Angels Still Talking Trade

The Angels had conversations Tuesday with the Boston Red Sox about slugger Manny Ramirez and the Kansas City Royals about first baseman Mike Sweeney, but their pursuit of a middle-of-the-order bat to bolster their inconsistent offense seems to have stalled.

The Royals, according to a source, offered Sweeney to the Angels and asked for first-base prospect Casey Kotchman and minor league shortstop Brandon Wood, the team’s top power-hitting prospect.

The Angels considered that too steep a price -- Wood hit 43 home runs last season and could be major-league ready by 2007 -- for a 32-year-old right-handed hitter who is due $22 million over the next two seasons, who has a history of lower-back injuries, and who has averaged only 115 games a season for the last four years.

The Angels, though, are believed to have told the Royals they might consider a deal for Sweeney if Kansas City settled on a lesser prospect than Wood.

The Angels remain interested in Ramirez, the Red Sox left fielder, but talks with the Red Sox are in the preliminary stages, and with a deal probably expanding to include a third and possibly fourth team, negotiations could get complicated and drag on for weeks.

“I guess my sense is that it’s such a big thing, it’s not likely to get done here,” Boston President Larry Lucchino said Tuesday at baseball’s winter meetings.

The Red Sox initially asked for rookie pitcher Ervin Santana and Wood, but Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman has made it clear that Santana, a hard-throwing right-hander who went 12-8 with a 4.65 earned-run average last season, is virtually untouchable.

And the Arizona Diamondbacks, who could be part of a three-way deal that sends slugger Troy Glaus to the Red Sox, have long coveted Angel set-up man Scot Shields, the durable and versatile reliever who went 10-11 with a 2.75 ERA in 78 games in 2005.

“To get that middle-of-the-order bat right now, we would have to weaken ourselves in an area we don’t want to weaken, whether it’s the bullpen or rotation,” Stoneman said. “When someone asks you for pitching, you think long and hard about it, because everyone covets pitching.”

The Red Sox, according to a source, have inquired about Angel shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who helped Boston win the 2004 World Series and just finished the first year of a four-year, $32-million contract with the Angels. The Red Sox would clear a position for Cabrera by trading shortstop Edgar Renteria, possibly to Atlanta.

If Cabrera is included in a deal with Boston, his salary would help offset Ramirez’s $19-million-a-year salary. Maicer Izturis or Chone Figgins could play shortstop for the Angels for a year before Wood is ready, and Stoneman has expressed an interest in free-agent infielder Rich Aurilia as a possible utility replacement for Izturis or Figgins.

Asked about a three-way trade involving the Angels, Red Sox and Diamondbacks, new Arizona General Manager Josh Byrnes did not shoot down the speculation. But he did add that no deal is imminent.

“Because of the magnitude of the players, it’s going to be something that everyone grabs onto,” Byrnes said.

“But it’s no more evolved right now than 50 or 100 of the other discussions we’ve had.”

The Angels, according to agent Barry Axelrod, have also expressed “marginal” interest in free-agent pitcher Matt Morris, the St. Louis right-hander who has drawn interest from San Francisco, Washington, Seattle and the Dodgers.

Stoneman, who is also looking for a reliever, acknowledged that he has been “more focused on pitching” during trade talks at the winter meetings.

Axelrod, who also represents Aurilia, said the Angels view the infielder as a fall-back option.

“Bill said if he made a move in the trade market, it might open up a spot for a super-sub role,” Axelrod said.

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Today is the deadline for teams to offer arbitration for their free agents. The Angels will offer arbitration to Paul Byrd, assuring them a high draft pick as compensation for Byrd signing with Cleveland on Monday; they are expected to offer arbitration to catcher Bengie Molina, but they are not expected to offer arbitration to pitcher Jarrod Washburn.