The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim continued their signing of arbitration-eligible players, inking catcher Jeff Mathis to a one-year contract today, avoiding salary arbitration. The contract for Mathis is worth $1.7 million, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Angels already on Tuesday signed Alberto Callaspo to a one-year, $2 million deal.
Mathis made $1.3 million in 2010, his first year of arbitration eligibility. He will be eligible for free agency following the 2012 season. I would say that Mathis struggled mightily at the plate, but his .195/.219/.278 line wasn't that far removed from his career line of .199/.265/.311. Among the 39 players in Angels history to amass 1,000 plate appearances, Mathis ranks dead last in OPS (.576), OPS+ (53), batting average (.199), on-base percentage (.265), and is 37th in slugging percentage (.311).
The Angels now have roughly $94.1 million committed to 13 players in 2011. The Angels still have six potential arbitration cases, for Jered Weaver, Mike Napoli, Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Kendry Morales, and Reggie Willits. The filing period for the players runs through January 14, and teams and players exchange salary figures on January 18. In most cases, deals are reached by the latter date. If contracts aren't reached, an arbitration hearing will be scheduled from February 1-21.
For more news related to Mathis, the Angels, and salary arbitration, be sure to read Halos Heaven.