BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Bavasi Hedges on Future Plans

Two months ago the Angel front office looked at the Angel lineup and saw a group it wanted to keep together for at least another year or two. But that view most likely has changed since the Angels’ six-week collapse, in which they lost an 11-game lead in the American League West.

There already is speculation the Angels will not re-sign third baseman Tony Phillips, whose average slipped from .299 on July 30 to .262 entering Wednesday’s game. There are questions as second base, where Damion Easley has yet to develop into the kind of offensive player the Angels expect.

Trading closer Lee Smith is possible, because Troy Percival appears ready for that role, and Smith’s $2 million salary could be used to pursue a starting pitcher. Catching has been a weak spot, and the bench needs to be upgraded.

General Manager Bill Bavasi says he will not evaluate personnel until after the season. But will there be a tendency to shake things up a bit more this off-season if the Angels fail to make the playoffs after such a promising season until mid-August?

“That’s something you have to fight if things don’t work out,” Bavasi said. “This season could be a real downer, but whatever the outcome, you can build on it if you approach it the right way. You could make a lot of moves, but on the other hand, this group might have a lot more motivation to come back after what happened this season.”

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Manager Marcel Lachemann has racked his brain trying to come up with ideas to stop the team’s prolonged slump, and there has been no shortage of suggestions from the outside.

“I’ve gotten lots of phone calls, letters and faxes from well-meaning people,” Lachemann said. “They’ve had a lot of different ideas, suggesting I start a certain guy, do this or that with the order. One person offered to turn the team around with a one-day therapy session.”

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Phillips’ first-inning walk Wednesday night was his 107th of the season, which broke the Angels’ previous single season record of 106, set by Brian Downing in 1987. Phillips advanced to second on Gary DiSarcina’s hit-and-run groundout and scored on Tim Salmon’s bloop single, and he also walked in the fifth.

“We wanted to try to make things happen, and in order to do that you have to have the right people on base,” Lachemann said. “Tony is a big part of that. We usually win games he’s walked in, even more so than the games he’s hit in.”