Moreno: Price May Be Too High for Johnson

Arte Moreno would not rule trading for Randy Johnson, but the Angel owner did not sound Monday like a man who -- like Yankee owner George Steinbrenner -- would go to any length to acquire the Arizona ace before Saturday’s non-waiver trade deadline.

“How much of a mortgage do you put on your property?” Moreno said, alluding to the price in prospects the Angels would have to pay to obtain Johnson. “And not only are you mortgaging your minor league organization, Randy is signed for $16 million next year. That would take away some flexibility for us to do other things over a period of time.”

Arizona is thought to want at least two of the Angels’ top four prospects -- third baseman Dallas McPherson, catcher Jeff Mathis, first baseman Casey Kotchman and pitcher Ervin Santana -- for Johnson.

Moreno, who hopes to scale back the Angel payroll next season from its current $111 million, intimated that such a price might be too high, and he said the Angels definitely wouldn’t part with two of their top prospects in a rent-a-player deal for a pitcher such as Pittsburgh’s Kris Benson.

“That would bother me,” Moreno said, when asked how he’d feel if the 40-year-old Johnson retired as an Angel after 2005 while Mathis, one of baseball’s best catching prospects, began a long and fruitful career with the Diamondbacks. “One of the things I did with [General Manager] Bill Stoneman is make a commitment to the minor league system.”

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The sting of losing fourth-round pick Patrick White to the University of West Virginia football team was eased by the Angels’ surprise signing Monday of pitcher Nick Adenhart to a reported $710,000 bonus.

Adenhart, a right-hander from Williamsport High in Hagerstown, Md., was considered one of the nation’s top high school pitchers before suffering a serious elbow injury on May 11 and undergoing Tommy John surgery on June 17.

A projected first-round pick, Adenhart, whose fastball has been clocked at 95 mph, fell to the 14th round, and scouting director Eddie Bane said in June that the Angels’ chances of signing him were remote.

Adenhart said he was set to accept a scholarship to North Carolina before traveling to Anaheim over the weekend and hearing the Angels’ offer. He will travel to Arizona today and resume his rehabilitation under the direction of Angel trainers, and will enroll at Arizona State this fall.

“Being hurt, rehabilitation is the most important part of coming back strong,” Adenhart said. “Being with the Angels will give me the best shot.”

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Despite Ramon Ortiz’s strong seven-inning, three-run start Sunday in Seattle, Manager Mike Scioscia said he’ll be bumped back to the bullpen if Jarrod Washburn rebounds from a rib injury and is able to start Friday against Seattle. Aaron Sele, 6-0 but erratic in his last three starts, will stay in the rotation for now.

“One thing about Sele, when he’s on the mound, we’re winning,” Scioscia said. “Even when his stuff is not as crisp, he’s able to use his experience to keep us in games.”

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Right fielder Vladimir Guerrero did not start for the third consecutive game, but Scioscia said the pain and swelling in his right wrist subsided and that he will likely return tonight. Center fielder Garret Anderson, limited to one at-bat in the previous three games because of a tight right groin, struck out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning. It is questionable whether he will be able to play in the field in the series against Texas.