Toronto Making a Pitch to Sign Abbott

The Toronto Blue Jays are making a strong push to obtain pitcher Jim Abbott, offering the Angel free-agent a three-year deal worth more than $9 million, and it’s unclear whether the Angels will be able to counter that offer to keep him in Anaheim.

Abbott reportedly received a three-year, $8-million offer from Toronto this week. After the Blue Jays lost free-agent pitcher Al Leiter to the Florida Marlins Thursday, they increased their offer to Abbott Friday.

Abbott said last week that he was “real close” to signing a multiyear deal with the Angels, but negotiations with the Angels have lost some steam while talks with the Blue Jays have picked up.

“We’re in owner purgatory,” agent Scott Boras said of the Angels, who won’t know their final 1996 budget until the Walt Disney Co. assumes operational control of the team. “Their hands are tied, and if push comes to shove, I’m not sure what they can do.”

Tim Mead, Angel assistant general manager, admitted Friday that “we’re still not in a negotiating position,” but reaffirmed the team’s desire to retain Abbott. “We’d like to work things out with Jim,” he said.

The Angels offered Abbott and fellow left-hander Chuck Finley arbitration last week, but both are expected to reject those offers by Tuesday. The Angels will then have until Jan. 8 to sign the two starters, or risk losing negotiating rights to them until May 1.

Although the Angels might lose one Boras client, they appear to have an excellent chance of gaining another, free-agent catcher Joe Oliver.

Boras said he has “talked at length” with the Angels about Oliver, who hit .273 wit 12 homers and 51 runs batted in for Milwaukee 1995. Oliver is interested in the Angels, who recently lost starter Greg Myers to the Minnesota Twins.