December 14, 200421 yr 12/13/2004 8:30 PM ET Angels sign Yan to two-year deal Trade for utilityman Ginter could be in works By Doug Miller / MLB.com The Angels signed reliever Esteban Yan to a two-year deal on Monday. (Tom E. Puskar/AP) ANAHEIM -- The Angels on Monday lived up to their promise of landing a reliever, signing hard-throwing right-hander Esteban Yan to a two-year, $3 million deal. Angels general manager Bill Stoneman has said throughout this year's Winter Meetings that he was confident that he'd sign a starter and a reliever within the week, and now that Yan is the reliever, the Angels will try to land starter Matt Clement. And even if they're successful on that end, they might not be done reshaping their team. "We're working on other stuff," Stoneman said. "We're heading down a few tracks. We'll see how it sorts itself out." In the case of Yan, it sorted itself out in a predictable way. The Angels love power arms, and they got one in Yan, 29, who has a fastball that touches 97 mph and a wicked split-fingered fastball. Yan went 3-6 with seven saves and a career-low 3.83 ERA for the Detroit Tigers last year while setting up and closing. He'll most likely fit into a middle- to late-innings setup role, along with righties Brendan Donnelly and Scot Shields, to get the ball to closer Francisco Rodriguez. "He's done pretty much everything in the bullpen," Stoneman said. "He comes in with a really strong arm. He has an assortment of pitches and he's got some experience. His numbers are good from last year and he was throwing the ball really well." Stoneman continued the Angels' pattern of going for relievers they like instead of worrying about which arm they throw the ball with. The Angels haven't had a left-handed reliever since Scott Schoeneweis was traded in July 2003, and even Schoeneweis wasn't used in high-pressure situations. Stoneman said if the Angels do go after another reliever, they'll probably do it via trade. One advantage to signing Yan is the fact that the Tigers didn't offer the pitcher arbitration, meaning the Angels don't have to surrender a draft pick to sign him. It appears that the Angels are at least one step closer to signing Clement, with the Cleveland Indians' optimism about the situation beginning to wane, but the Boston Red Sox have entered the fray now that it looks like the New York Mets will sign away their veteran pitcher, Pedro Martinez. Before he left the Anaheim Marriott on Monday, Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro admitted that his club's offer -- believed to be three years and between $19 and $20 million -- probably won't be enough to lure the right-hander, who is being courted by the Angels, the Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays. "The more time goes by, the more I feel concerned," Shapiro said. "It's just a reality of the teams that are in this." Stoneman said he still felt good about where the Angels were standing in the run for a starter, although he wouldn't say if it was Clement. The Angels also have inquired about right-hander Paul Byrd, who won 17 games for the Kansas City Royals in 2002, missed 2003 after Tommy John surgery for an elbow injury, then went 8-7 with a 3.94 ERA in 19 starts for the Atlanta Braves last year. "I still have the same confidence," Stoneman said, most likely in regard to Clement. "We're going to end up adding a starting pitcher to our staff." Meanwhile, a baseball source also said the Angels and Milwaukee Brewers are discussing a trade that would send an Angels reliever to Milwaukee for utilityman Keith Ginter, who hit 19 home runs and drove in 60 runs in 380 at-bats last year. Ginter, 28, could provide security at second base, shortstop and third base and also has played some corner outfield in the Major Leagues. In other developments, Stoneman said he was told by the agent for 21-year-old Cuban slugger Kendry Morales that Morales has secured his permanent residence in the Dominican Republic, the first step in his transition from defector to Major Leaguer. Morales agreed to a six-year deal with the Angels that is conditional upon Morales, as a Cuban national, receiving clearance to enter into a contract with the Angels from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. "The agent (David Valdes) says this is imminent," Stoneman said. "But he's been saying it's imminent for a few weeks now," Stoneman said. Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
December 14, 200421 yr Author Sorry. 634513[/snapback] Hey, Yan is not that bad. I think it is a good pick up for the Angels. :banghead
December 14, 200421 yr Oh baby what an amazing pickup. He's the best reliever the Cardinals had 2 years ago. [/sarcasm] I'll eat crow if he has a good year lol
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