Vaughn’s Asking Price Too Much for Orioles

One potential obstacle in the Angels’ pursuit of Mo Vaughn apparently has been removed, the Baltimore Orioles having said they will not try to sign the former Boston Red Sox slugger.

The Orioles were believed to be very high on the free-agent first baseman’s list, because Vaughn’s parents live in the Baltimore area, he grew up in Connecticut and has played his entire college and professional career on the East Coast.

But new Baltimore General Manager Frank Wren said this week that the “parameters” of Vaughn’s asking price are beyond the Orioles, who have apparently been scared off by the Angels’ six-year, $72-million offer.

After Vaughn rejected a five-year, $62.5-million offer from the Red Sox last Wednesday, an offer Boston General Manager Dan Duquette said was final, Vaughn’s agent, Tom Reich, said numerous teams were interested in Vaughn.

But with the Orioles out of the picture, the market for Vaughn appears to be dwindling.

Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi would not say whether the Angel offer to Vaughn has an expiration date, but it’s clear the team, which has also made offers to pitchers Randy Johnson and Todd Stottlemyre, has moved to the forefront in the bidding for Vaughn.

Said Tim Mead, Angel vice president of communications, “We have said to the industry, ‘We’re a player in November. We’re not waiting for January anymore.’ ”

It also appears that the Angels--as they promised last year--are becoming more of a player in the Latin American market with their recent signing of Francisco Rodriguez, a 16-year-old pitcher from Venezuela whose fastball has been clocked in the 90-mph range.

Rodriguez received a signing bonus of about $900,000, the most the Angels have ever given a player from Latin America.

In another development, the Angels signed Matt Walbeck to a two-year contract, avoiding arbitration with the switch-hitting catcher. Walbeck, who shared catching duties with Phil Nevin, hit .257 with six homers and 46 RBIs in 108 games.

“I’m pretty excited--it’s my first two-year contract,” said the 29-year-old Walbeck, who recently had minor knee surgery. “I feel they really want me, and I’m happy with the way the organization is going.”

The Angels have also increased their offer to Stottlemyre, but it is not believed to be lucrative enough to compete with the four-year, $28-million offer extended by the Detroit Tigers or the four-year, $26-million offer from the Orioles.

But considering the Angels’ first proposal was rejected and termed a “low-ball offer” by Stottlemyre’s agent, the latest effort by the Angels does indicate the sides are still talking.

Stottlemyre, who was traded by St. Louis to Texas on July 31 and beat the Angels twice in the final 12 days of the season, reportedly has offers from six teams and spent Tuesday touring Arizona’s Bank One Ballpark and meeting with Diamondback officials.