ANGELS NOTES\Major-league exiles hoping they can get one last chance.

Byline: Jeff Miller Orange County Register

He never made it to the majors, was told he should retire and spent the whole season in Buffalo.

So how about the worst part of 1995 for Todd Frohwirth?

"I went to spring training with Pittsburgh and actually was released," the wannabe Angel said Sunday. "That was hard to do. The Pirates only had about two good players."

But he's back now for another - his last? - try. As a man attempting to return from big-league exile, he has peers. There are seven players in this camp who have significant time in the majors but didn't spend a day there last season.

The group - Frohwirth, Mark Eichhorn, Juan Agosto, Mark Williamson, John Orton, Ricky Jordan and Julio Valera - has a combined 42 years of major-league service. Eichhorn, Jordan and Valera were slowed by injuries. The others? By everything else.

"I was a casualty of the strike," said Williamson, 36, who went from being an eight-year veteran with Baltimore to pitching in semipro games. "GMs were saying, 'There aren't enough pitchers and we're rushing these young guys.' I was saying, 'Why am I sitting home then?' "

Orton spent his second full season in Triple-A but did experience one change. He was traded by the Atlanta Braves to the New York Mets, the deal reading Richmond to Norfolk. He hasn't played in a major-league game since 1993.

Agosto was invited to spring training by the Cleveland Indians but wouldn't report until the strike ended. Before that happened, he decided to play in Mexico.

"I was ready to pitch," he said. "I had to go somewhere."

Then there was Frohwirth, who couldn't find anyplace to go. After the Indians told him at midseason he was stuck in Buffalo, he and his agent called all 28 teams looking for major-league work. They found none.

"A couple GMs told me I was done, and I started to believe them," Frohwirth said. "But in August I felt too good to stop. I figured it's worth one more shot."

Heavy price:The Angels' interest in Joe Oliver remains high, but the free-agent catcher's price is even higher. He would like something close to $1 million, a figure about three times what the Angels say they can afford.

Oliver recently turned down a $500,000 contract from the Cincinnati Reds, the only other club that has been actively pursuing him.

"I'm not going to play for $500,000," Oliver said. "Teams want me to be the starter, but they're only willing to pay me like the backup. If the Angels want me, they'll have to pay me what the market says I'm worth."

If no other teams express interest, however, Oliver's salary expectations will have to drop, meaning the Angels could become a more likely option. At this point, the Reds are in no position to go above $500,000.