Stoneman Might Have a Few Tricks Up His Sleeve

Bill Stoneman was found alive and well Monday in Room 1907 of the headquarters hotel of baseball’s winter meetings. Since it is unlikely anyone would choose December for a New England vacation, the Angel general manager confirmed he is here on business, which might surprise some.

The impression has been that the Angels have contracted operations--”effectively, they’re waiting for a new owner this year or next,” the agent for one of their top players said--until the Walt Disney Co. finds a buyer.

The impression has been that any trades or free-agent signings will come from the secondary market of less expensive players.

Maybe that’s the way it will be, or maybe the Angels will pull off a blockbuster, responding to the interest here in three of their pivotal players: Mo Vaughn, who recently expressed a desire to return to the Boston Red Sox, and Darin Erstad and Troy Percival, each approaching his final season before becoming eligible for free agency.

Negotiations with Erstad and agent Jeff Moorad regarding a multiyear contract recently ended, Moorad said, and Erstad, if he is not traded, will keep his free-agent option alive by signing only a one-year contract for 2002. Meantime, he is being mentioned in trade talks with the New York Yankees involving pitcher Orlando Hernandez and first baseman Nick Johnson.

Percival, unless he is traded, will be back in 2002 only because the Angels picked up his option year. The closer blasted management in September, saying it leaked confidential salary material. His agent, Paul Cohen, refused comment Monday, but a source familiar with Percival’s thinking said nothing has changed since September.

“Troy’s view is that he’s 91/2 months away from free agency,” the source said. “He’s also irritated that the Angels have portrayed it all as if there’s no problem now, that everything is fine between them. They’re only doing that to drive up the price and make it appear that they wouldn’t be trading him under duress.”

It’s not a pretty picture in Anaheim. The Angels finished 41 games behind the Seattle Mariners in the American League West and face an uncertain ownership situation, restricted financial resources, and the possibility of a core group of unhappy players, providing they aren’t traded before April.

In Room 1907, however, Stoneman seems unfazed by it all.

“To me,” he said, “it’s business as usual. Whether it’s one owner or another, you’ve got to keep moving forward. Everyone has a budget. We’re going to spend more money on players than we did last year [about $51 million]. A lot of clubs are spending less. In our case, it’s more a function of the [guaranteed growth in existing contracts]. We don’t have to jettison off players to hit a budget, but we have to accept that we’re a mid-revenue team and we have to live within those means.”

Which means, in turn, that unless the Angels dump salary (such as the $50 million Vaughn is owed over the next three seasons), they won’t be signing a pitcher of the Chan Ho Park price tag but looking again to sign or trade for a Pat Rapp or Ismael Valdes type.

Neither Rapp nor Valdes will be back, and the Angels’ primary need, Stoneman said, is for a quality pitcher to join the three young pitchers (Jarrod Washburn, Ramon Ortiz and Scott Schoeneweis) “who proved last year they’re major league starters.”

That’s fine, of course, but it’s also putting a lot of weight on Washburn, Ortiz and Schoeneweis again, assuming the Angels aren’t going to acquire a No. 1 caliber pitcher.

It also doesn’t end with pitching.

The Angels were 12th in the league in scoring in 2001 and are counting heavily on Vaughn recovering familiar power after missing the year with a ruptured biceps and both Erstad, plagued by an arthritic knee he will apparently have to live with, and Tim Salmon coming back from major struggles.

“We need more offense, and I think we can get it from within,” Stoneman said, or put another way by Manager Mike Scioscia:

“We were still in the wild-card hunt at the end of August, and that was because of our pitching and defense. With the projected increase in offense, I think we can play with Seattle and Oakland.”

The Angels collapsed in September, following their historic pattern. Now they may benefit from significant turnover in Seattle and Oakland.

The Angels also have to get their own house in order, and there are doubts Disney is interested in making the required moves.

Nor is there a prospective buyer on the horizon, with John Henry aligned with a group bidding for the Red Sox after having reached an agreement to sell his Florida Marlins to Montreal Expo owner Jeffrey Loria, an agreement that could be announced today, when owners are expected to finalize an agreement with the players union that will end their attempt to eliminate the Expos and Minnesota Twins in 2002.

Can Angel players enjoy life under an owner that seems reluctant to provide the resources to make them truly competitive?

“Are the players concerned?” said Moorad, who represents Vaughn as well as Erstad. “Sure they are. Anyone who knows Darin Erstad and Mo Vaughn knows that their focus is on winning.”

Moorad and the Angels are confident that Vaughn understands the reality of his contract and is focused on playing in Anaheim again.

“Mo likes the East Coast, but after missing a year, he’s motivated to have a great year,” said Scioscia. “There’s no question in my mind that he’s committed to it and to playing for us.”

Perhaps, but sources claim that Moorad has met with Stoneman to discuss the possibility of his client going East.

Vaughn’s contract lists six teams to which he would accept being traded.

The Dodgers are the only West Coast team. The others are Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta and the New York Yankees and Mets.

There are ongoing explorations between the Angels and Orioles over a trade that would put Vaughn in Camden Yards and bring pitcher Sidney Ponson or Jason Johnson to Anaheim.

Is it possible that Stoneman could be serious about being here on business?