Angels Make Harvey the Richest Reliever : Baseball: He will make $15.5 million over four years. Schofield’s and Parrish’s starting jobs are in jeopardy.

The Angels ensured the return of one familiar face Wednesday by reaching agreement with Bryan Harvey on a four-year, $15.5-million contract that makes him the highest-paid relief pitcher in the major leagues.

But Whitey Herzog, the Angels’ senior vice president for player personnel, said the team probably will have at least two new faces in its starting lineup next season.

“When spring training starts, according to our manager (Buck Rodgers), John Orton is going to be given every opportunity to be the starting catcher and (Gary) DiSarcina the starting shortstop,” Herzog said. “(Dick) Schofield will probably have to sit and wait to see if DiSarcina can be our shortstop. That’s not a knock on Schofield. We have to know if DiSarcina can play. And (Schofield) is going to be a free agent again after next season.”

Schofield, who accepted arbitration from the Angels after he was unable to work out a free-agent deal with Kansas City, batted .225 in 134 games last season. He hit no home runs and drove in 31 runs. DiSarcina batted only .211 in 18 games with the Angels--but .310 for triple-A Edmonton in 119 games.

Catcher Lance Parrish’s batting average slipped 52 points to .216 last season, but he leads all returning Angels with 19 home runs. At 35, he’s in the final year of a contract that will pay him $2.25 million in 1992. Orton is considered a strong defensive catcher, but his offense has hindered his advancement. He batted .203 in 29 games with the Angels last season, collecting four doubles and three RBIs, and .224 with Edmonton in 76 games.

“I still feel like it’s my job for him to take away,” Parrish said. “I expect there to be competition coming in spring training, and I expect to be fully prepared for it.” Schofield could not be reached for comment.

Herzog also said Chad Curtis, who batted .316 and stole 46 bases for Edmonton last season, will contend with Junior Felix for the starting center fielder’s job, and Joe Grahe will compete with Don Robinson for the fourth spot in the starting rotation.

Another possible starter is right-hander Dave Johnson, who signed a one-year, $200,000 contract with the Angels on Wednesday. Johnson was 4-8 with a 7.07 earned-run average for Baltimore in 1991 and was released after the season. His best season was 1990, when he was 13-9.

Herzog disputed the perception that he is ineffectual or lacks direction because of Wally Joyner’s departure and the decisions by prize free agents Danny Tartabull and Bobby Bonilla not to sign with the Angels. He said the club has a definite plan that will produce a competitive team.

“We’ve only really got two ways to go: Trade or let these kids play,” Herzog said. “I don’t want to trade our pitchers. You sit and wait and there’s always players out there you’re going to want. . . . We have to find out if Orton can hit every day. What if Orton can’t hack it with the bat? Then we might have to sign Lance Parrish.”

In signing Harvey, Herzog realized his goal of solidifying the nucleus of the pitching staff. Left-hander Chuck Finley signed a four-year, $18.5-million deal last month, and Mark Langston has three years left on a five-year, $16-million contract. Herzog repeated his intention of signing Jim Abbott to a multiyear deal, and Abbott’s agent, Scott Boras, said he expects to begin contract talks with the Angels soon.

Harvey, 28, converted 46 of 52 save opportunities last season, the second-highest percentage in the American League. He led major league relievers with a 1.60 earned-run average and recorded a career-high 101 strikeouts, second among AL relievers. Harvey (2-4) was involved in three-fourths of the Angels’ 81 victories.

The Tennessee native, who was signed as a free agent in 1984 after playing in a slow-pitch softball league, received a $1.5-million signing bonus. He will earn $2.75 million this year, $3.75 million in 1993, $3 million in 1994 and $4.5 million in 1995. His contract includes bonuses for winning the Cy Young Award or the Rolaids relief man award.

“As a manager, I’ve been very, very lucky to manage Bruce Sutter, Todd Worrell and Lee Smith,” Herzog said, referring to his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. “I came over here in September and I saw Harvey, and I said, ‘We’ve got the best.’ Now we have him for a long time and I hope he stays healthy, because if he does, we won’t have to worry about our bullpen for a long time.”

Harvey said he had no qualms about giving up a chance at free agency in 1993.

“Not once we got close,” said Harvey, who earned $1.115 million last season. “I love playing out here. I wanted to stay here, and I’m very happy. This was all Whitey’s idea, and I’m glad he’s over here.”

Highest-Paid Relievers

The highest-paid relief pitchers by average annual value. Figures were obtained by the Associated Press from player and management sources and include all guaranteed income but not income from potential incentive bonuses.

PLAYER TEAM YEARS AVG. SALARY Bryan Harvey Angels 1992-95 $3,875,000 Mark Davis Royals 1990-93 $3,250,000 Mitch Williams Phillies 1992-94 $3,066,667 Dennis Eckerlsey Athletics 1991-92 $3,000,000 Bobby Thigpen White Sox 1991-93 $3,000,000