He Knows All About Money Management

Disney’s choice as the Angels’ next general manager is not a man who rescued a troubled organization, discovered Mickey Mantle or helped reinvent baseball.

Bill Stoneman, who the Angels might introduce as early as today, has many friends and acquaintances, a few skiing partners, and no one who can quickly define him anecdotally.

Stoneman was in New York Thursday for what sources close to the deal believe was the final step in negotiations--a meeting with Disney chairman Michael Eisner. In the meantime, people familiar with his work as an executive with the Montreal Expos lauded the Angels for their choice.

To revive an Angel franchise that has serious structural deficiencies, Stoneman, 55, brings financial savvy, organization-wide perspective and waves of respect from those who worked with him the last 17 seasons. He was praised in many circles Thursday for being a solid baseball man, nothing more and nothing less.

What he does not bring is a resume filled with attempts to promote himself into a general manager job, though twice he served in that capacity for the Expos, for short periods in 1987-88 and ’95.

Frank Wren, recently deposed general manager in Baltimore who was snatched up as an assistant by general manager John Schuerholz in Atlanta, said the Angels made a wise choice. Wren, who worked with Stoneman until 1991, maneuvered around those who expected Bob Watson or a high-profile assistant.

“The perception is going to be, ‘Why wasn’t he the GM in Montreal?’ ” Wren said. “I think that’s unfair. Stoney enjoyed his role. I don’t think he went out and pursued any big promotions, but he was a vital part of what all these guys did. Everybody that came through there leaned on him heavily. He was the one constant in all of that. He performed a very vital role for that franchise. It might not have been the GM role, but it was a very important role.”

Jim Fanning, Montreal’s first general manager, selected Stoneman in the second round of the 1968 expansion draft. Fanning was the club’s field manager when Stoneman returned to baseball after nearly a decade at The Royal Trust, a Canadian financial institution. And he counts Stoneman as one of his closest friends.

If baseball once admired the Expos for their ability to compete at half the cost, Fanning said, then it should admire Stoneman, the quiet man in baseball operations.

“That’s as much or more his doing and his reasoning as anything to do with ownership here or the general managers,” Fanning said. “The general managers here have come and gone, but Billy stays. I don’t know why this ownership wouldn’t romance him so much to keep him here. I don’t understand why he’s even available.”

The Expos signed Stoneman to a three-year contract one year ago and it is unknown if they will demand compensation from the Angels for the hire.

Stoneman compares favorably to Pierre Gauthier, general manager of Disney’s other sports team, the Mighty Ducks. Like Stoneman, Gauthier came to Anaheim from a small-market Canadian franchise, the Ottawa Senators.

Gauthier impressed Angel President Tony Tavares--and Disney Chairman Michael Eisner--with his ability to assemble a competitive team within a modest budget, always keeping in mind a long-term plan. Gauthier emphasizes development of young players and shuns free agents, dismissing their lucrative long-term deals as “retirement contracts.”

Gauthier also is a highly prized talent evaluator. Stoneman, however, worked as a banker for nearly a decade before joining the Montreal front office and then had far more responsibility for budgets, salaries and arbitration hearings than for scouting and trades.

But Disney executives believe baseball has grown so complex that the traditional general manager’s job is best split between an administrator and a player personnel chief. While Stoneman will have the final say in baseball operations, the Angels envision him more as an administrator than a talent evaluator.

Gary Sutherland, who played second base for the Expos in 1969 when Stoneman tossed the first of his two no-hitters, is a highly regarded Angel scout and could emerge in a key player personnel role.

Stoneman also will be asked to overhaul the Angels’ player development system. While the Angels were proud of a home-grown core that featured Chuck Finley, Troy Percival, Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds, Garret Anderson, Darin Erstad, Gary DiSarcina and Troy Glaus, the system could not provide quality replacements this year as the team sunk under the weight of injuries.

It did not escape the notice of Disney executives that the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros advanced to the playoffs despite similar waves of injuries. It also did not escape notice that the Angels were the only team without a player in Baseball America’s preseason list of the top 100 prospects.

Stoneman will need to fill two key positions in player development. Jeff Parker, the Angels’ minor league director, resigned Monday. Marcel Lachemann, the Angels’ minor league field coordinator, left Thursday to become pitching coach of the Colorado Rockies.

Though Stoneman is known as an administrator, Wren said he would not necessarily be overmatched in the evaluation arena.

“I don’t think you’re the kind of major-league player he was, which is a good one, then watch major-league games for 20 years and not be able to evaluate players,” Wren said. “I know Stoney knows players.”

Fanning and Wren were particularly enthusiastic in their respect for Stoneman. So was Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone, the Expos’ GM in 1994 and ’95.

“He’s a professional and class gentleman in all aspects of who he is,” Malone said. “He’s been a big part of what I consider to be the success of the Expos.

“Bill has been able to help keep consistent with the strategy of an organization, and that’s to emphasize the scouting and player development, developing talent from within and doing it while watching the payroll.”

That is, after all, Stoneman’s specialty.

Angel Notes

Outfielder Garret Anderson and right-handed reliever Troy Percival underwent surgery Thursday, Anderson to release a trapped nerve in his left foot, Percival to have a bone spur shaved in his right shoulder. Both players are expected to be ready by spring training.

Times staff writer Bill Shaikin contributed to this story.