Bavasi Angry Over Trade Talk

General Manager Bill Bavasi was seething over reports that the Angels and San Diego Padres have agreed on a trade that would send Rickey Henderson to Anaheim, and Bavasi admonished the Padres for leaking information about trade talks.

“It’s B.S. It’s a rumor,” Bavasi said Thursday. “I call every club and talk about many players, and if every player we mentioned was in the paper, you’d be shocked. Some clubs act professionally in this process. Some don’t, and the minute you speak to them, it’s in the paper.

“It’s akin to tampering. We have upset players in this clubhouse because of it. Do we discuss players with other clubs? Yes. Do we have a deal with the Padres? No. This embarrasses me in front of my coaching staff, my peers, and my boss. It’s something that’s wrong with baseball, loose lips.”

The Padres have been trying to trade Henderson all spring, and several baseball sources said Wednesday that the Angels, concerned about Eddie Murray’s slow spring start, were interested in Henderson as a designated hitter.

The Associated Press, citing an unidentified source, reported Wednesday night that a deal had been worked out to send Angel reliever Chuck McElroy to San Diego for Henderson, and that the trade was contingent on Henderson restructuring his contract.

“The other problem now is there’s a player looking for me to say he’s not going anywhere,” Bavasi said, adding that he did not blame San Diego General Manager Kevin Towers for the leak.

“I can’t do that. If someone offered me Lou Gehrig for a player, I’d do it. So I can’t confirm or deny these things. The best thing I can tell a player is he’s not getting traded today.”

Murray, 41, was one for 20 before hitting a three-run homer and RBI single Wednesday, but Tim Mead, assistant general manager, said the Angels would not make a decision to replace the future Hall of Famer based on nine exhibition games.

“He was not signed to be a 25-homer, 100-RBI guy,” Mead said of Murray. “He was signed to hit 18-20 homers and knock in 70 runs. That’s something he’s done consistently. He was also signed to provide some leadership in the clubhouse and to help Darin Erstad at first base.”

Percival Returns to L.A. Closer Troy Percival, who began experiencing severe back spasms and numbness in his right arm Wednesday morning, returned to Los Angeles on Thursday to be examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum.

“It could be a nerve problem, muscle spasms or fatigue of the arm,” said Yocum, who was still reviewing Percival’s nerve conductor test. “But I’m ruling out anything serious.”

Yocum said Percival will probably be able to begin soft-tossing Sunday, but he couldn’t project how long the hard-throwing right-hander will be sidelined.

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Angel left-hander Mark Langston did not fare well against the San Diego Padres’ projected opening-day lineup, giving up six runs on nine hits, including homers by Ken Caminiti and Greg Vaughn, in 4 2/3 innings of the Angels’ 17-0 exhibition loss at Peoria, Ariz. Dennis Springer had an even rockier outing, giving up seven runs on seven hits in the sixth inning. The Padres, who had 21 hits, have now outscored the Angels, 43-5, in three exhibition games.