Infielder Alex Amarista, oufielder Mike Trout and pitchers Tyler Chatwood and Trevor Reckling are among the prospects the Angels are inviting to their big-league spring training camp next month.

Trout, a 19-year-old speedster who hit .341 with 85 stolen bases last summer at Single A stops in Cedar Rapids and Rancho Cucamonga, and Chatwood, a 21-year-old right-hander who went a combined 13-9 with a 2.84 ERA at three minor league levels, are the top two prospects in the organization, according to Baseball America.

Amarista, 21, who like Chatwood and Reckling was a spring training invitee last year, had a solid summer, batting a combined .309 while rising from Single A to Trple A. He followed that up by hitting .295 in 57 winter league games in his native Venezuela.

Reckling, a 21-year-old left-hander, was 7-13 with a 6.42 ERA in a 2010 season split between Double A Arkansas and Triple A Salt Lake.

Infielder Jean Segura, a 20-year-old Dominican rated as the organzation's third-best prospect, is also among the 25 nonroster players who will be working out with the major league team next month. Segura hit .313 and stole 50 bases in 60 tries at Single A Cedar Rapids last year.

The Angels' spring training camp opens on Feb. 13 when pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report. The first workout will be held the following day with the rest of the squad expected in camp  on Feb. 18.

-- Kevin Baxter

Bartolo Colon's fortunes have dipped since winning 21 games and the Cy Young Award with the Angels in 2005. But Colon appears to be ready for a comeback attempt, this time as part of the New York Yankees organization.

The 37-year-old right-handed pitcher has agreed to a minor league contract with the Yankees. He has been out of the major leagues since being released by the Chicago White Sox in September 2009 after going 3-6 with a 4.19 earned-run average in 12 starts.

Colon went 46-33 in four seasons with the Angels from 2004-07. He has a 14-21 record since going 21-8 in 2005.

-- Chuck Schilken

Photo: Bartolo Colon in 2007. Credit: Chris Carlson / Associated Press

Did Mike Napoli even go through customs in Canada?

The catcher, who was traded with outfielder Juan Rivera from the Angels to the Blue Jays for outfielder Vernon Wells last Friday, spent all of four days on Toronto's roster.

Napoli reportedly was traded from the Blue Jays to the Texas Rangers for reliever Frank Francisco and cash considerations on Tuesday. Now, the Angels will be seeing a lot more of Napoli, who is expected to get at-bats for the Rangers as a catcher, first baseman and designated hitter.

Napoli, 29, hit .238 with 26 homers and 68 runs batted in in 140 games with the Angels last season, including a .305 average against left-handed pitching, the best mark on the team.

The right-handed Francisco went 6-4 with a 3.76 earned-run average and two saves in 56 appearances for the Rangers in 2010. He opened the season as the closer but moved to a setup role after Texas moved rookie Neftali Feliz into the closing job.

Francisco missed the final five weeks of the season and the entire playoffs because of a strained rib-cage muscle.

--Mike DiGiovanna

After three subpar years, in which he failed to live up to the expectations of his seven-year, $126-million contract, Vernon Wells rebounded strongly for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010, batting .273 with a .331 on-base percentage, a .515 slugging percentage, 31 home runs, 44 doubles and 88 runs batted in.

But Wells, who was acquired by the Angels on Friday for catcher Mike Napoli and outfielder Juan Rivera, struggled for the second straight season against left-handed pitchers, a surprise considering he is one of the game's better right-handed power hitters.

Wells, 32, hit only .201 against left-handers over the last two seasons, the worst of any qualifying right-handed hitter in baseball. He also had a .619 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) against lefties in that span. Of 96 qualifying right-handed hitters, only Brendan Ryan's OPS against lefties was worse.

Making those numbers even more numbing is the fact that Wells hit .331 with a .924 OPS against left-handers from 2005-2008.

"For some reason, that was characteristic of our team," Wells said of the Blue Jays, who hit a major league-worst .215 against lefties last season. "It's kind of ironic. I wanted to work on driving the ball up the middle this year, and there's not a better park to do that in than Anaheim.

"Obviously, there are some good left-handers in that division. I'm going to have to hit those guys. It will start bright and early for me."

Wells also praised Angel Stadium, calling it "the best field in baseball," and he is looking forward to getting off the artificial turf of the Rogers Centre and on to a natural-grass field. But Anaheim hasn't been too kind to Wells, who has a .226 average, .267 on-base percentage, .340 slugging percentage, three homers and 19 RBIs in 159 career at-bats in Angel Stadium.

That, however, was hardly a deterrent to Wells' waiving his no-trade clause to come to Anaheim.

"As a visiting player, you stand in the outfield in Anaheim, the fans are filling the stadium, and you're soaking in the atmosphere," Wells said. "That plays a big part of it. It's one of those places you go to and you say to yourself, 'It would be nice to play here.' But never in my wildest dreams did I expect it to happen."

--Mike DiGiovanna  

An Angels club that has been criticized all winter for its inactivity got busy in a big way Friday, acquiring All-Star outfielder Vernon Wells from the Toronto Blue Jays for catcher Mike Napoli and outfielder Juan Rivera.

The trade was officially announced by the Angels early Friday evening, and Wells, who waived his no-trade clause so the deal could be consummated, General Manager Tony Reagins and Manager Mike Scioscia will adress the media in a conference call at 7:30 p.m.

Wells, 32, had a bounce-back 2010 for Toronto, hitting .273 with 31 home runs, 44 doubles and 88 runs batted in after averaging 17 homers and 74 RBIs for three subpar and injury-marred seasons from 2007-2009.

But he comes at a steep price; Wells is entering the fourth year of a heavily back-loaded, seven-year, $126-million contract that paid him $40 million for the first three years and pays him $86 million over the next four seasons, $23 million in 2011 and $21 million in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

A hefty chunk of Wells’ 2011 salary will be offset by the salaries heading to Toronto; Rivera will make $5.25 million next season and Napoli, who exchanged arbitration figures with the Angels on Tuesday, will make at least $5.3 million.

There was an Internet report Friday afternoon that the Angels would receive cash from the Blue Jays in the deal, but there is no mention of cash being exchanged in the releases issued by both teams on the trade.

The  Blue Jays made the deal in an effort to dump Wells’ contract in order to free up money to sign slugger Jose Bautista to a multi-year deal.

But the addition of Wells, a three-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, will likely push the Angels’ payroll next season to the $145-million range.

Wells, who will be the highest-paid player in Angels history, is primarily a center fielder who can also play right, a skill set that matches that of Torii Hunter, who moved from center field to right last August to accommodate the promotion of rookie Peter Bourjos.

The Angels have reached an agreement to send catcher Mike Napoli, the team's top power hitter last season, to the Toronto Blue Jays, according to a baseball source close to Napoli.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Angels will receive All-Star outfielder Vernon Wells in exchange while also sending outfielder Juan Rivera to Toronto. The trade is contingent on all three players passing physicals, and Wells is reportedly in Southern California where he underwent his exam Friday.

Wells, 32, hit .273 with 31 home runs and 88 RBIs last summer when he made his third All-Star team. He has a .280 lifetime average in 12 seasons in which he's averaged 26 homers and 95 RBIs.

Wells, who waived his no-trade clause to allow the trade to go forward, is scheduled to make $23 million this season and $21 million in each of the final three seasons of his contract, making him the highest-paid player in Angels history. The Blue Jays, who needed to deal Wells and his contract in order to make a run at signing Jose Bautista to a multiyear deal, will pay some of Wells' salary. The Angels also gave themselves some breathing room salarywise when they took Napoli and Rivera off the books,  moves that will save them more than $10 million

Napoli, 29, slugged a team-high 26 home runs last year, his third consecutive season with more than 20 homers. But he hit just .238 with a career-high 137 strikeouts. Something of a defensive liability behind the plate -- would-be base stealers have been successful more than three-quarters of the time against Napoli in his career -- Napoli played at first base for much of the second half of the 2010 season after Kendry Morales sustained a season-ending injury.

The trade would to send the Angels into spring training with veterans Jeff Mathis and Bobby Wilson and rookie Hank Conger as the leading candidates at catcher while the addition of Wells will help fill a gaping hole in outfield. But the deal also leaves the Angels with three outfielders in Wells, Torii Hunter and Peter Bourjos who are primarily center fielders

Napoli, who is eligible for arbitration, made $3.6 million in 2010 and asked the Angels for $6.1 million, $800,000 more than the team offered, for 2011. He can become a free agent after 2012.

Rivera, who had become the most expendable Angel in a crowded outfield, will make $5.25 million this summer in Toronto in the final year of his contract. A 10-year veteran, Rivera, 32, hit .252 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs

We'll have more on the trade soon at latimes.com/sports.

-- Kevin Baxter

Photo: Mike Napoli. Credit: Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times

The Angels avoided arbitration with second baseman Howie Kendrick and reserve outfielder Reggie Willits, who each agreed to 2011 contracts Tuesday.

Kendrick, who hit .279 with 10 home runs, 41 doubles and 75 runs batted in, will make $3.3 million, up from the $1.75 million he made in 2010. Willits, who hit .258, will make $775,000, a slight raise from the $625,000 he made last season.

The Angels have agreed to terms with six of their eight arbitration-eligible players: Kendrick, Willits, Kendry Morales, Erick Aybar, Jeff Mathis and Alberto Callaspo.

The Angels were unable to come to terms with pitcher Jered Weaver and catcher Mike Napoli, and the team and players exchanged salary figures Tuesday.

Weaver requested a salary of $8.8 million, more than double the $4.265 million he made last season. The Angels countered with a salary of $7.365 million. Napoli requested a salary of $6.1 million, and the Angels countered with an offer of $5.3 million.

--Mike DiGiovanna

Angels first baseman Kendry Morales and shortstop Erick Aybar have reportedly agreed to terms on 2011 contracts, avoiding arbitration on the day players and teams are scheduled to submit arbitration figures.

Morales will make $2.975 million next season, a considerable raise from his $700,000 salary in 2010, and Aybar will make $3 million, almost $1 million more than the $2.05 million he made in 2010.

Morales had a breakout season in 2009, hitting .306 with 34 home runs and 108 runs batted in, but he broke his left leg while jumping into home plate after hitting a game-winning home run against the Seattle Mariners on May 29 and missed the rest of the 2010 season.

Morales, who was batting .290 with 11 homers and 39 RBIs at the time of the injury, is on course to return in spring training, Manager Mike Scioscia said at the winter meetings in December.

 Aybar also had a breakout season in 2009, hitting .312 with a .353 on-base percentage, five homers, nine triples and 58 RBIs, but the speedy switch-hitter struggled to adjust to the leadoff spot last season and hit only .253 with a .306 on-base percentage, five homers and 29 RBIs.

-- Mike DiGiovanna 

Top photo: Kendry Morales. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Bottom photo: Erick Aybar. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

The Angels announced Friday that they will add their 50th anniversary commemorative logo to each Rawlings baseball used for games in Angel Stadium this season.

The addition of the logo will give fans the opportunity to collect a piece of 50th-anniversary memorabilia for every home run or foul ball that leaves the playing field.  During the course of an 81-game home schedule, the Angels use more than 4,400 baseballs a season.

--Mike DiGiovanna

Photo: A baseball bearing the Angels' commemorative logo. Credit: Angels

Catcher Jeff Mathis, perhaps knowing he had virtually no chance of another win in arbitration this winter, agreed to terms on a $1.7-million contract with the Angels on Wednesday, a moderate raise from his 2010 salary of $1.3 million.

Mathis beat the Angels in arbitration last winter, earning a salary that was significantly higher than the $700,000 figure submitted by the Angels.

But after hitting only .195 with three home runs, six doubles and 18 runs batted in during a 2010 season in which he was hampered by a wrist injury and limited to 68 games, Mathis had very little to build an arbitration case around.

The Angels have now agreed to terms with two of their eight arbitration-eligible players, Mathis and infielder Alberto Callaspo. The other six are pitcher Jered Weaver, catcher Mike Napoli, first baseman Kendry Morales, second baseman Howie Kendrick, shortstop Erick Aybar and outfielder Reggie Willits.

--Mike DiGiovanna

Angels fans who complain that ESPN is biased toward the East Coast, and especially the Northeast, will have even more fuel for their fire after the Bristol, Conn.-based sports network released its schedule for Sunday night telecasts for the first half of the season on Wednesday.

Through July 17, the Angels do not appear once on ESPN on Sunday night. Of course, it's hard to blame the network for its lack of interest in the Angels, who are coming off an 80-82 season in which they failed to make the playoffs for only the second time in 10 years and a disappointing winter in which they failed to upgrade their offense.

The Boston Red Sox will make four Sunday night appearances on ESPN, and the New York Yankees will make three. The Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and defending World Series-champion San Francisco Giants will make two appearances each. The defending American League-champion Texas Rangers will make only one appearance.

It should be noted that the network has not finalized plans for Sunday night telecasts from June 5 to July 3, and in that stretch, the Angels play the Yankees on June 5, and the Dodgers on June 26 and July 3, all rivalry games that would probably be of interest to ESPN.

The ESPN Sunday night schedule:

April 3: Giants at Dodgers (ESPN2)

April 10: Yankees at Red Sox

April 17: Rangers at Yankees

April 24: Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals

May 1: Mets at Phillies

May 8: Atlanta Braves at Phillies

May 15: Red Sox at Yankees

May 22: Chicago Cubs at Red Sox

May 29: Reds at Braves

July 10: Mets at Giants

July 17: Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays

-- Mike DiGiovanna

The Angels settled their first of a potential eight winter arbitration cases Tuesday, agreeing to terms with infielder Alberto Callaspo on a $2-million contract for 2011.

Callaspo, acquired from Kansas City last July to fill a gaping void at third base, hit .265 with a .302 on-base percentage, a .374 slugging percentage, 10 home runs and 56 runs batted in in 601 total plate appearances for the Royals and Angels last season.

A wrist injury hampered him during Callaspo's entire two months with the Angels, in which he hit .249 with a .291 on-base percentage, two homers and 13 RBIs in 58 games. The 27-year-old, who can also play shortstop and second base, is expected to compete for the third-base job this spring with Maicer Izturis and Brandon Wood. 

The Angels have seven other players who are eligible for arbitration, the most costly of which will be pitcher Jered Weaver, who is expected to receive a considerable bump from his $4.265-million salary after going 13-12 with a 3.01 earned run average and 233 strikeouts last season.

Also eligible for arbitration are catcher Mike Napoli, first baseman Kendry Morales, second baseman Howie Kendrick, shortstop Erick Aybar, catcher Jeff Mathis and outfielder Reggie Willits. Callaspo, in his first year of arbitration, received a considerable raise; he made $460,000 last season.

-- Mike DiGiovanna

Photo: Alberto Callaspo. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times