Moreno Putting Faith in Stoneman

Given those nearly 40 years of revolving philosophy and management, it is still hard to grasp the concept of stability in connection with the Angels.

The concept was first grasped, however, by Jackie Autry in the final years of her late husband’s ownership, improved on by Disney after an erratic start and is now being taken to extraordinary lengths by new owner Arte Moreno, who stressed his strong belief in “stability and chemistry” when announcing the four-year extension for General Manager Bill Stoneman.

“I want a foundation built on stone, if you’ll pardon the play on words,” Moreno said.

The stability beat continued Saturday. Manager Mike Scioscia received a two-year extension, so that his contract matches Stoneman’s and carries through 2007, and Kevin Uhlich, the senior vice president of business, is expected to receive a similar package soon.

Of course, Stoneman’s deal is basically open-ended. After the four years as GM, he has three as a consultant.

Unless the Angels dissipate what they have developed, Stoneman can spend all seven as GM if he wants.

Moreno and Stoneman found themselves on the same philosophical wave during a five-hour meeting -- Disney had given them permission to meet for one hour -- when Moreno was still only investigating a possible purchase. It was during that meeting that Stoneman was able to provide Moreno with a recap on every player in the organization and where he thought they would be next year and beyond.

Moreno was duly impressed.

As a businessman who has invested $183.5 million in the Angels, his interest goes beyond the 2003 standings. He needs to have an outline, at least, of what the 2004 and 2005 business model will look like while understanding, he said, if Stoneman and the baseball staff are focused on today.

Said Scioscia, when asked about the Angels’ stability: “In this game, the only job security is job performance. The contract doesn’t give you security, performance does. What we’re trying to do is build a platform through the minor leagues, a base of talent that will enable us to remain a perennial contender. You may not see the results next year, but we should have the base filled in within two or three years.”

It is safe to say that the new operating team of Moreno and Stoneman will maintain a payroll in the upper middle class while continuing to focus on development from within. Farm and finances are clearly Stoneman’s strength, and it is not clear yet just how successful he will be as a trader or how aggressive he will be in pulling the trigger.

His two major deals have been a mixed bag.

He was able to unload Mo Vaughn for Kevin Appier, a plus. There were pros and cons to the Jim Edmonds trade for Adam Kennedy and Kent Bottenfield.

And while Scioscia has cited Stoneman as the architect of the World Series title, it was Bill Bavasi and Bob Fontaine Jr. who built the core of that team, and the 2002 Angels would never have won the title if then Disney executive Paul Pressler had not vetoed a Stoneman trade that would have sent Darin Erstad to the Chicago White Sox, although Stoneman may have been caught in cross-fire between Pressler and then-club president Tony Tavares, who had pushed for the trade in the belief that the Angels would be unable to re-sign Erstad.

Now, the defending champions are still on the outskirts of the division and wild-card races, but the biggest test for Stoneman and Moreno may lie beyond the July 31 trade deadline.

Maintaining faith in what he has, Stoneman is not a man to be forced into a trade for trade’s sake before the deadline, but he can’t ignore the fact that the contracts of Garret Anderson, Troy Glaus, Troy Percival, Aaron Sele and Appier all expire after the 2004 season, that he will need to make decisions then as well on the 2005 options of Ramon Ortiz and Bengie Molina, and that Jarrod Washburn will be in his free agent walk year in ’05.

How far will stability and the Moreno dollar stretch? Stay tuned.

Awards Show

It may not be this emphatic in September, but who would debate the selection of Albert Pujols and Carlos Delgado as the most valuable players at the July break?

Pujols, until a recent slide, had been flirting with Triple Crown statistics in helping power the St. Louis Cardinals into the thick of the NL Central race, and Delgado has driven in almost 100 runs at the break, averaging more than one RBI per game in helping lift the longshot Toronto Blue Jays into wild-card and AL East contention.

Others:

CY YOUNG: AL -- Esteban Loaiza, Chicago White Sox; NL--Eric Gagne, Dodgers.

ROOKIE: AL -- Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees; NL -- Scott Podsednik, Milwaukee Brewers.

MANAGER: AL -- Tony Pena, Kansas City Royals; NL -- Felipe Alou, San Francisco Giants.

EXECUTIVE: AL -- Pat Gillick, Seattle Mariners; NL -- Brian Sabean, San Francisco.