Angels Near Deal With Canseco

The Angels, desperate for a designated hitter, are nearing a deal with Jose Canseco, baseball sources said Sunday.

Angel officials have had “favorable and positive negotiations” with Canseco, according to a source. The two sides could reach a deal later this week.

Canseco, 36, has been slowed by back problems the last four seasons and was set free by the New York Yankees, who bought out his contract for $500,000 rather than pick up his $4-million option. He would follow a path of other power hitters the Angels signed late in their careers, including Eddie Murray in 1997 and Cecil Fielder in 1988. Neither finished the season with the team.

The Angels were third in the American League with 236 home runs but had a designated hitter by committee last season. General Manager Bill Stoneman made plugging that hole a priority.

Angel designated hitters had a .275 batting average with 26 home runs and 81 runs batted in, but much of that production was accounted for by position players such as Mo Vaughn, Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson and Darin Erstad. Scott Spiezio was the team’s most frequently used DH, but he hit only .224 with six home runs in 50 games at that spot.

Canseco, known as one of the Bash Brothers when he played in Oakland with Mark McGwire, was the American League’s most valuable player in 1988. He split last season between Tampa Bay and New York, hitting .252 with 15 home runs and driving in 49 runs in 98 games. He ranks 23rd on the all-time home run list with 446. He has played for Oakland, Texas, Boston, Toronto, the Devil Rays and the Yankees.