Free agent outfielder Bobby Abreu has signed a one-year deal with the Angels, SI.com has learned. The deal is worth $5 million and also includes incentives.
Abreu, who turns 35 next month, joins an accomplished group of outfielders with the Angels that starts with Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Juan Rivera, who unlike Abreu are all right-handed hitters. Gary Matthews Jr., another Angels outfielder, is a switch-hitter.
Abreu is the only player in major-league history with 200 home runs, 300 stolen bases, a .400 on-base percentage and a .300 batting average (Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson hit the first three marks but don't have the .300 career batting average). However, he was caught in a tight outfield market flush with strong hitters. Manny Ramirez and longtime Angel Garret Anderson have yet to sign.
For the Yankees last year Abreu hit .296 with 20 home runs and 100 RBIs. He is a solid defensive right fielder whose one perceived flaw, a reluctance to go near the wall, became an issue last year, especially in the media.
Abreu represents a nice replacement for Mark Teixeira, the Angels free-agent first baseman who signed with the Yankees, Abreu's old team. The Yankees decided against offering Abreu arbitration since he made $16 million last year and could have matched mark that in the arbitration process, based on his consistently excellent numbers, so no draft choice is attached to an Abreu signing.
The Abreu agreement might put a little extra pressure on the Dodgers to re-sign Manny Ramirez, as he was believed to be their top fallback position in case Ramirez winds up going to the Giants or elsewhere.
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