BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Langston Trade Talk Keeps Surfacing

Despite continued denials in Anaheim, rumors persist in New York that the Angels will soon trade left-hander Mark Langston to the Yankees. Langston, who is happy living and pitching in Southern California, says he would veto any trade on the basis of his 10 years in the major leagues and five years with the Angels.

But it turns out Langston hasn’t played five full years with the Angels. Because the strike cut the 1994 season short, he’s still roughly a month shy of the five-year mark and can’t yet refuse a trade.

It’s a moot point as far as General Manager Bill Bavasi is concerned. Bavasi said Sunday the rumors are being floated by the Yankees and there’s nothing to them. He said the Angels aren’t ready to part with Langston.

“They’ve had an interest in our big lefties (Langston and Chuck Finley) since last year,” Bavasi said. “Now, all of a sudden they’ve had an injury (to starter Scott Kamieniecki) and they have to tell their press they have an answer somewhere.”

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Third baseman Eduardo Perez’s bat has been a question mark, but Manager Marcel Lachemann can’t find fault with his glove.

“A lot of guys aren’t hitting, but he’s played a very sound third base,” Lachemann said.

When Perez bobbled a hard-hit grounder and failed to throw out Seattle’s Alex Rodriguez in the fifth inning, it was his first error.

Perez was zero for three against Randy Johnson, and his average dipped to .143 (3 for 21).