Edmonds Market Could Be Shrinking

PHOENIX — Angel center fielder Jim Edmonds has no desire to play in Seattle, and it appears he may never have to. The Mariners, according to several baseball sources, are on the verge of trading pitcher John Halama to Detroit for outfielder Bobby Higginson, a deal that would take Seattle out of the mix of teams pursuing Edmonds.

A Mariner source said Seattle “has nothing going on with the Angels right now,” so the options for Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman--if he wants to deal Edmonds--appear to have been reduced to the Yankees and A’s.

The Angels need starting pitching, but the Yankees are unwilling to deal Ramiro Mendoza. Though Yankee pitching prospect Ryan Bradley told friends in California Friday he expected to be traded to the Angels along with highly touted second-base prospect Alfonso Soriano, a Yankee source said he believes they can trade for Edmonds without giving up a pitcher.

Soriano appears to be the key to any deal. The power-hitting infielder could fill a huge void for the Angels, but Yankee executives appear split on whether they should trade him.

Some believe Soriano will be ready to replace Chuck Knoblauch soon. Some want to keep him as a bargaining chip should the Yankees, with their aging rotation, need pitching help in their pennant drive this summer. Outfielders Ricky Ledee and Shane Spencer have also been discussed in trade talks.

There has been no indication that the Yankees, who would like to sign Edmonds to a contract extension before trading for him, have been given a window of opportunity to negotiate with Edmonds’ agent, Paul Cohen.

Furthermore, after Yankee owner George Steinbrenner met with top executives to discuss the team Thursday night, Manager Joe Torre told New York writers: “I think we’re fine the way we are.”

The A’s and Angels were involved in serious trade talks over the winter, Oakland offering the Angels any two of a list of three prospects, pitcher Brett Laxton, outfielder Mario Encarnacion and hard-throwing pitcher Jesus Colome, for Edmonds.

But Laxton was then traded to Kansas City, and after watching Encarnacion this spring, the A’s have decided to take him off the table. Their offer for Edmonds now is pitcher Ron Mahay, who is battling Mark Mulder for the fifth spot in the rotation, and Colome, whose fastball has been clocked at 100 mph, but that probably won’t be enough to satisfy Stoneman.

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It was the most scrutinized game of catch this spring. Pitchers Ramon Ortiz (slight labrum tear) and Jarrod Washburn (strained rib-cage muscle) tossed a ball for about seven minutes Friday under the watchful eyes of Manager Mike Scioscia, pitching coach Bud Black and athletic trainer Ned Bergert.

Ortiz, a lock to make the team if he is physically sound, said he felt “very good,” and the next step for the right-hander will be to throw off the mound in the bullpen Monday or Tuesday.

Because of an early off day, the Angels won’t need a fifth starter until April 12, so if Ortiz can pitch with the tear, he’d have 3 1/2 weeks to build up enough endurance to go six or seven innings. But the Angels will proceed with caution with Ortiz, the franchise’s top prospect.

“I think there will be a lot of warning signs if he can’t pitch,” Scioscia said. “He’s not going to be able to mask it if he doesn’t feel good. If he starts feeling symptoms, we’re going to have to look at this in a different light.”

Washburn felt a little stiff and said he’s “not close to getting back on the mound.” A similar injury sidelined Washburn for seven weeks last season.

“He’s a little more long-term than we had hoped,” Scioscia said. “The key is patience.”

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Two of the Angels’ top outfield prospects are probably out for the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery Friday. Jeff DaVanon had the detached labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder repaired, and Mike Colangelo had the labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder repaired and the joint shoulder capsule reduced. Doctors also found excessive wear of Colangelo’s rotator cuff and fraying of his biceps tendon. . . . Todd Greene, whose time behind the plate has been severely limited because of shoulder problems the past two years, has not caught since March 9 because of shoulder discomfort. He has been working with Scioscia to correct some mechanical flaws in his motion, and he played long toss Friday. . . . The Angels managed only six hits in an 8-3 Cactus League loss to the Brewers Friday. Jason Dickson threw three scoreless innings before giving up two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings, and closer Troy Percival gave up homers to Geoff Jenkins and Lyle Mouton. . . . The Angels released infielders Archi Cianfrocco and Carlos Garcia.