BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : Lachemann Wants Velarde to Lead Way

The season opener is more than five weeks away, and there are no obvious candidates for the leadoff spot, but Manager Marcel Lachemann already has one in mind.

“It will probably be Randy Velarde,” Lachemann said Wednesday.

To which Velarde replied: “Oh, really?”

Velarde played just about every position but pitcher and catcher during his eight-year New York Yankee career and has appeared in numerous batting-order slots, but rarely at the top.

But with the off-season departure of 1995 leadoff man Tony Phillips and no contact-hitting, basepath-burning candidates in the projected lineup, Lachemann believes Velarde, who hit .278 with seven homers and 46 runs batted in last season, is the Angels’ best option.

“He’s not your prototype guy with speed who gets a ton of walks, but his on-base percentage (.375 last season) is good,” Lachemann said.

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The Angels have made initial offers to center fielder Jim Edmonds and reliever Troy Percival.

The Edmonds proposal is believed to be in the four-year, $7-million range, with an option for a fifth year, and the Percival offer is believed to be in the four-year, $3-million range with two option years.

Paul Cohen, who represents Edmonds and Percival, said Edmonds’ offer “is reasonable in terms of value, but we’re not as close . . . with Troy.”

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Reliever Mike James, who went 3-0 with a 3.88 earned-run average last season, signed a one-year contract for $150,000 Wednesday. . . . The Walt Disney Co., which is expected to assume operational control of the team in March, is designing new uniforms for the team.