Erstad’s Status Now a Hot Topic

There was an eight-player trade Tuesday in which the New York Mets acquired Gold Glove second baseman Roberto Alomar and a six-player trade in which the San Diego Padres gave up catcher Ben Davis.

There was a strong possibility that the Padres also will announce today that they have decided to take on controversial Carl Everett of the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Ray Lankford, and there was also ongoing indication at baseball’s winter meetings that if the Angels aren’t trying to trade Mo Vaughn and/or Darin Erstad, and it is believed they are, more than one club is trying to convince them it’s the thing to do.

“As I’ve said before, we’re open to discussing anybody and everybody on our roster,” General Manager Bill Stoneman said.

“Beyond that, I won’t confirm or deny anything.”

The Angels are believed receptive to moving Erstad because he will be eligible for free agency after the 2002 season and negotiation on a multiyear contract broke down recently with no apparent chance of resuming.

There is also internal concern regarding his arthritic knee and the fact that his one blockbuster season (2000) has been sandwiched by two comparatively modest seasons.

None of that has scared off suitors.

Primary among them are the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

The White Sox, interested in having Erstad play center field, but also talking to Pittsburgh about Brian Giles, would apparently trade any of several major league tested young pitchers, including Kip Wells and Jon Garland, while also giving the Angels a choice between outfielder Chris Singleton or shortstop Royce Clayton, among other options.

Whether Stoneman--gunshy, perhaps, after taking a beating in the Jim Edmonds trade--has the ball handling ability to get an Erstad trade done may be a more pivotal consideration than the likelihood that any club trading for Erstad would require a physical and 48-hour window in which to try to sign him to a multiyear contract.

The Yankees are also a player in this.

Manager Joe Torre has long admired Erstad, but it isn’t clear whether there’s a fit.

Nor is it certain Erstad is their primary objective once the acquisition of Jason Giambi, who took a physical in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, is officially announced--perhaps today.

The Yankees may be more inclined to fill their outfield void (Paul O’Neill retired, David Justice was traded and Chuck Knoblauch has left as a free agent) with Moises Alou or Rondell White, both free agents. They are also believed unwilling to include first base prospect Nick Johnson or pitching prospect Brandon Claussen in an Erstad package, and the Angels seem to have no interest in Orlando Hernandez.

As Erstad speculation buzzed around the lobby of the headquarters hotel, Stoneman met again with the Baltimore Orioles, who are determined to find a proven run producer and have honed in on Philadelphia third baseman Scott Rolen, Toronto outfielder Raul Mondesi and the East Coast oriented Vaughn.

The latter would love to return to Boston, but Baltimore is close enough. The Orioles are one of six teams to which he would accept being traded, and the Angels have several reasons for listening.

Among them: An owner interested in selling, as Disney is, may be more inclined to lower payroll as a way to entice buyers, and the Angels can’t be certain Vaughn will return at 100% after missing the 2001 season because of a ruptured bicep. Nor can they be certain his heart really isn’t in the East.

The beleaguered Orioles may be willing to take a chance on Vaughn’s physical status, but there are two drawbacks. They have little to offer after pitcher Sidney Ponson or Jason Johnson, and they would probably want the Angels to carry a significant chunk of the $50 million Vaughn is owed over the next three years.

Amid the intrigue:

* The Mets took advantage of Cleveland’s retrenchment mode--owner Larry Dolan has ordered that $15 million be cut from a $91 million payroll--to acquire Alomar, a 10-time Gold Glove second baseman who led the Indians in batting last year with a .336 average, in addition to hitting 20 homers and driving in 100 runs.

The Indians, who lost Manny Ramirez to free agency last year and are now jettisoning Kenny Lofton, Juan Gonzalez (there is a slim chance he could return as a free agent) and Alomar, acquired outfielders Matt Lawton and Alex Escobar, pitcher Jerrod Riggan and two players to be named. One is believed to be left-handed pitcher Billy Traber, the Mets’ first-round draft choice in 2000.

The Mets, who also acquired pitcher Mike Bacsik and outfielder Danny Peoples in the deal, will move Edgardo Alfonzo to his original position of third base (vacated by the trade that sent Robin Ventura to the Yankees) to make room for Alomar, who is owed $8 million in 2002 and another $8 million in a 2003 option.

In acquiring the future Hall of Famer, New York General Manager Steve Phillips said it was the type of transaction that “you sit up all night thinking about,” and Bobby Cox, manager of the division rival Atlanta Braves, said the Mets, with Rey Ordonez at shortstop and Todd Zeile at first base, “probably have the best infield defense in baseball.”

* The Padres, trying to improve their rotation depth and end a long search for a dependable shortstop, acquired pitcher Brett Tomko, highly regarded shortstop prospect Ramon Vazquez and backup catcher Tom Lampkin from the Seattle Mariners for Davis, San Diego’s first-round draft pick in 1995, utility player Alex Arias and pitcher Wascar Serrano.

The Mariners had hoped to use Vazquez in a trade with Colorado for third baseman Jeff Cirillo but opted for Davis as a future--if not immediate--replacement for catcher Dan Wilson, who can leave as a free agent after the 2002 season.

San Diego General Manager Kevin Towers, who confirmed that the Padres also received $1 million in the deal or about enough to pay Tomko’s salary, said the emergence of Wiki Gonzalez made Davis expendable and that Vazquez will be given an opportunity to start in a revamped infield. Rookie Sean Burroughs will get a shot at third, third baseman Phil Nevin will move to first, first baseman Ryan Klesko will move to the outfield and shortstop D’Angelo Jimenez will move to second.