Watson, Angels Agree on Deal for $1.2 Million

ANAHEIM — The Angels and pitcher Allen Watson avoided arbitration Tuesday when the left-hander agreed to terms on a one-year, $1.2-million contract. The salary is five times more than Watson made in 1996, when he was 8-12 with a 4.61 earned-run average.

Despite Watson’s subpar season for the San Francisco Giants, he still figured to get a significant raise over his $240,000 salary in arbitration, where agents use statistics and salaries of other players to determine their client’s worth.

In Watson’s case, he compared favorably to a pitcher such as Florida’s Pat Rapp, who has roughly the same major league experience (about four years) as Watson and last month signed a $1.125-million contract after going 8-16 with a 5.10 ERA in 1996.

Watson, acquired with minor league pitcher Fausto Macey for first baseman J.T. Snow in November, can make an additional $100,000 in incentives. With the signing of Watson, 26, the Angels have committed a little more than $30 million to the 18 players signed for 1997.

The Angels also signed outfielder Bernardo Brito, 33, to a minor league contract and have invited him to spring training. Brito played with the Minnesota Twins in 1992, ’93 and ‘95, and spent 1996 with Nippon of the Japanese Pacific League, where he hit .253 with 29 homers and 83 runs batted in.