Velarde, Olivares Traded; Finley Could Be Next to Go

The Angels didn’t merely raise the white flag on this highly disappointing season Thursday night. They took a stick of dynamite to the team, trading second baseman Randy Velarde and pitcher Omar Olivares to the Oakland Athletics for three minor leaguers, and the very foundation of this franchise, veteran pitcher Chuck Finley, could be the next to go.

Velarde has been the Angels’ best position player, with a .306 average, a team-leading 57 runs and 48 runs batted in, and he has played superb defense after recovering from 1997 reconstructive elbow surgery.

Olivares, 8-9 with a 4.05 earned-run average, was the Angels’ most effective pitcher until his last two starts and has been a consistent contributor for two seasons.

But with Velarde, 36, and Olivares, 32, eligible for free agency after this season and the Angels buried in the American League West, General Manager Bill Bavasi sent them to the A’s for speedy Class-A outfielder Nathan Haynes--the premier minor leaguer in the deal--double-A outfielder Jeffrey DaVanon and double-A pitcher Elvin Nina.

And Bavasi may not be done dealing before Saturday’s 9 p.m. (PDT) non-waiver trade deadline.

The prospect of the Cleveland Indians acquiring Finley has apparently caused so much concern in the New York Yankee front office that the Yankees have jumped back into the bidding for the Angel left-hander.

According to baseball sources, the Yankees are considering a trade that would send talented right-hander Ramiro Mendoza, one of the most versatile pitcher in baseball, and young right-hander Ryan Bradley, one of the team’s top pitching prospects, to the Angels for Finley, but the deal would hinge on the Yankees signing Finley to a contract extension.

Yankee interest in Finley had cooled because they believed he would re-sign with the Angels as a free agent this winter and didn’t want to rent him for the rest of 1999.

There is also a clause in Finley’s contract that states the club will not offer salary arbitration at the end of the deal. That means if Finley were traded to New York and re-signed with Anaheim, the Yankees wouldn’t get a high draft pick or two as compensation for losing a free agent.

The Yankees have turned down numerous trade requests for Mendoza, who has excelled as a starter, middle reliever and closer and is 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA this season after going 10-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 1998, but securing Finley to an extension--probably for at least two years--would greatly ease the loss of Mendoza.

But no deal can be made without Finley’s approval. As a player with at least 10 years of major league experience, five with the same team, Finley can veto any trade.

So Finley, who is 36 and running out of chances to pitch in the World Series, may have to make a decision by Saturday: Does he accept a trade and possibly forfeit a chance to return to Anaheim, or does he finish his career as an Angel?

The Indians also remain interested in Finley, who is having a subpar season (5-9, 5.68 earned run average) but has a 16-9 record against New York, including two Yankee Stadium gems this season.

Finley threw eight shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out 11, in a 1-0 victory on May 12, and he gave up two earned runs on six hits and struck out seven in seven innings of a 4-1 loss on June 18.

The Angels initially asked Cleveland for three major leaguers, including power-hitting first baseman/designated hitter Richie Sexson, but with Velarde headed for Oakland, it’s highly likely infielder Enrique Wilson, who can play second, shortstop and third, would be included in such a deal.

Cleveland General Manager John Hart said that price was too steep, but a Yankee run for Finley could force the Indians to increase their offer.

Mendoza, 27, is a sinker-ball specialist who is 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA in 30 appearances this season. The native of Panama has 55 strikeouts and 17 walks in 82 2/3 innings. He has started six games and saved three.

Mendoza, who went 10-2 with a 3.25 ERA last season, is a reliever in New York, but he might be good enough to be an ace in Anaheim.

Bradley, a 6-foot-4, 226-pound power pitcher, was a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds of the 1997 draft. He reached the big leagues in his second season, going 2-1 with a 5.68 ERA in five games for the Yankees in 1998.

Bradley has spent 1999 at triple-A Columbus, where he is 5-9 with a 5.53 ERA in 20 games. He has 101 strikeouts and 61 walks in 112 1/3 innings but has 18 wild pitches and struggled with his control.

Velarde was the player the A’s most coveted, and there has been speculation that Oakland will in turn trade second baseman Tony Phillips to Atlanta. The A’s were attracted to Olivares in part because he went 2-0 in three games against Oakland this season, giving up five earned runs in 23 innings.

The Angels, desperately needing speed and a leadoff hitter, may have found one for the future in Haynes, a 20-year-old who stole 42 bases for Class-A Modesto in 1998 and is batting .313 with a homer and 14 RBIs for Class-A Visalia this season. Haynes was also a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds in 1997.

DaVanon, 25, a switch-hitting outfielder, is batting .332 for double-A Midland and was on the California League postseason All-Star team in 1998.

Nina, a 23-year-old right-hander, is 7-4 with a 2.77 ERA at Midland. He has struck out 216 in his last 227 innings.