Trade Talk: Perez-Edmonds

Odalis Perez is among the top pitchers on the St. Louis Cardinals’ wish list, and they would be willing to trade All-Star center fielder Jim Edmonds to the Dodgers for the left-hander, baseball officials said Tuesday.

The Chicago White Sox are also pursuing Perez at the general managers’ meetings here, offering either left fielder Carlos Lee or first baseman Paul Konerko, a two-time Dodger minor league player of the year.

Trading Perez is the Dodgers’ best option to fill a hole and improve their woeful offense, officials said.

“Certainly, there’s no lack of interest in our pitching,” said Dodger General Manager Dan Evans, who does not discuss trade proposals. “Pitching is one of the most difficult things to grab, and it’s no secret that we’re looking to become a little more balanced. I’ll leave it at that.”

Perez had a breakthrough season in 2002 after being acquired from Atlanta in the Gary Sheffield trade, going 15-10 with a 3.00 earned-run average while pitching 222 1/3 innings. Although he slumped last season (12-12, 4.52 ERA, 185 1/3 innings) and lashed out at team officials and everyday players over the Dodgers’ lack of run production, Perez is still considered a gifted young starter.

The Dodgers, seeking to fill holes in left field and at first base, and Cardinals are in the early stages of discussing an Edmonds-Perez deal, officials familiar with the situation said, with St. Louis General Manager Walt Jocketty apparently driving the talks. St. Louis is willing to move Edmonds, 33, for Perez, 26, to bolster the Cardinals’ pitching staff and trim payroll.

The team failed to qualify for the playoffs last season despite scoring the second-most runs in the National League, and Edmonds, a three-time All-Star, is owed $34 million in the final three guaranteed seasons of his contract, including $9 million in 2004. The four-time Gold Glove Award winner would also give the Dodgers another desperately needed run-producer, as Edmonds has hit at least 25 home runs in each of his eight full seasons, including 39 in 2003.

In addition to having concerns about Edmonds’ age and contract, officials said, the Dodgers are leery about his reputation of being a clubhouse problem. Moreover, Edmonds is a left-handed batter, and the Dodgers would prefer to add a right-handed hitter to help the left-handed-batting Shawn Green, who is recovering from shoulder surgery.

The White Sox, Evans’ employer for 19 years, and Dodgers might be a better match.

Lee, 27, is coming off a career year, batting .291 with 31 homers and 113 runs batted in as the club’s everyday left fielder. He had a salary of $4.2 million, is arbitration eligible and can become a free agent after the 2004 season.

First baseman Konerko, whom interim general manager Tom Lasorda traded in 1998, batted .234 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs. Konerko, also 27, hit .304 with 27 homers and a career-high 104 RBIs in 2002. He is guaranteed $8 million in 2004 and $8.75 million in 2005.

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Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman decisively squashed speculation of a two- or three-way trade that would bring either shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from the Boston Red Sox or shortstop Alex Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers.

“Just someone showing their imagination again,” Stoneman said. “There’s nothing to it, and the more I comment on it the more credibility I give to something that has none.”

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Rick Honeycutt, one of the Dodgers’ minor league pitching coordinators, is among the candidates to become the Oakland Athletics’ pitching coach, a Dodger source said.