AROUND THE MAJORS

Angel first baseman Mo Vaughn, who sat out the 2001 season because of a ruptured biceps tendon and expressed a desire in October to return to the Boston Red Sox, was examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum and met for two hours with General Manager Bill Stoneman earlier this week.

There have been concerns about Vaughn’s weight, but Stoneman said Vaughn “looked like he was in pretty good shape.” Vaughn, who has three years remaining on a six-year, $80-million contract, has been swinging a bat for several weeks.

Vaughn did not retract his recent statements to a Boston radio station, “but he understands he’s under contract to the Angels, and as long as he’s with the Angels, he’s going to give it his best shot here,” Stoneman said. “That’s important. Our plans are for him to be with us, and it’s important he understands he has a commitment here. That was made pretty clear in our meeting, and I’m satisfied with that.”

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The Angels agreed to terms with free-agent catcher Jorge Fabregas on a one-year, $500,000 contract for 2002 that includes incentives for an additional $250,000.

Fabregas, 31, hit .223 with four doubles, two triples, two home runs and 16 runs batted in for the Angels last season, and he provided steady defense when filling in for starting catcher Bengie Molina.

Angel catcher/utility player Shawn Wooten, who hit .312 with eight homers and 32 RBIs in 79 games in 2001, was named to the Topps 43rd annual major league rookie all-star team, which was selected by big league managers.

The rest of the rookie team: first baseman Craig Wilson (Pirates), second baseman Alfonso Soriano (Yankees), third baseman Albert Pujols (Cardinals), shortstop Jimmy Rollins (Phillies), outfielders Adam Dunn (Reds), Tsuyoshi Shinjo (Mets) and Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners), right-hander Roy Oswalt (Astros) and left-hander C.C. Sabathia (Indians).