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Just call them the Angel$

By Kevin Baxter
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Thursday was the deadline for teams to renew the contracts of major league players not eligible for free agency or arbitration. The Angels say they didn’t push that deadline, however, signing their last two players -– infielder Brandon Wood and pitcher Matt Palmer –- earlier in the week.

Barring a trade or other surprise this spring, the players on the Angels’ 25-man roster will earn just more than $132 million this season. Add in the $11 million the team still owes outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. and subtract the $5 million the Blue Jays are reportedly contributing to Vernon Wells’ salary and the Angels’ player payroll will top $138 million on opening day, a franchise record and a $17-million increase over last spring.

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-- Kevin Baxter in Tempe, Ariz.

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Kevin Baxter

Kevin Baxter writes about soccer and other things for the Los Angeles Times, where he has worked for 27 years. He has covered seven World Cups, four Olympic Games, six World Series and a Super Bowl and has contributed to three Pulitzer Prize-winning series at The Times and Miami Herald. An essay he wrote in fifth grade was voted best in the class. He has a cool dog.

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