Angels Are Close to Another Deal : Baseball: Orioles’ outfielder Gallagher might join club in exchange for two minor league players.

Sounding more like a weather forecaster predicting the chances of rain than a baseball executive discussing a deal, Angel President Richard Brown said there’s a 100% chance his club will announce a trade today.

“That’s give or take 5%,” Brown said.

According to sources, the Angels will take outfielder Dave Gallagher from Baltimore and give the Orioles David Martinez, who was 6-6 with double-A Midland last season and is on the Angels’ 40-man roster, and Mike Hook, who was 6-3 with Class-A Quad City and 0-1 with Midland.

Gallagher was acquired Aug. 1 by the Orioles after he was placed on waivers last season by the Chicago White Sox. Overall, he hit .254 in 68 games with no home runs and seven RBIs in 1990. He is expected to back up Junior Felix, who was acquired Sunday from Toronto, in center field.

General Manager Mike Port said he could neither confirm nor deny the deal but did say the Angels are seeking depth in center.

“Though we expect Junior to play out there, in the event Junior needs to be spelled and Max (Venable) is a free agent, we’re looking for secondary help,” Port said.

He added that the Angels have nothing in the works that would bring them a third baseman, but will continue to seek a middle reliever. They remain interested in New York Yankee free-agent reliever Dave Righetti but have not gone beyond preliminary discussions. The Yankees reportedly will present a new offer to Righetti today.

The Angels lost right-hander Brandy Vann to the Milwaukee Brewers in Monday’s Rule Five draft of unprotected minor league players, leaving him available despite having four openings on their 40-man roster. Vann was a combined 3-5 with a 3.43 earned-run average and 15 saves for Midland of the Texas League and Palm Springs of the California League.

“We could have gone to 40 men on the roster, but we thought we’d be better off draft-wise and deal-wise to leave some space,” Port said. “We’re complimented by their interest in somebody developed by our organization, but we still have an awful lot of good, young arms left.”

The Angels have renewed their interest in finding a new spring-training site and soon will meet with officials of groups from Arizona and Florida. An offer was made by a group from Gilbert, Ariz., but no agreement is near. Brown said the Angels are working with the HOK organization, which does stadium feasibility studies and construction, to determine their options. They would move for the 1993 exhibition season.

“Our first priority is Arizona, but Arizona would have to give us something acceptable physically and financially,” Brown said.

The Angels begin spring training in Mesa, Ariz., and move to Palm Springs for the final 10 days. Their facility in Mesa--for which they pay an annual rent of $1 to the city--has adequate practice facilities but no spectator seating, forcing the Angels to play their Arizona exhibition games on the road. They have investigated other training sites in recent years but have never found a satisfactory location.

Ideally, Brown said the Angels would like a deal similar to that enjoyed by the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla. A training complex with six fields was built at no cost to the Mets in hopes their presence would generate tourism and spending in Port St. Lucie. The Cleveland Indians announced plans to move from Tucson to Citrus City, Fla., in 1993 and will play in a tax-financed complex.

According to Jackie Autry, Angel executive vice president and wife of owner Gene Autry, the team will be scheduled for more games in Arizona and fewer in Palm Springs in 1992. She said the Angels are not considering moving to the Indians’ Tucson complex.

“We do have responsibilities to baseball and we have to be sure that our leaving would not dismantle the Cactus League,” she said.

Brown said the matter will take priority when the winter meetings conclude.

Angel Notes

The players to be named in the trade made Sunday by the Angels and Toronto Blue Jays will be identified after today’s minor league draft. . . . The Oakland Athletics have made an offer to free agent infielder Donnie Hill.