Field Thins in the Race for Vaughn

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

The Orioles were believed to be 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, and he loves hitting in cozy Camden Yards.

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 to Vaughn.

After Vaughn rejected a five-year, $62.5-million offer from the Red Sox last Wednesday, an offer Boston GM Dan Duquette termed as “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.

There are roughly 13 big-market teams that can even afford Vaughn--the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, Rangers, Orioles and Angels in the American League, and the Braves, Mets, Cubs, Rockies, Dodgers, Cardinals and Diamondbacks in the National League.

But Yankee GM Brian Cashman said he’s sticking with first baseman Tino Martinez, and the World Series champions are making a run at outfielder Albert Belle. The Red Sox let Vaughn go, the Indians have Jim Thome, and the Rangers and Orioles have said they have no plans to pursue Vaughn.

The Braves have Andres Galarraga, the Mets just committed $132-million to Mike Piazza and Al Leiter and are looking for outfield help, the Cubs have Mark Grace, the Rockies have Todd Helton, the Cardinals have Mark McGwire, and the Diamondbacks have highly regarded youngster Travis Lee.

It’s possible Arizona could move Lee to the outfield and go after Vaughn, but they’re already pursuing Randy Johnson, Todd Stottlemyre and center fielder Bernie Williams, as well. There’s a very slim chance the White Sox could pursue Vaughn if they lose Belle and Robin Ventura.

That leaves the Dodgers, who would love to add Vaughn’s left-handed bat and strong clubhouse presence but still have Eric Karros at first--and still haven’t made an offer to Vaughn--and the Angels, who are prepared to move first baseman Darin Erstad back to the outfield and trade center fielder Jim Edmonds or left fielder Garret Anderson for pitching.

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 for Johnson and 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 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 in the $900,000 range, the most the Angels have ever given a player from Latin America.

In other developments, the Angels signed Matt Walbeck to a two-year, $1.75-million contract Tuesday, 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 initial 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 from St. Louis to Texas last 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 Bank One Ballpark and meeting with Arizona Diamondback officials.

As for second base, a position that became muddled when Justin Baughman broke his leg in five places last week, the Angels are considering re-signing free agent Randy Velarde, and they’ve had trade talks with the Milwaukee Brewers about Fernando Vina, who hit .311 with 101 runs, 45 RBIs and 22 stolen bases and would fill the Angels’ need for a leadoff batter.

BIGGER BUCKS

Angels raised the price of virtually every ticket. Page 3