Team, Weaver Are Still Far From Agreement

Though the Angels and the representative for first-round pick Jered Weaver appear to be significantly apart in negotiations, owner Arte Moreno said Thursday that he was “cautiously optimistic” a deal would get done.

The team and agent Scott Boras hoped to reach agreement by the start of spring training, but that soft deadline passed when pitchers and catchers held their first workout Thursday. Weaver, who is seeking a deal in the $10-million range, remained unsigned, a development that didn’t go unnoticed in the Angel clubhouse.

“I’m always yelling at Scott about that, about kids who haven’t done anything to prove themselves wanting big contracts,” said Angel pitcher Jarrod Washburn, also a Boras client.

“He’s not going to get to the big leagues by not being in camp. And he’s not here, I know that.”

The real deadline for signing Weaver is June 7, the day the right-hander can make himself available for the 2005 draft and the Angels would lose their rights to the former Long Beach State star.

Boras made it clear before last June’s draft what it would take to sign Weaver, a pitcher Boras has compared to Chicago Cub standout Mark Prior, who received a $10.5-million signing package out of USC. That’s why so many teams with high picks shied away from Weaver, considered the top college pitcher in the draft.

Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman called Boras shortly before the draft and asked what it would take to sign Weaver. After being told it would take something in the Prior range, the Angels used the 12th pick to select Weaver, who went 15-1 with a 1.65 earned-run average, 201 strikeouts and 19 walks in 136 innings last season.

But months passed without serious negotiations, and it became clear the Angels, perhaps feeling pressure from Major League Baseball to hold down first-round signing bonuses, had no intention of approaching $10 million.

They would prefer to sign Weaver for something closer to $5 million, which is roughly what Rice University pitchers Philip Humber and Jeff Niemann, the third and fourth picks in the draft, received.

Which raises the question: Why did the Angels pick Weaver when they weren’t ready to meet his asking price? Moreno struggled to find an answer.

“We had an opportunity to draft him, and Bill and Eddie [Bane, Angel scouting director] felt we could sign him,” Moreno said. “He’s a local kid, his brother pitches for the Dodgers, it was a great opportunity for him to pitch in his hometown ... we focused on that.”

Signing Weaver would help replenish starting pitching depth for an organization that lost Aaron Sele and Ramon Ortiz from last year’s big league team, top prospect Bobby Jenks to a winter waiver claim and is crossing its fingers that top prospect Ervin Santana recovers from arm trouble.

But Santana is considered a year or two away from the big leagues, as are highly regarded prospects such as Jake Woods, Steven Shell and Joe Saunders. Chris Bootcheck, once considered a top prospect, has struggled to find consistency at triple-A, leaving the Angels little choice but to move relievers Scot Shields or Kevin Gregg into the rotation should one of their starters suffer an injury.

“He would be an incredible addition to anyone’s organization,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of Weaver. “Bill was excited to draft him.”

He’s just not excited about Weaver’s asking price.

“Obviously, our baseball people think very highly of him, and we would love to see him become an Angel,” Moreno said. “Bill and Scott need to see if they can close the gap, and they have not been able to do that.”

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It took only one workout for Scioscia to see the benefits of catcher Bengie Molina’s losing 22 pounds over the winter. Molina, a Gold Glove winner in 2002 and 2003, has struggled with his weight and hamstring injuries for several years.

“It was like night and day -- he was moving great,” Scioscia said. “[Losing weight] is important for stamina, but it’s going to make a huge difference in his play. He did a great job at a certain weight; now he’ll be even more efficient.”