Players Are in Agreement With Moreno

While acknowledging that Randy Johnson could provide a major boost in their efforts to secure a second playoff berth in three years, several Angel players Thursday said they agreed with owner Arte Moreno’s assertion that it was not worth sacrificing top prospects to acquire the Arizona Diamondback ace.

“For the first time in the last few years, we have some really good talent down there,” designated hitter Tim Salmon said of the Angel minor league system. “They’re going to be the cornerstone of the next generation of teams to come.”

First baseman Casey Kotchman, catcher Jeff Mathis, third baseman Dallas McPherson and pitcher Ervin Santana -- at least two of whom the Diamondbacks are believed to have requested in exchange for Johnson -- were all included on Baseball America’s list of top midseason prospects. Kotchman was ranked third, Mathis 12th, McPherson 13th and Santana 20th.

“They’re very close to playing at this level,” reliever Scot Shields said. “Casey came up earlier this year and performed very well.”

The Angels still could conceivably lure Johnson with a package of two or more of their less experienced major league players such as Shields, Brendan Donnelly or John Lackey, though their low salaries make them attractive to keep.

One common refrain throughout the clubhouse was that the Angels had already acquired enough firepower in the off-season by shelling out $146 million on free agents Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon, Jose Guillen and Kelvim Escobar.

“We’ve gone out and gotten the players we need to win,” Salmon said. “We need to make it happen in here with what we’ve got.”

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Even though the Angels might not have enough at-bats to go around when outfielder Raul Mondesi comes back from his rehabilitation assignment in the next two weeks, Manager Mike Scioscia said the organization would not delay Mondesi’s return to avoid a potential logjam.

“When he’s ready, we want to get him up here and give him a chance to help us,” Scioscia said. “It creates a situation where there’s a lot of guys fighting for at-bats, but it’s not necessarily bad for us. It will give us depth.”

Mondesi, who homered on the first pitch thrown to him Thursday night in his first game with triple-A Salt Lake and finished two for four with two runs batted in, has been out since June 9 because of a torn thigh muscle.

Salmon underwent an MRI exam Monday that revealed wear in his left shoulder, but he was available to pinch-hit Thursday.

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The Angels are debating whether pitching prospect Bobby Jenks, who has been sidelined by stress fractures in his pitching elbow three times within the last two seasons, should undergo surgery that could sideline him through the end of the 2005 season.

Tony Reagins, the Angels’ director of player development, said Jenks could require a procedure similar to the one endured by Derrick Turnbow, who had a pin permanently inserted to hold his elbow together and sat out most of the 2001 and 2002 seasons.