NEW YORK — Gary Matthews Jr. was traded from the Los Angeles Angels to the New York Mets on Friday for right-hander Brian Stokes.

Matthews, who will compete with Angel Pagan to play center field while Carlos Beltran starts the season on the disabled list, is owed $23 million over two seasons as part of his $50 million, five-year contract.

The Angels agreed to send the Mets $21 million as part of the trade, a person familiar with the details told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the amount was not announced.