Talks With Weaver Are Reopened

Negotiations between the Angels and 2004 first-round pick Jered Weaver, which broke off in early March with the sides about $3 million apart, have perked up again, with Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman and Scott Boras, Weaver’s agent, meeting in Angel Stadium before Friday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

Weaver, the former Cal State Long Beach pitcher who was the 12th overall selection last year, will re-enter the June 7 draft if he doesn’t agree to terms with the Angels by May 30.

“We’ve made concessions in an attempt to get this done, and until he goes back into the draft, we’ll continue trying to get something done,” Boras said. “But there is still a sizable gap between our position and where the Angels are.”

Angel owner Arte Moreno said Friday he “hasn’t given up” hope of signing Weaver, the younger brother of Dodger pitcher Jeff Weaver. “Like everything else, I always hope for the best; I’m an eternal optimist,” Moreno said. “We have the rest of May.”

Weaver, who went 15-1 with a 1.65 earned-run average and 201 strikeouts in 136 innings at Long Beach in 2004, was looking for an $8-million signing package.

The Angels in early March issued Weaver an ultimatum: accept a five-year major league contract worth about $5 million or a $4-million signing bonus in a minor league deal, or the offers would be pulled, and any subsequent offer would be for less. Weaver turned both down.

Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman declined to comment. Though Moreno confirmed “there have been discussions” recently between Boras and Stoneman, he would not say whether those talks had yielded any progress toward an agreement.

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Utility infielder Lou Merloni has decided to undergo season-ending surgery on his right ankle, which he injured while fielding a ground ball at third base in Minnesota on Sunday. Merloni ruptured three ligaments when his spikes got stuck in the artificial turf as he planted to throw.

“I felt the ankle pop and go back in, but when I looked at the replay, I couldn’t even see [when the injury occurred],” Merloni said. “I ran it slow-motion, and I could still barely see it.”

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Tiger closer Troy Percival, who waited for reporters after virtually every blown save during his nine years (1996-2004) as Angel closer, seemed a bit surprised when he heard his successor, Francisco Rodriguez, left without addressing the media after his first blown save against Oakland April 22.

“I tried to help Frankie learn how to handle defeat, how to let a bad day go and come back the next day,” Percival said. “I’m not sure what he got from it, but he did listen. He’ll learn. He’ll grow into it. But he’s not going to be blowing many of them. He’s pretty good.”

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ANGELS TONIGHT

ANGELS’

BARTOLO COLON

vs.

DETROIT’S

JEREMY BONDERMAN

*--* THE MATCHUPS 2005 2004 VS OPP TEAMS/PITCHERS W-L ERA TEAM W-L IP ERA Detroit/Bonderman (R) 4-2 3.92 4-2 0-0 6.0 1.50 ANGELS/Colon (R) 4-2 3.03 4-2 0-1 10.0 9.90

*--*

Angel Stadium, 7

TV -- Channel 9. Radio -- 710, 1020.

Update -- Thursday’s off-day gave Colon an extra day to recover from the ankle injury he aggravated Sunday in Minnesota, when the right-hander was forced out of a game in which he threw 7 1/3 shutout innings, giving up two hits, striking out seven and walking none. Bonderman is coming off Monday’s win over the Red Sox, a game in which the Tiger right-hander gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings.

-- Mike DiGiovanna