins

Catcher Greg Myers, who was not offered arbitration by the Angels, agreed to terms with the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

Myers, often injured but a capable power hitter, accepted a one-year deal worth $475,000 with the Twins holding an option on the 1997 season.

Myers, 29, batted .260 with nine home runs and 38 runs batted in in 85 games for the Angels last season. However, he spent time on the disabled list because of a broken right big toe in April, a stained left quadriceps in June and a strained left rib cage muscle in September.

“He did some very good things for us,” said Tim Mead, Angel assistant general manager. “We would have liked to have had him back. [But] we still need to get catching, and even if Greg had signed with us we still would have gone out and looked for catching.”

The Angels are grooming Todd Greene, who many believe is the club’s catcher of the future, but it’s doubtful he will be ready for the majors by next season.

Greene, 24, batted .327 with 26 homers and 57 RBIs in 82 games at double-A Midland and hit .250 with 14 homers and 35 RBIs in 43 games at triple-A Vancouver last season.

Jorge Fabregas, a .247 hitter in 73 games for the Angels in 1995, is another candidate for the starting job.