>ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Torii Hunter had a news conference with the Los Angeles Angels even before completing his contract.
Hunter was introduced Wednesday along with starting pitcher Jon Garland, acquired this month in a trade with the Chicago White Sox. A seven-time Gold Glove center fielder, Hunter reached a preliminary agreement Nov. 21 on a $90 million, five-year contract with the Angels but has yet to finalize the deal.
“We’re just working out the final details of Torii’s contract and that should be done relatively quickly,” new Angels general manager Tony Reagins said. “He hasn’t officially written his name, but we’ve agreed to all the terms.”
Hunter, who hit .297 with 28 homers and 107 RBIs for Minnesota this year, was obtained two days after the Angels dealt Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera to Chicago for Garland. But owner Arte Moreno denied the team acquired Hunter as insurance in case incumbent center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. gets caught up in baseball’s investigation into performance-enhancing drugs.
“That never really entered our minds, to be honest,” Moreno said. “I think it’s a Pandora’s box. I don’t know what’s going to happen here. Obviously we’ve spent time with Gary, and we’re pretty sure Gary’s been clean for three years. We’ve had communication with the commissioner’s office, but to be able to get an athlete and a person like Torii Hunter was something we wanted to make an investment in.”
Hunter acknowledged he always admired the Angels from afar – especially since they beat his Twins in the 2002 AL championship series en route to the club’s only World Series title. He hammed it up Wednesday with a rally monkey given to him by an Angels staffer, keeping the stuffed animal on his shoulder as he answered questions.
“I told myself years ago that if I ever become a free agent, I’m going over here with the Angels,” Hunter said. “But at the time of my free agency, they had a center fielder already, so I kind of threw them on the back burner and looked at other teams – and then they came out of nowhere.
“Then I thought about 2002, and the rally monkey. This rally monkey has been a thorn in my side and in my nightmares, so I’m just happy to be a part of this organization and be a part of the monkey. I thought about kidnapping him plenty of times, but now the monkey’s going to be my friend. I’m really going to like this monkey. We’re going to be in the malls together, walking the beach, everything. So that’s my buddy and my new best friend – and (broadcaster) Rex Hudler.”
Hunter and Garland posed for photographs together in Angels jerseys and caps.
“It’s awesome. We’ve got two quality guys who are proven winners and winning is important to them,” said Angels pitcher John Lackey, who attended the news conference with teammate Garret Anderson.
Garland, an 18-game winner in 2005 and 2006, was 10-13 with a 4.23 ERA in 32 starts this year. He joins a rotation that includes Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Jered Weaver.
“You can’t have too much pitching,” Lackey said. “Something always happens with a pitching staff, so to have extra guys is always nice. He’s going to be right in the middle of our rotation – maybe at the front. We’ve got several guys who could lead this rotation, and he definitely has the credentials to do it.”
