Angels Sign Easley to 1-Year Deal : Baseball: Infielder accepts $305,000 offer. Pitchers Boskie, Harkey, Monteleone become free agents. Abbott, Finley decline arbitration.

The Angels signed infielder Damion Easley to a one-year, $305,000 contract Tuesday, avoiding salary arbitration. They also announced they will not tender 1996 contracts to pitchers Shawn Boskie, Mike Harkey and Rich Monteleone, making them free agents.

Free-agent pitchers Chuck Finley and Jim Abbott both declined arbitration--they had until 9 p.m. Tuesday to accept--so the Angels will have until Jan. 8 to sign the left-handers or risk losing them. Both already have received three-year offers from other teams.

“It’s going to be interesting,” said Scott Boras, Abbott’s agent. “There’s not as much pitching in the market anymore, so these guys [Abbott and Finley] are going to start getting even better offers.”

Asked if he would give the Angels until Jan. 8 to sign Abbott, Boras said, “I don’t know. That’s going to be Jim’s decision.”

Angel assistant general manager Tim Mead said the remaining 26 players who have not been signed for 1996, a list that includes Jim Edmonds, J.T. Snow, Troy Percival and Garret Anderson, will be tendered contracts by today’s deadline.

Boskie and Harkey each spent parts of the 1995 season as the Angels’ fifth starter, but their potential loss means the Angels probably would complete their rotation with Phil Leftwich, who spent much of 1995 recovering from shoulder surgery, Scott Sanderson, who missed most of 1995 because of a back injury, or Julio Valera, who has been hampered by arm problems.

Boskie, Harkey and Monteleone can still negotiate with the Angels, but by not tendering them contracts, the Angels avoid arbitration and can cut their salaries by more than the 20% maximum allowed for players who are tendered contracts.

Easley, whose contract includes incentives that could push his salary above $400,000, received a substantial raise over his 1995 base salary of $170,000, despite batting .216 in 1995 and .215 in 1994.

The Angels have signed free-agent infielders Randy Velarde, Tim Wallach and Jack Howell to play second base and third. Easley, who plays all three infield positions, might be used as a utility player--or, possibly, as trade bait to acquire a catcher or pitcher.

“This is his make-or-break year,” said Paul Cohen, Easley’s agent. “Either he’ll be the guy [starter] or he’ll be moved.”

Easley hit well in spring training last season but was hampered throughout 1995 by a thumb injury suffered in early June. He excelled at second base but never seemed to regain his batting stroke after the injury.

“I think [the contract] is indicative of the player he can be,” Cohen said. “The player he was, I think, had a lot to do with injuries.”