Angels avoid salary arbitration with Dylan Bundy, Andrew Heaney, 3 others

Friday is the day for players and teams to exchange numbers for those eligible for salary arbitration, and the Angels came to agreements with five of their six eligible players before the 10 a.m. PT deadline, the team announced.

Only Shohei Ohtani is pending, having exchanged figures with the club.

If Ohtani and the Angels can’t agree on a contract, they will proceed to an arbitration hearing to be scheduled at some point in February.

The big names signed on Friday were Dylan Bundy for $8.325 million and Andrew Heaney for $6.75 million, inking the Angels’ top two starters for their final year before free agency.

Acquired via trade from Baltimore in December 2019, Bundy had his best season in 2020 with the Angels, posting a 3.29 ERA and 2.95 FIP in 11 starts, with 72 strikeouts in 65⅔ innings. The right-hander was fourth in the American League in FIP last year, and sixth in strikeout rate (27 percent).

Heaney was the Angels’ Opening Day starter in 2020, and posted a 4.46 ERA and 3.79 ERA in 12 starts, with 70 strikeouts in 65⅔ innings. Like Bundy, Heaney will be a free agent after the 2021 season.

Bundy made $5 million in 2020, pro-rated to $1.85 million in the shortened season. Heaney made $4.3 million, pro-rated to $1.59 million.

In the bullpen, Mike Mayers signed a one-year deal for $1.2 million, Felix Peña signed for $1.1 million.

With three years, 20 days of major league service time, this was the first year of arbitration eligibility for Mayers, who had a $573,000 salary in 2020, pro-rated to $212,222 over the pandemic-shortened season.

Mayers turned his career around in 2020. Claimed off waivers in November 2019 after a 7.03 ERA in 73 games with the Cardinals over his first four seasons, Mayers was the Angels’ best pitcher last year. He posted a 2.10 ERA and 2.19 FIP in 30 innings, with 43 strikeouts against only nine walks, to go with two saves. Mayers had an 18.7-percent strikeout rate from 2016-19, and upped that to 35.5 percent with the Angels.

Peña had a 4.05 ERA and 3.00 FIP in 25 games, with 29 strikeouts and eight walks in 26⅔ innings in his third year with the Angels. With three years, 79 days of service time, Peña was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time.

Catcher Max Stassi signed for $1.6 million.

The catcher hit .278/.352/.533 with seven home run in 31 games, starting 26 of the Angels’ 60 games behind the plate. With four years, 49 days of service time, this was Stassi’s second arb year, having earned $800,000 in 2020, pro-rated to $296,296.

With these five players in the fold, the Angels have 13 players signed for $149.3 million.