Royals May Be Asking Too Much for Sanchez

Interim General Manager Dave Wallace, having already acquired starter James Baldwin, is still trying to bolster the roster for the playoff race, but it appears the Dodgers will not complete a deal with the Kansas City Royals for shortstop Rey Sanchez, baseball officials said Saturday.

Wallace and Dan Evans, interim assistant general manager, are in discussions with clubs about relievers, but officials said the Dodgers and Royals are at an impasse in talks about Sanchez, the top shortstop on the Dodgers’ list, because of the Royals’ demands.

“We still have a lot of things out there, we’re looking at certain areas, and it’s fair to say we haven’t taken anything off the table,” said Wallace, not commenting specifically on Sanchez.

“We’re still trying to find matches that can work. That’s what we’ll keep trying to do until [Tuesday’s deadline].”

The Royals want young shortstop Alex Cora in addition to at least one of the club’s top-five prospects for the smooth-fielding Sanchez.

Although the Dodgers believe Sanchez, batting .305, might be the final piece to their playoff puzzle, they are reluctant to move Cora and one of their few prospects for a player who can become a free agent after the season.

The Dodgers also have payroll concerns that the Royals apparently are not willing to address.

Sanchez has a salary of $2.3 million, which escalates to $2.8 million if he is traded during the season.

The nine-year veteran will receive a $100,000 bonus if he plays in 135 games, and another $100,000 if he plays in 145.

The Royals have declined to absorb some of the remainder of Sanchez’s base salary and bonuses--a major hurdle to completing a deal.

The Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks are also pursuing Sanchez, and officials said the Braves are expected to acquire the shortstop unless the Dodgers change their stance.

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Baldwin joined the club Saturday and is scheduled to start today in the final game of a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies.

The former Chicago White Sox starter said the Dodgers’ resiliency is impressive, and he’s eager to contribute.

“These guys have been doing their thing without me, and just coming over here, and being part of this, is a blessing for me,” Baldwin said. “These guys are a bunch of veterans, they know how to pick one another up, and that’s obviously what they’ve been doing.

“You’ve got to step up when you’ve got your horses going down, and Andy Ashby, [Darren] Dreifort and [Kevin] Brown . . . that’s three horses right there. The rest of the guys picked it up. That’s the name of the game.”

TONIGHT

DODGERS’ JAMES BALDWIN

(0-0, 0.00 ERA)

vs.

ROCKIES’ SHAWN CHACON

(6-5, 5.42 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 5

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330)

Update--Baldwin was 7-5 with a 4.61 earned-run average for the White Sox.