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BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Cone Salary Likely Too High for Bavasi

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Toronto’s David Cone says his bags are packed and he expects to be traded, but he need not concern himself with the Orange County real estate market. General Manager Bill Bavasi would love to acquire a pitcher or two to bolster the Angel staff for the second half of the season, but he thinks pitchers such as Cone and the Mets’ Brent Saberhagen are out of his price range.

“Right now, our approach would be, ‘We’re in the hunt and if we want to stay in the hunt, we have to get pitching,’ ” Bavasi said. “A lot of names have been bandied about, a lot of high-priced tickets, but we’re probably not in the running for the big-money guys.

“The current ownership is going to lose a lot of money this season. This is a ballclub that is not in the position to dole out a lot of money. If we were, we would have done it already. If there was ever a season to come in and take a lot of contracts off of people’s hands, this would be it. But we can only do it in bits and pieces, not the big blowout.”

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Bavasi said he plans to continue to talk to a lot of clubs and hopes to put together a deal and then present it to ownership, which includes consulting with Disney Co. officials. Disney is in the process of acquiring 25% of the team.

“I’ll try to make the deal first and then get it approved,” he said. “I know that’s a little backwards, but these are special circumstances. Last year, I knew what I could do, but this is kind of unique situation.”

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Spike Owen, on the 15-day disabled list with an inflamed left shoulder, says doctors discovered a tear in the labrum, a lip-shaped structure in the shoulder joint.

“We’re hoping to quiet it down a bit, start some rehab and hopefully I’ll only be out two weeks,” he said. “The only other option is surgery.”

If Owen can come back this month, he says he will still need surgery in the off-season.

The good news? Owen will be able to return home to Austin, Tex., as and be present for the birth of his fourth child. His wife, Gail, is scheduled to undergo a Caesarean section Tuesday.

“Some joy to offset the disappointment,” he said, managing a smile.

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Infielder Rod Correia was recalled from triple-A Vancouver to fill Owen’s spot on the roster. Correia, 27, was hitting .292 with one homer and 31 runs batted in with the Canadians. He hit .262 in 70 games with the Angels over the past two seasons. . . . Just how giddy are the Angels with their new-found success? Brian Anderson, after giving up only three singles in seven innings as the Angels beat Toronto, 10-1, Thursday night: “I wanted to have a good solid outing going into the [All-Star] break so I’d be on the top of my game going into the stretch run.”

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