Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times writes that Gary Matthews Jr. was permitted to leave camp for a day, following a closed-door meeting with Mike Scioscia and Tony Reagins. Scioscia and Reagins informed Matthews during the meeting that he will open the season with the Angels as their fifth outfielder.
Matthews is entering the third year of a five-year, $50MM contract with a full no-trade clause. It's believed that he would waive that clause in order to move to a team where he could play every day. Three remaining years and $33MM owed make him nearly impossible to trade, however.
Reagins said that Matthews is in the Angels' Opening Day plans, but had this to say when asked if Matthews would still be an Angel in a week:
Matthews chose not to discuss the meeting with reporters, asking for a day to himself before commenting on the situation.
