BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Pirates Can’t Afford Not to Trade Bonds

Reacting to the loss of Bobby Bonilla as a free agent and citing his belief that Barry Bonds will qualify for an even larger contract when he becomes a free agent after the 1992 season, Pittsburgh Pirate General Manager Larry Doughty said Tuesday he will attempt to trade Bonds immediately.

Reached by phone, Doughty acknowledged Bonds’ oft-stated interest in playing for the San Diego Padres or another team based in California and said he will contact the five California teams with the hope of completing a trade before baseball’s winter meetings begin in Miami this weekend.

“It’s easier to trade a player before he goes into the last year of his contract,” Doughty said. “We always felt we could sign Bonilla, or we would have attempted to trade him, too.

“It was ridiculous what he got (a $29-million deal over five years from the New York Mets), and it will have a serious impact throughout the game. I think there are 15 to 20 players who should make as much or more, and Bonds is one.

“I mean, Barry will tell you that. He’ll tell you he’s a better player than Bonilla.”

Former Angel manager Doug Rader is expected to be named batting coach of the Oakland Athletics soon, replacing Rick Burleson, who recently resigned to take a similar job with the Boston Red Sox.

Fired by the Angels Aug. 26, Rader has one year left on a two-year contract. An A’s source said Tuesday that the Angels and A’s are working toward an agreement on how Rader will be paid in ‘92, the only barrier to an announcement of his hiring by Oakland.