Abbott May Take Buyout

Pitcher Jim Abbott hinted at a possible buyout of the remaining two years and $5.6 million on his Angel contract, but he gave no indication Monday whether he will remain with the organization or in baseball.

“I have a lot of respect and affinity for the Angels . . . and I’d like to do something in concert with them that is fair for both sides,” Abbott said by phone from Orange County. “I have some ideas, but nothing is set in stone at this point.”

Abbott, who has a 13.50 earned-run average this spring, left training camp Sunday so he and the Angels “could evaluate his current situation on the ballclub,” according to General Manager Bill Bavasi.

The Angels have asked Abbott to return to the minor leagues, but as a player with five or more years in the big leagues, Abbott can refuse the assignment. If he declines, the Angels will release him and be required to pay the balance of his three-year, $7.8-million contract.

However, it’s possible Abbott could feel uncomfortable taking $5.6 million from an Angel organization that drafted him in the first round in 1988, brought him right to the major leagues and stuck by him during a horrendous 1996 season, in which he went 2-18 with a 7.48 ERA.

If that were the case, Abbott and the Angels could negotiate a settlement in which the team pays the left-hander a lump sum to retire the contract. Scott Boras, Abbott’s agent, said Abbott is not considering retirement.

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He didn’t have perfect command of his pitches, but closer Troy Percival looked strong Monday, throwing a scoreless eighth inning in a 5-1 exhibition loss to the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz.

Percival, sidelined for two weeks because of back spasms, walked three, but his pitches were around the plate, he appeared to have little trouble with his delivery, and he had excellent velocity on his fastball.

“I don’t know what I was clocked at, but that’s as good as I’ve felt in a while,” said Percival, who will pitch again Wednesday night in Lake Elsinore against a team of Angel minor leaguers. “It was fun being out there again. It’s been frustrating sitting down, not being able to do anything.”

Starter Jason Dickson also was impressive, giving up one run on four hits in five innings, striking out four and walking two. The rookie right-hander lowered his spring ERA to 3.00.

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Chuck Finley threw off a mound Monday for the first time since breaking the bone below his right eye March 15. “I didn’t want to bite off more than I can chew, but it went well,” said Finley, who hopes to return to the rotation by mid-April. “I went about half-throttle for 10 minutes. I’ll try to do more Wednesday, and we’ll see how it goes.”