Traders Take Aim at Top Pitchers

As the Angels pursue a slugger in trade talks, they have discovered that their highly touted prospects are not necessarily the players most coveted by opposing teams. With young, affordable pitching at a premium, potential trade partners tend to start conversations by asking for John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Scot Shields.

For instance, when the Angels explored the possibility of trading for Miguel Tejada and making him their third baseman, the Baltimore Orioles are believed to have asked for Santana, Shields and prized infield prospect Howie Kendrick.

The Angels also have inquired about Alfonso Soriano of Washington, Vernon Wells of Toronto, Andruw Jones of Atlanta and Torii Hunter of Minnesota. They are believed to be willing to discuss any player besides Vladimir Guerrero.

In the case of Soriano, who could file for free agency this fall, the Angels consider the current asking price too high and would not surrender premium talent without signing him to a contract extension. To this point, the Nationals are not believed to be willing to allow another team to negotiate an extension in advance of a trade.

In an e-mail Friday, Washington General Manager Jim Bowden said of the Angels: “They are not a club that is presently involved in trade discussions with our club.” In an interview on 710, Bowden said seven clubs were in talks for Soriano.

Angels General Manager Bill Stoneman, who has set his sights on an “impact guy,” said Friday that “nothing is imminent” on the trade front and that his target list had not changed within the past 48 hours. Aubrey Huff was traded Wednesday and Austin Kearns Thursday, but apparently the Angels did not consider either player an “impact guy.”

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In a news release e-mailed at 12:36 p.m. Friday, the Angels announced they had put Kelvim Escobar on the disabled list and recalled Kendrick from triple-A Salt Lake. Three hours later, after a friend called Escobar to say he had seen the news on ESPN, Escobar said the Angels hadn’t yet told him.

“I don’t think I’m going to be very happy if they put me on the DL without my knowledge,” he said.

But, after a meeting with Manager Mike Scioscia and pitching coach Bud Black, Escobar said he understood the move was retroactive, so he would only have to miss one start, not an additional 15 days. On Thursday, he said, when the Angels sent him for an MRI examination of his right elbow, they told him he would sit out one start.

The MRI did not show any structural damage, Scioscia said, and the discomfort Escobar felt in his last start was diagnosed as tendinitis. Joe Saunders, who is 10-3 with a 2.51 earned-run average at Salt Lake, is expected to be recalled to start on Tuesday, with Escobar rejoining the rotation next weekend.

Kendrick could return to Salt Lake when Saunders arrives, or he could stick around as a platoon partner for second baseman Adam Kennedy (.169 off left-handers) or third baseman Maicer Izturis (.174).

Kendrick is hitting .369 in 69 games at Salt Lake, with 12 home runs and 62 runs batted in.