Disney Officials, Watkins Meet

Donald Watkins, the Alabama businessman interested in purchasing the Angels from the Walt Disney Co., met with Disney officials Friday and toured Edison Field.

The executives attending the meeting included Paul Pressler, who oversees the Angels and Mighty Ducks as chairman of Disney’s parks and resorts division.

Watkins and Disney officials declined to comment Saturday.

In a November interview with The Times, Watkins ranked the Angels “a close third” behind the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays on his list of potential purchases. The Devil Rays last year retained an investment banking firm to evaluate a possible sale of the franchise, but the ownership group appears ambivalent about selling. Minnesota owner Carl Pohlad has put the Twins up for sale, and Watkins has reportedly made an initial offer in the range of $125 million to $150 million, but team President Jerry Bell has said Pohlad would prefer to sell to local buyers.

Watkins has not withdrawn his offer for the Twins, but he turned his attention to the Angels in recent weeks and is believed to be prepared to offer about $250 million for the team.

The city of Anaheim has no veto power over a sale, provided that a buyer is approved by major league owners, and the Angels’ lease binds them to Edison Field through 2016. But city officials, who have spent years trying to develop the land around the ballpark, are aware that Watkins proposed a privately funded museum adjacent to a new stadium in Minnesota and are cautiously optimistic that he might be interested in similar development opportunities around Edison Field.

Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly said he would welcome the chance to meet with Watkins.

“I would want to know more about him,” Daly said. “Based on what I’ve read about him, he has the makings of a good owner. He’d bring a lot of enthusiasm and business sense.”

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The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Angels on Saturday, 4-3, scoring the winning run on Jay Bell’s eighth-inning home run off Donne Wall. While Wall has been pretty good this spring, the game illustrated a major Cactus League weakness of the Angels.

All-Star closer Troy Percival has pitched well this spring, but the relievers responsible for setting him up have not. When the Angels released veterans Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Mike Holtz, they signed veteran Dennis Cook and said Al Levine, Lou Pote and Ben Weber could get a game--and a lead--to Percival.

Cook has pitched two innings this spring and is out with a bruised rib cage. Levine, Pote and Weber have a combined earned-run average of 9.24, with opponents batting .324 against Weber, .400 against Pote and .412 against Levine.

“We knew that, without Hasegawa, there would be a different mix in the setup role,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “But we have confidence that those guys can do the job.”

Starter Kevin Appier pitched well Saturday, giving up three runs in six innings and making 101 pitches. He said he would taper to about 75 pitches in his final spring start Thursday.

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The Angels sent relievers Bart Miadich and Dan Serafini to minor league camp, leaving six pitchers competing for one or two spots in the bullpen, depending in part on whether Cook opens the season on the disabled list. Wall, a right-hander, and left-hander Mark Lukasiewicz have been most effective among the candidates hoping to join right-handers Percival, Levine, Pote and Weber.

With two days off during the first week of the season, and with infielder Scott Spiezio scheduled for suspension that week, Scioscia said the Angels could start the season with one more bench player and one less reliever. Spiezio has appealed his suspension.