Erstad, Team End Talks on Multiyear Contract

The Angels and the agent for outfielder Darin Erstad have scrapped negotiations for a multiyear deal and are instead focusing on a one-year contract for 2002, a development that may not hurt but certainly doesn’t enhance the chances of Erstad remaining in Anaheim beyond next season.

“There seemed to be a willingness on both sides [to do a long-term deal] but there were philosophical differences on what a package might look like,” said Jeff Moorad, Erstad’s agent. “Instead of going through a non-productive process, we decided to focus on a one-year deal.

“There’s always a possibility [that Erstad will depart after 2002] but I would not read more into it. One year fits the circumstances. As a result, Darin’s next multiyear contract will have to wait.”

Erstad’s four-year, $7.25-million contract expired after the 2001 season, and he is eligible for arbitration this winter before becoming a free agent after 2002. But a miserable 2001 season, in which he hit .258 with nine homers and 63 runs batted in and battled several nagging injuries, cast some doubt on Erstad’s future.

The Angels are confident Erstad will return to something closer to his 2000 form, when he hit .355 with 25 homers, 100 RBIs and 121 runs, but they were hesitant to lock him up to a lucrative long-term deal after his season-long slump in 2001. Negotiations on such a contract didn’t go very far.

“We didn’t talk specifics, we just talked philosophically, and a multiyear deal wasn’t in the cards,” Moorad said.