ANGELS : Abbott Agrees to $1.85 Million

Proving that he is as adept at negotiating as he is at pitching, left-hander Jim Abbott solved the financial differences that might have taken him and the Angels to arbitration.

It was Abbott’s idea simply to split the difference between the $2.1-million salary arbitration figure he had filed and the Angels’ figure of $1.6 million. That resulted in an agreement Thursday morning on a one-year, $1.85-million contract.

“He may be a candidate for the U.N. when he’s through pitching,” said Dan O’Brien, the Angels’ senior vice president for baseball operations.

Abbott, 24, earned $357,500 last season, when he had a career-best 18-11 record and ranked among the American League leaders with a 2.89 earned-run average.

Abbott, a fan favorite at Anaheim Stadium, welcomes the prospect of playing for the Angels for years to come.

“If that works out, it would be that much greater,” he said. “I do hope it works out. . . . If the Angels want me around on a long-term basis, that would be terrific.”