Angels and Canseco Have Reached Deal

The Angels are expected to announce the signing of Jose Canseco to an incentive-laden one-year contract today, a baseball source said.

Canseco will receive the major league minimum $200,000 with incentives that could take him over $5 million, according to the source.

Canseco played in 98 games with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and New York Yankees last season, but the Yankees gave Canseco a $500,000 buyout rather than pick up his $4-million option for next season.

Signing the 36-year-old Canseco is seen as a low-risk move by the Angels, who are in dire need of a designated hitter. Scott Spiezio was the Angels’ most frequently used DH last season, but hit only .224 with six home runs in 50 games.

The Angels have been burned in the past by aging sluggers, having signed Eddie Murray in 1997 and Cecil Fielder in 1998. But Canseco has high-end potential with minimum financial risk.

He missed two months last season because of a heel injury and has also been bothered by back problems in recent seasons. As a result, Canseco hit .252 with 15 home runs and drove in 49 runs in 98 games with the Devil Rays and Yankees last season. Still, he did finish third in the American League with 46 home runs and had 107 runs batted in 151 games with Toronto in 1998, the only time since 1991 he has played a full season.

Canseco joins a lineup already loaded with power hitters. The Angels were third in the league with 236 home runs. Troy Glaus led the league with 47, Mo Vaughn had 36, Garret Anderson 35 and Tim Salmon 34. Darin Erstad had 25 home runs.

By adding Canseco to that already potent lineup, the Angels might be banking that run-production can offset a group of starting pitchers made up of young arms and questionable arms. Pat Rapp and Ismael Valdes were the only veteran pitchers the Angels signed during the off-season.

Canseco ranks 23rd on the all-time list with 446 home runs. He was named the league’s rookie of the year in 1986 and most valuable player in 1988 while with Oakland, where he teamed with Mark McGwire to form the Bash Brothers.