BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Will Catalyst Phillips Return in ‘96?

When the Angels traded Chad Curtis for Tony Phillips in April, General Manager Bill Bavasi said the deal “puts us in a better financial position to get more pitching next year.”

Bavasi didn’t say it, but the inference was there: The Angels did not expect Phillips, who is making $3.5 million this year, to be here in 1996.

Four months later, Angel fans are probably wondering what the team would do without him next year. The 36-year-old third baseman entered Friday’s game against the Orioles with a .281 average, an American League-leading 105 runs, 20 homers, 52 RBIs and a .404 on-base percentage.

Though he hasn’t sparked memories of Brooks Robinson defensively, his unselfish move from the outfield cleared room for Garret Anderson in left.

Phillips, who ranks fourth in the league in walks, has ignited an offense that leads the major leagues in runs, and with no other clear-cut candidate for the leadoff position, the Angel front office will have to reconsider its stance on Phillips.

“We’d love to have everyone back, but a lot of those decisions won’t be addressed until after the season,” said Tim Mead, assistant general manager. “With a new owner [Walt Disney Co.] coming, all the thinking from spring training goes out the window.”

Phillips wants to return--his family lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., close to the Angels’ Tempe spring training facility and only an hour flight from Orange County--but it could take a major commitment on the Angels’ part.

“I’m not signing a one-year deal,” he said. “I feel I deserve a two- or three-year deal, maybe two years with an option. I know the end of my career is coming, but I’m going to play more than one more year if I score 100 runs and keep doing the job.”

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The Orioles called up pitcher James Hurst from triple-A Rochester, N.Y., Friday, but when they found out he appeared in spring training games with the Texas Rangers, he was released. It was a costly decision. The Orioles will honor Hurst’s contract for the remainder of the season. Price: About $24,000.

Hurst had traveled to Anaheim Stadium on Friday, “but after speaking with [owner] Peter Angelos, we decided keeping him would be inconsistent with the club’s policy on replacement players,” General Manager Roland Hemond said. Angelos refused to field a replacement team in April.