Molina traded to Yankees for minor leaguer

Only hours after saying he would not acquire a fringe player before the trading deadline, Angels General Manager Bill Stoneman did exactly that Saturday night, obtaining minor league pitcher Jeff Kennard from the New York Yankees for catcher Jose Molina.

The deal severs another link to the Angels’ 2002 World Series title and signals the organization’s growing confidence in rookie Jeff Mathis, who will now split the catching duties with Mike Napoli.

“We set our sights fairly high,” Stoneman said before the trade. “The clubs that we’re talking to, we’re trying to obtain a player that would definitely make us a better ballclub. We’re not talking exchanging an extra player for an extra player.... Our focus is more on something a little bigger than that.”

Kennard, who was 1-4 with six saves and a 2.73 earned-run average in 31 games for double-A Trenton, will report to double-A Arkansas. The 23-year-old had 47 strikeouts and 17 walks in 52 2/3 innings.

The trade continues Stoneman’s penchant for making minor trade-deadline moves, though he still has 10 days to construct a bigger deal. In 2002 he acquired reserve outfielder Alex Ochoa for Jorge Fabregas, and in 2003 he got reliever Gary Glover and two minor leaguers for Scott Schoeneweis.

Molina was informed of the move in the Angels’ clubhouse Saturday night after playing in a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome. He hugged teammates and team officials and appeared teary as he met with reporters.

“It’s still a shock,” said Molina, who was hitting .224 with no homers and 10 runs batted in in 40 games this season. “It’s hard sometimes to take it because you’ve been here for so many years. You always expect to end up your career where you’re at. But the way I have to see it is that it’s a good opportunity in New York, one of the best places to play.”

Mathis is starting to show the flashes of promise that the Angels had hoped would emerge last season, when he fumbled the starting job and was demoted to the minor leagues in early May after hitting .103 in 39 at-bats.

“The way Jeff has come on in the last eight weeks of the season, in triple A and now the way he’s bringing it up here, he’s a guy that can help us,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. Mathis is hitting .154 with one RBI in seven games with the Angels.

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The Home Run Derby winner hasn’t homered in 21 games and 83 at-bats.

Vladimir Guerrero has 14 homers and is on pace to hit 24, which would be a career low for a full season.

“He hasn’t really had a lot to drive in the last week or so,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of Guerrero, who last homered June 23 against Pittsburgh and has only two homers in his last 38 games.

Nevertheless, Guerrero is hitting .323 and ranks fourth in the American League with 78 runs batted in, putting him on pace for a career-high 135.

“Vlad has perspective on how to hit,” said Scioscia, who suggested that Guerrero’s power outage was merely a timing issue with his swing. “He’s not just a home run hitter. At times you can’t force things, although he has the ability to do some things with pitches more than anybody I’ve ever seen.”

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ben.bolch@latimes.com