Angels, Disney Both Make a Pitch

The Walt Disney Co. and the Angels are apparently combining their vast resources in an attempt to sign free-agent pitcher Orlando Hernandez, the Cuban exile who is the older half-brother of 1997 World Series MVP Livan Hernandez.

Joe Cubas, Hernandez’s agent, said he had a three-hour meeting with Angel front-office executives in Arizona on Friday, and among the issues discussed were a potential three-year baseball contract and a Disney deal for movie rights to Hernandez’s life story.

“I’m very optimistic about Orlando’s chances of signing with the Angels,” Cubas said. “They present an opportunity that not many organizations can present.”

Cubas, who plans to meet this weekend with officials from Seattle, Arizona and San Diego, as well as the Angels again, would not discuss specifics of the negotiations, and he denied speculation that Hernandez was seeking a deal in the $5-million range.

But he believes Hernandez, a former Cuban national team pitcher, will be much closer to a decision by the end of this weekend.

“I will stay here as long as it takes to get a deal done or to get very close to a deal,” Cubas said. “We want to get him to camp as soon as possible.”

Hernandez, who is believed to be 32 but rumored to be older, left Cuba with his common-law wife and six others in a boat on Dec. 26 and, after being picked up by the Coast Guard, was eventually transported to Costa Rica, where he was granted citizenship and declared a free agent.

The right-hander was Cuba’s best pitcher in 1994 and ’95 but was kicked off the national team because of his brother’s defection in ’95. Hernandez spent the past two years playing shortstop for a softball team in Cuba, but he impressed scouts during several workouts in early February.

Cubas said the Angels, who have increased scouting efforts in Latin America and marketing efforts to Southern California’s Latino community, are interested in Hernandez as a starter on the major league level, but he did not rule out the possibility of Hernandez pitching at triple-A.

Several other studios are interested in producing a movie about Hernandez, Cubas added, but he likes the overall package the Angels can offer.

“We feel they have a good club and that Orlando would fit well there,” he said. “Orlando is from a tropical climate, and the fact that it’s a Southern California team is an asset. Plus, the fact the Disney people are involved is very attractive.”

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Center fielder Jim Edmonds left camp Friday and returned home to Orange County to attend to a personal matter. It was not known how long he would be away. . . . Reliever Pep Harris, who went 5-4 with a 3.70 earned-run average in 61 games last season, agreed to terms on a one-year contract. . . . As expected, Jose Tolentino has reached an agreement to be the color analyst on Spanish-language Angel broadcasts on XPRS (1090). Ivan Lara already has been hired as the play-by-play man.