Major Overhaul in Gear for Angels

Appearing stern and angular, if not entirely humorless, Bill Stoneman wore visitors’ gray at a press gathering that initiated him into the Angel experience.

The new vice president and general manager signed a four-year contract believed to be worth $1.8 million Monday morning, then sat to the side as his boss hit him with the bad news.

Stoneman stepped from 16 years of small-market obscurity into a project so large that it has become a “five-year vision,” in the words of Angel President Tony Tavares, who welcomed Stoneman and then handed him the keys to one of baseball’s clunkers.

The face of the overhaul belongs for now to Stoneman, though it was Tavares who put words to the moribund image.

“I think the organization, over time, has in some kind of euphoric way kidded itself into believing it was right there,” Tavares said. ‘ “It’s the Angels’ year,’ [they would say.] ‘All we have to do is add one more player and it’s going to put us over the top. We’re going to win one for the Cowboy.’ And while that was all admirable then, and everybody wanted to do that, in reality the reason we’ve had some of the collapses the organization has had in the past is it wasn’t absolutely and totally candid with itself over where it was talent-wise.”

While it is unlikely that Disney will own the club when Stoneman’s contract expires, and while it wouldn’t be lost on Disney that a more streamlined, dynamic product would fetch a better price, it is apparent that Tavares’ intent is not to slap a little paint around and call the Angels a quality product.

“Were they good enough with nine guys on the field? Yeah,” Tavares continued. “Could they sustain substantial injury and still compete? Maybe not. Maybe the bench wasn’t deep enough. Maybe the minor league system wasn’t strong enough . . . to get the real answer to the problem. Catching, by example. We haven’t had a catcher here since Bob Boone that has completely filled out the vision and role of a major league catcher that you’d like to see. So, what Bill will bring is a fresh approach to this whole thing and an honest, outside look of where we stand and some of the changes we have to make.”

Stoneman emerged Sunday from a search that muddled at its conclusion. He was finally cleared by Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, who essentially made the hire but did not attend the news conference.

“I’m happy he reached the same conclusion,” Tavares said. “Had it been somebody who scored much lower, I would have to say I’d be extremely disappointed.”

Stoneman returned to Anaheim 25 years after his 1-8 record helped get Manager Bobby Winkles fired, an observation Stoneman made with a light, remorseful chuckle.

That team lost 94 games, so Stoneman is one of the few to have played on an Angel team worse than last season’s 92-game loser.

“It’s a big job,” Stoneman said. “I know that.”

Known for a competitive streak that bordered on mean during an eight-year career that featured two no-hitters for Montreal, Stoneman said that hard spirit still exists in him. The difficult decisions in the areas of scouting, player development and the roster will come furiously and Stoneman expects to be decisive.

“For a little guy I had more than my share of fights,” said Stoneman, who stands about 5 feet 10.

Leo Durocher, his first big-league manager, insisted that he pitch inside, an approach he will take into his new assignment.

“When it’s gone, that’s the day you retire,” he said. “If you don’t have that, this isn’t the business to be in.”

His business is to recreate the Angels.

There is a manager to hire, and Stoneman has a ready list of six candidates, including New York Yankee coaches Willie Randolph and Chris Chambliss. The Yankees have granted Stoneman permission to interview both, and Stoneman said he will contact all of his candidates in the next day or two. He will not pursue Montreal Manager Felipe Alou.

Recently fired Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove, who has interviewed twice in Baltimore, remains interested in the Angels, but as of Monday night, he had not been contacted. San Diego first base coach Davey Lopes, Angel bench coach Joe Maddon, former Toronto manager Cito Gaston and Boston bench coach Grady Little are possibilities.

Stoneman must initiate contract negotiations with left-hander Chuck Finley, then reconfigure a roster that imploded and a clubhouse that revolted.

The Angels hold exclusive negotiating rights with Finley until Nov. 11. If a deal can’t be reached by then--it is believed a two-year contract in the $14-million range will suffice--Finley will go on the free-agent market, where several cash-rich, pitching-poor teams could drive his price up considerably.

Tavares said he tried to call Finley last week, but Finley, who is acting as his own representative, could not be reached.

As for the roster, Stoneman said he is looking into the possibility of a major overhaul. There has been speculation that all players, even Mo Vaughn, Tim Salmon and and Troy Percival, are available.

One report claimed the Dodgers were interested in acquiring Vaughn and Edmonds for pitcher Ismael Valdes, first baseman Eric Karros and second baseman Eric Young, but Vaughn has a no-trade clause through 2000, and his agent, Mark Gillam, said that Vaughn, who has lost 15 pounds since the end of the season, “has no intention of waiving” the clause.

Stoneman offered little insight into his strategies, in part because he had not had the time to digest all the issues that confront the Angels.

“In Montreal, we had better success than the resources we had,” Stoneman said. “We had it because we had our priorities straight. We knew what kind of player we wanted, what kind of team we wanted and we stuck to it.

“The general manager here is going to have some room to make decisions and get some guidance. As an employee, you can’t ask for more. You want to feel important. You want to have input.”

According to witnesses, he beamed as he walked through the Angel offices at Edison Field on Monday morning and greeted employees. The work lies ahead.

“One of the first things that Bill has to do is decide, ‘Are the Angels good enough to win the West in the American League?,’ ” said Tavares, who did not pause for an answer. “If they are, then there will be less changes made. If not, there will be more changes made.”

Staff writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report.