Angels Going a Different Way

The Angels pulled an about-face on Bengie Molina on Wednesday, declining to offer the catcher salary arbitration after informing his agent last week that they would, effectively ending the Angel career of the popular two-time Gold Glove Award winner and clutch hitter.

Pitcher Jarrod Washburn, reliever Jason Christiansen and infielder Lou Merloni also were not offered arbitration, but pitcher Paul Byrd, who signed a two-year deal with Cleveland on Monday, was. That will net the Angels a draft pick -- at this point, a first-round selection -- as compensation for the loss of Byrd.

Unless the Angels trade for another catcher, they will enter 2006 with Jose Molina, a strong defender with limited offensive abilities, and rookie Jeff Mathis, a highly touted prospect, sharing the bulk of the catching duties.

“We were leaning toward arbitration with Bengie, but with the emergence of Mathis and right behind him, Mike Napoli, I didn’t want to throw up a roadblock that would impede them,” General Manager Bill Stoneman said. “It wasn’t an easy decision, because Bengie has been a great trooper, a good player, for a number of years.”

So was Washburn, a 31-year-old left-hander who went 75-57 with a 3.93 earned-run average in six-plus seasons and was the Angels’ best pitcher in 2002, going 18-6 with a 3.15 ERA to help the Angels win the World Series.

Washburn knew his Angel career was done -- the team has made no attempt to negotiate a new deal with him -- but he still had some trouble coming to grips with it.

“They have to make business decisions, but I feel a little underappreciated for what I’ve done the last few years,” Washburn said by phone from his Wisconsin home. “I wanted to be an Angel my entire career,” so much so that last season he offered to sit down with Stoneman -- and without his agent, Scott Boras -- to negotiate an extension. Stoneman declined.

“It would have been nice to have a man-to-man talk [with Stoneman], for him to tell me we’re going in this direction, and this is why,” Washburn said. “That hurts. It’s a lack of respect.”

Stoneman said with Ervin Santana’s breakout 2005 season and young pitchers Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver nearing the big leagues, “we projected other uses for the money we would have to commit to Washburn,” who could command more than $8 million a year.

The Angels did not want to sign Bengie Molina, a slow-moving 32-year-old, to a long-term deal, but they seemed open to the idea of Molina returning on a one-year contract if he was not satisfied with the free-agent offers he was receiving.

But by the time Wednesday’s arbitration deadline arrived, Stoneman decided it was time to give Mathis, an athletic receiver who batted .276 with 21 home runs and 73 runs batted in at triple-A Salt Lake, a chance.

“You never know about a player if you don’t create opportunities,” Stoneman said.

“It’s like the lottery. You can’t win if you don’t buy a ticket. I’m hoping our chances with Mathis are better than winning the lottery.”

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To make room for pitcher Hector Carrasco on the 40-man roster, the Angels designated reserve outfielder Jeff DaVanon for assignment. DaVanon is expected to be released.... Though talks with Boston about a potential Manny Ramirez deal appear stalled, the Angels have done some homework on the Red Sox slugger, whose quirky behavior has been disruptive at times. “We’ve talked with [Angel shortstop] Orlando Cabrera and [Spanish radio broadcaster] Jose Mota, who know Manny better than anyone, and there’s nothing [Ramirez] wants to do more than win,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. ... The Angels and Devil Rays are discussing a trade that would send catcher Josh Paul to Tampa Bay.