Higher Minimum Wage a Tough Issue for Players

TEMPE, Ariz. â€”  The Angels plan to renew the contracts of any unsigned players Sunday, with the possibility of igniting a round of clubhouse grumbling.

Until a player enters his fourth major league season, teams can pay whatever they like, at or above the minimum wage. But that minimum jumped from $200,000 to $300,000 under the new labor agreement, and many teams consider a raise to $300,000 sufficient.

“Generally speaking, the union did a heck of a job for young players by negotiating that $100,000 raise in the minimum,� Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman said Wednesday.

Said one agent: “It’s an issue with all clubs, and it has an effect on how people perceive salaries this year. It’s not just Stoneman.�

The Angel players subject to renewal include shortstop David Eckstein, utility man Shawn Wooten and pitchers John Lackey, Ben Weber and Brendan Donnelly. Stoneman said he would consider salaries above the minimum for players who excelled in the Angels’ championship season.

Eckstein declined to comment Wednesday, but several players said they were particularly concerned with how Stoneman will treat the Angels’ shortstop and catalyst.

Second baseman Adam Kennedy got a raise from $280,000 to $375,000 last year, his third year. Eckstein made $280,000 last season, so the Angels could justify paying him $375,000 this year, his third year. He might reasonably seek $475,000 but the Angels would not be inclined to agree.

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The New York Yankees can probably forget about sending six players to the All-Star game again this year, unless fans are awfully generous to the Yankees in electing starters.

The Angels have not forgotten that they had only one player selected to the All-Star game last season while the Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks had six apiece -- with the American League reserves picked by Yankee Manager Joe Torre and National League reserves picked by Diamondback Manager Bob Brenly.

The Angels won the league championship last year, so Angel Manager Mike Scioscia will manage this year’s AL All-Star team and will select the reserves, in consultation with the league office.

“We’ve still got to get it done on the field and earn a spot,� Angel pitcher Jarrod Washburn said. “But if we’re in the same position, I would like to think more than one Angel will be attending.�

In a distinguished 11-year career, outfielder Tim Salmon has yet to appear in an All-Star game.

“All those years, people talked about it, and I’d joke that we’d have to win the World Series so my manager can do the choosing,� he said. “Now we’re faced with that situation.�

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The few remaining tickets for the March 30 opener will be available through a postcard lottery. The Angels have sold 16,000 full-season tickets, with those customers granted the opportunity to buy additional tickets for opening day. The Angels also have sold 8,000 seats to holders of 20-game season tickets, with thousands more allocated to group sales.

That leaves fewer than 10,000 tickets available, a team official said. Fans can enter the lottery by sending a postcard with name, address and phone number to: Anaheim Angels March 30th tickets, P.O. Box 61078, Anaheim 92803-6178. Postcards must be received by March 8.

Tickets for all other games go on sale Saturday.

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Rain cut the Angels’ workouts short for a second consecutive day Wednesday. The Angels plan an intrasquad game today, weather permitting, with Lackey and minor leaguers Brandon Emanuel, Rich Fischer, Kevin Gregg and Jason Secoda scheduled to pitch. The game will last no more than four innings, Scioscia said.... Salmon could miss at least the first week of Cactus League play as he recovers from knee surgery, Scioscia said, but that timetable should not jeopardize his readiness for the season.