McDowell Is Awaiting Improved Contract Offer

The Angels haven’t made the playoffs since 1986, but club President Tony Tavares believes they can advance past the first round and into the American League championship series if they sign free-agent pitcher Jack McDowell.

“If we get McDowell, I’m feeling pretty good about going to the ALCS,” Tavares said at the Orange County sports newsmakers luncheon Tuesday. “I really think we’re there if we get him.”

The Angels, though, haven’t put their money where their mouths are. Their offer to McDowell, the 1993 AL Cy Young Award winner trying to rebound from elbow surgery, is about $500,000 plus incentives, and it doesn’t appear the right-hander will sign for that.

In fact, Jim McDowell, Jack’s brother and agent, said the pitcher won’t sign “until the offers get better, and if that takes us into the regular season, that might be the approach.”

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Tavares said the Angels remain interested in free-agent pitcher Orlando Hernandez, the older half-brother of World Series most valuable player Livan Hernandez, but only as an alternative should McDowell sign elsewhere. “Our scouts don’t feel he would necessarily be ready as a starter this season,” Tavares said. . . . Tavares likes the idea of closer Troy Percival adding a split-finger pitch to complement his 95-mph fastball: “If he gets that perfected, the rest of the American League hitters can put the bat back in the rack, because that’s all the good it’s going to do them.”