Angels Consider Trade: Romanick for Wynegar

The Angels and the Yankees have apparently agreed on the names, but a trade that would send pitcher Ron Romanick to New York for catcher Butch Wynegar remains contingent on other factors, sources said Friday.

Those factors reportedly include the Angels’ desire:

--To have the Yankees absorb part of Wynegar’s three-year, $2.2-million contract that has two years remaining.

--To receive direct assurances from Wynegar regarding his mental and physical health.

The 30-year-old catcher has been on the restricted list and unpaid--he has filed a grievance regarding that aspect of it--since leaving the Yankees July 31 because of mental stress reportedly associated with the pressure of playing in New York and criticism from a variety of sources, among them Manager Lou Piniella, regarding his pitch selection.

Wynegar has admitted being under the care of a psychiatrist but recently said he is ready to resume his career and expressed a desire to be traded to Minnesota, where he formerly played, or reunited with Angel Manager Gene Mauch, who was his manager in Minnesota.

As a switch hitter with defensive ability, Wynegar would represent creditable insurance for a team seemingly reluctant to use its current backup catcher, Jerry Narron. The Angels’ regular catcher, Bob Boone, is a free agent. He is expected to re-sign with the team, but he turned 39 Wednesday.

Although only 26, Romanick faces a clouded future with the Angels. He lost his starting job and was optioned to the minors in August with a 5-8 record and a 5.50 earned-run average. He was not recalled in September when the roster limit was lifted and is not on the 40-man roster, meaning he could be selected for $50,000 in the December minor league draft if he is not traded.

Angel General Manager Mike Port refused to confirm or deny the possibility of a Romanick-Wynegar trade Friday.

“If a trade was made, we would announce it,” he said. “It is our policy to announce a trade when it is finalized.”

Agent Gary Walker said that Reggie Jackson would meet with Port Monday morning in an attempt to define Jackson’s status with the team.

The once-warm relationship between Port and Larry Himes, the Angels’ former scouting director and now general manager of the Chicago White Sox, has turned cold.

Himes recently appointed Al Goldis, the Angels’ Eastern scouting supervisor, as his farm director. There have been rumors that he is attempting a wide-scale raid on the Angels’ scouting staff without seeking permission. Is Port unhappy about it?

“Yes,” Port said. “We worked something out between the two clubs as far as Goldis is concerned, but (Himes has) done some other things that have definitely got our attention and the attention of some other clubs. Baseball does have a rules structure and it’s meant to apply to all of us.”