BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Satisfied That Pitcher Is OK, Team Will Trade for Young

The Angels informed the New York Mets on Thursday night that they will trade first baseman J.T. Snow for starter Anthony Young and are expected to complete the trade today. “Things have crystallized,” Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi said.

The Angels, whose trade talks with the Mets stalled a week ago when Young sustained a pulled groin muscle, are now satisfied that he is healthy. Young pitched two shutout innings Thursday against the Montreal Expos, and scouts Matt Keough and Moose Stubing turned in rave reviews.

Bavasi relayed the information in a private meeting with Manager Buck Rodgers and the coaching staff after the Angels’ 8-5 defeat to the San Francisco Giants. Bavasi received overwhelming support that the trade should be made

The Angels, desperate to find another starter for a pitching staff that is yielding a major league worst 8.16 ERA, made Young their top priority nearly two weeks ago. They wavered when Young injured his groin, but all of their medical reports indicate that he is sound.

Pitching for the first time since March 13, Young gave up only one hit in his two-inning stint. He threw 28 pitches, 21 for strikes, and induced five ground balls from the eight batters he faced.

“It felt OK,” Young told reporters, “but it’s still not 100%. I had no problem pushing off. . . . For not throwing in 10 days, and coming back with two solid innings, I was happy.”

The only unfortunate aspect of his outing, Young realizes, is that he pitched well enough to be traded. He wanted to stay in New York.

Young, thrust in the national limelight last season with a major league record 27-game losing streak, is 1-0 this spring with a 1.64 ERA.

With Snow’s departure, Eduardo Perez will be moved to first base for the Angels, allowing Dwight Smith and Bo Jackson to platoon in left field. Young will become the fourth starter in the rotation.