Smith Deal Could Mean Angels Lose Curtis or Finley

The Angels, moving closer to signing free-agent closer Lee Smith, will have to trade either center fielder Chad Curtis or left-handed starter Chuck Finley to stay within their budget constraints, sources said Tuesday.

The Angels have offered Smith a two-year guaranteed contract worth nearly $4.5 million, which is the highest bid received by agent Brian David.

The Baltimore Orioles, originally considered the front-runners to retain Smith, also are conceding that Smith could be headed to the Angels. They, in fact, are pursuing free-agent closer Jeff Russell, according to an Oriole official.

Although Smith saved a major league-leading 33 games for the Orioles last season, the Orioles are apprehensive about his effectiveness over a full season. Smith was 0-4 with a 5.59 earned-run average after May 30 last season, blowing five of 18 save opportunities.

If the Angels are successful in signing Smith, they’ll be committing about $23 million of their $24.5 million budget to only 12 players for the 1995 season. It would leave Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi only $1.5 million to pay the remaining 13 players.

That is why the Angels are shopping Curtis, and may have no choice but to consider trading Finley. Considered among the top left-handed starters in baseball, Finley has won at least 16 games in four of the last five full seasons, averaging 224 innings a year.

Finley, 32, who has the longest tenure of any active Angel player, is scheduled to earn $4.5 million in the final year of his contract. If the Angels don’t sign him to a contract extension, he’s eligible for free agency at the end of the 1995 season.

“Instead of speculating where Chuck Finley might go in a trade,” agent Alan Hendricks said, “I’d rather see talk about Chuck Finley finishing his career in an Angel uniform.”

Finley has a partial no-trade clause in his contract that prohibits him from being traded to 15 teams, including the two New York teams. Several teams expressed interest in trading for Finley during the general manager meetings, particularly the St. Louis Cardinals.