Trimmer Watson Gets Hefty Raise From Angels Without Arbitration

Angel pitcher Allen Watson dropped 15 pounds over the winter but his wallet was fattened considerably Tuesday.

Watson and the Angels avoided arbitration when they agreed to a one-year, $2.9-million contract, a raise of $1.7 million over 1997, when he went 12-12 with a 4.93 earned-run average and led the major leagues in home runs allowed with 37.

Watson, 27, had asked for $3.375 million in arbitration, and the Angels countered with $2.3 million. In five years as the team’s general manager, Bill Bavasi has not gone to an arbitration hearing.

With Watson signed, the Angels have now committed $35 million to 17 players on the 1998 payroll, $38 million when Jim Abbott’s $3-million salary is factored in.

The Angels hope to keep their payroll at about $40 million, but still must sign Darin Erstad, Todd Greene and Jason Dickson.

The Angels also hired two new radio announcers--Brian Barnhart for English broadcasts and Ivan Lara for Spanish broadcasts.

Barnhart, 33, joins Mario Impemba on KRLA (1110 AM). Barnhart, the host of a sports talk show in Oklahoma City, did play-by-play for triple-A Oklahoma City from 1988-94.

Lara, 34, did play-by-play in Spanish for triple-A Tucson from 1990-96. Lara becomes the Angels’ first Spanish voice since the club abandoned Spanish broadcasts in 1991.