Morales Still Needs Passport

Cuban defector Kendry Morales has cashed the $3-million bonus check he received from the Angels, but the organization might not see any return on its investment, in the major leagues or minor leagues, until next season.

Morales, the 21-year-old slugger who signed a six-year deal with the Angels on Dec. 1 and has been stuck in the Dominican Republic since defecting last August, needs a Dominican passport to travel to the U.S., and he can’t obtain a passport without gaining Dominican citizenship, a process Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman acknowledged “can take up to a year.”

It usually takes two to three years to gain Dominican citizenship, but Morales, Major League Baseball officials in the Dominican and the Angels have been trying to expedite the process, asking Dominican President Leonel Fernandez to prepare a decree granting immediate citizenship.

But Fernandez is said to be fond of Cuban President Fidel Castro and might may not be eager to do anything to antagonize him or encourage more Cubans to defect, another possible roadblock to Morales’ gaining immediate citizenship.

If Alay Soler’s ordeal is any indication, Morales might not make it to the U.S. any time soon. Soler, a pitcher, defected from Cuba in November 2003, signed a three-year, $2.8-million deal with the New York Mets last August and is still awaiting Dominican passport.

The Mets put Soler, who is essentially going through the same process as Morales, on their inactive list and are not expecting him any time soon.

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Garret Anderson hasn’t hit a home run yet, but his run-scoring double in the first inning Tuesday night gave the left fielder four doubles and a team-leading eight runs batted in in eight games. He is batting .333.

After averaging 30 homers and 120 RBIs for four seasons, Anderson sat out 50 games of 2004 because of an arthritic condition in his upper back and had only 14 homers and 75 RBIs in 442 at-bats.

A power resurgence from Anderson is seen as a key to the Angel offense this season, and Manager Mike Scioscia likes what he has seen so far.

“From the way he’s swinging the bat, throwing the ball and carrying himself, he looks fine,” Scioscia said. “Even last year, when we didn’t see the long ball, he was still productive. He’s a hitter first, and he’s finding some gaps. That power will come.”

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The Fourth District Court of Appeal has asked the Angels and the city of Anaheim to refrain from publicly discussing efforts to settle the city’s lawsuit against the team.

The two sides remain far apart on possible settlement terms and diametrically opposed on the fundamental issue -- the Angels want “Los Angeles” in their name and the city of Anaheim does not. The city claims the team’s new name -- the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim -- violates the team’s stadium lease. A trial is set to start Nov. 7.

Staff writer Bill Shaikin contributed to this report from Los Angeles.