The Angels offered arbitration to 4 of their 5 arbitration eligible free agents, holding back on only veteran outfielder Garret Anderson.
Looking at the chance to get a possible 7 draft picks before the 2nd round begins, the Angels offered arbitration to Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, Darren Oliver and Jon Garland.
Complete Guide to Every MLB Team's Arbitration Decisions
This closes the door on Anderson's 18.5 years with the club. He was drafted in the 4th round of the June 4, 1990 amateur draft. He leaves at or near the top of every offensive counting statistic in franchise history. Having recently retained the services of Scott Boras as his agent, the Angels seemed in no mood to risk him calling their arbitration bluff, not with the possibility of Boras presenting the case to the independent arbitrator.
The four players extended arbitration offers have a week to accept. It seems most likely that the Angels will target Darren Oliver for a two year deal rather than let him go. The other three players are more likely content to test the free agent market despite the gloomy economy looming for the 2009 baseball season.