ANGELS : Langston Wants to Be Traded, but Team Says No

Veteran starter Mark Langston, disenchanted by the Angels’ direction, has told them he is willing to waive his no-trade clause to pitch for a contender.

“I’m not going to confirm or deny that,” said Arn Tellem, Langston’s agent. “Obviously, Mark is extremely frustrated by what’s happened. When he signed with the Angels, they were interested in winning and certainly had put themselves in a position to be competitive.

“Certainly, you can’t say that now.”

Dan O’Brien, Angel vice president for baseball operations, confirmed that he has been told of Langston’s willingness to be traded to certain teams, but said it is a moot point.

“There were certain parameters we talked about in a roundabout way,” O’Brien said. “But right now, it really isn’t a factor, nor will it be.

“We have no intention of trading Mark Langston. He’s an important part of what we believe is a solid rotation, and it will stay that way.”

Langston, who never has played for a team with a winning record in his nine-year career, signed a five-year, $16-million contract Dec. 8, 1989. The Angels were coming off a 91-71 record, second-best in franchise history, and Langston believed they would be remain a contender.

Instead, they have finished 61 games out of first place over the last three seasons. Most disturbing, Langston said, is that in the last two years they have lost most of the team’s nucleus: pitchers Jim Abbott, Bryan Harvey, Kirk McCaskill; first baseman Wally Joyner, and designated hitter Dave Winfield.

“You look back to what we had just 1 1/2 years ago, and to totally dismantle the nucleus is frustrating,” Langston said. “We had a lot of talented people here, and now they’re gone.

“We’ve got so many young players around here, I feel like I’m on a new team. I’m all in favor of mixing in young players, but what we’ve done is totally unfair to them. Instead of coming up and fitting in, they have to learn on the job.

“My point is that you have to do everything you can to win, and I don’t see us doing that.”

Langston, 32, and Chuck Finley are staff aces and Langston wants to make the playoffs before his career ends. He has been involved in only one pennant race and has played on teams with a cumulative .467 winning percentage. Langston, who has pitched at least 223 innings in all but one of his nine seasons, has a 128-115 record.

“I put my uniform on because I want to win the whole ball of wax,” Langston said. “My dream is to win the World Series. I mean, that half-season in Montreal (during a pennant race in 1989) was the greatest year of my life.”

Outfielder Jerome Walton suffered the first injury of camp, a bruised right eye that will keep him out of action for at least two days. Walton was struck in the eye while trying to bunt during batting practice. . . . Manager Buck Rodgers caused a bit of a stir during his briefing when he said that rookie pitcher Pete Janicki is recovering well from his off-season elbow surgery. “I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Janicki said. “He must have got me confused with himself. I never got surgery.”

Rodgers says he has no plans to move infielder Damion Easley from second base to third because of Kelly Gruber’s rotator cuff surgery, maintaining that Rene Gonzales will be the starting third baseman. . . . The Angels have invited minor league infielders Ray Martinez and Kevin Davis to camp because of Gruber’s injury. . . . Bullpen coach Rick Turner was absent for the first day of spring training because of the death of his 91-year-old grandfather.