Darren Oliver reportedly to sign with Texas Rangers
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It appears the Angels have lost another valuable player to an American League West rival. Veteran reliever Darren Oliver has agreed to terms with the Texas Rangers on a one-year, $3.5-million deal that includes a vesting option for 2011, mlb.com reports.
Oliver, a 39-year-old left-hander, went 15-3 with a 3.09 earned-run average over the past three seasons for the Angels, who this winter lost third baseman and leadoff batter Chone Figgins to the Seattle Mariners.
He made $3.665 million last season with the Angels, going 5-1 with a 2.71 ERA in 63 games, but the Angels did not offer Oliver arbitration because they did not want to allocate more than $4 million of their 2010 payroll to a pitcher who would have been the fourth reliever in the bullpen, behind closer Brian Fuentes and setup men Scot Shields and Kevin Jepsen.
Because the Angels did not offer arbitration, they will not receive any draft-pick compensation for the loss of Oliver.
-- Mike DiGiovanna