Vaughn Hurt; $22 Million for Mantei

Ever since Mo Vaughn joined the Anaheim Angels, he just can't shake injuries. <br><br>Vaughn, who sprained an ankle two years ago during his first inning with the team, will miss at least the first

Thursday, January 18th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Ever since Mo Vaughn joined the Anaheim Angels, he just can't shake injuries.

Vaughn, who sprained an ankle two years ago during his first inning with the team, will miss at least the first half of the season because of a ruptured tendon in his left arm.

``As you can imagine, I'm deeply disappointed with the news,'' Vaughn said. ``Last season, the Angels exceeded many expectations and my teammates and I believe this year will be even better. I will be there for this team any way I can in 2001.''

Vaughn 33, hit .272 with 36 homers and 117 RBIs in a career-high 161 games last season, his second with the Angels. He was scheduled for surgery Feb. 6 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Meanwhile, the big increases in salaries kept trickling down to players in salary arbitration, with Arizona closer Matt Mantei getting a three-year, $22 million contract on Wednesday. Montreal second baseman Jose Vidro got $19 million and Seattle center fielder Mike Cameron $15.5 million.

They were among six players who filed for arbitration who agreed to deals, with Detroit outfielder Roger Cedeno ($2.7 million), Seattle right-hander Brett Tomko ($1.1 million) and Mariners reliever Jose Paniagua ($837,500) getting to one-year contracts.

Of the 102 players who filed for arbitration Monday, 12 have settled and 90 were set to swap figures with their teams Thursday.

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter could set a record for the largest salary asked for in arbitration. Jeter, who is attempting to work out a multiyear contract, could ask for $17 million or more, based on Alex Rodriguez's record $252 million, 10-year contract with Texas.

Jeter set the arbitration record last year when he asked for $10.5 million and settled at $10 million.

Mantei, 27, was eligible for free agency after the 2001 season. He gets a $1 million signing bonus, $3.25 million this season, $4 million in 2002 and $6.75 million in 2003.

Mantei, who has a $7 million player option for 2004, made $2,831,000 last year, when he had 17 saves in 20 chances for Arizona in his first full season with the Diamondbacks.

Vidro, 26, gets $2.5 million in 2001, $4 million in 2002, $5.5 million in 2003 and $7 million in 2004. He made $365,000 last season, when he hit .331 with 24 homers, 51 doubles and 97 RBIs.

``I actually got a little more than I was looking for,'' said Vidro, a switch-hitter who played in his first All-Star game last season. ``The good thing is that when the contract is up, I'll only be 30, so I can get another contract.''

Cameron, 28, was acquired by the Mariners from Cincinnati in the Ken Griffey Jr. trade last winter. Cameron gets a $1.25 million signing bonus, $3 million in 2001, $4.25 million in 2002 and $7 million in 2003.

He hit .267 last year with 19 home runs, a career-best 78 RBIs and 24 stolen bases.

``I'm shocked,'' said Cameron, who made $2,225,000 last season. ``I'm getting $15 million. I never thought about that. I've got $15 million now, but I don't think it's going to affect me.''

Among free agents, Houston agreed to a minor league contract with catcher Jeff Reed, and Los Angeles agreed to minor league contracts with infielder Tim Bogar and right-hander Doug Linton.