Mondesi Says He’s Joining Angels

CHICAGO —  Outfielder Raul Mondesi says he has reached agreement with the Angels on a $1.75-million contract for the rest of this season. The former All-Star told Associated Press in the Dominican Republic on Friday that he would start in center field for the injury-ravaged team Sunday.

“I didn’t hear that,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said when informed of Mondesi’s comments. “Maybe he’s managing too. I don’t know.”

The Angels did not confirm the signing of Mondesi, the temperamental slugger who played for the Dodgers from 1993 to ’99 and four more teams in the last three years, but Greg Genske, one of Mondesi’s agents, said the deal was “imminent” and will be completed this weekend.

“Raul is very excited about playing for the Angels,” Genske said. “He wants to be with a team that has a chance to win. He’s excited to be back in Southern California.”

Mondesi played 26 games with Pittsburgh this season, hitting .283 with two home runs and 14 runs batted in. But the Pirates terminated Mondesi’s contract after he left the team on May 7 to return to the Dominican to fight a lawsuit filed by former major leaguer Mario Guerrero, who claims Mondesi promised him 1% of his major league earnings for helping develop his skills.

Mondesi, 33, cleared waivers May 21, making him a free agent, and Boston and Baltimore also expressed interest in him. Mondesi, a .276 hitter with 266 home runs and 842 RBIs in 12 seasons, said the presence of several Latin players on the Angel roster helped him make his final decision.

“Jose Guillen has been my friend since childhood because we grew up together in the same town,” Mondesi, a native of San Cristobal, told AP. “I get along very well with Bartolo Colon, Vladimir Guerrero and Ramon Ortiz, and Kelvim Escobar was my friend in Toronto.”

The Angels have managed to stay atop the American League West despite the loss of Garret Anderson, Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon, but the offense has begun to sag under the weight of the injuries, and much of the burden has fallen on the shoulders of Guerrero and Guillen.

Mondesi is one of six big leaguers with at least 24 homers every year since 1995 -- the others are Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, Sammy Sosa and Jim Thome -- and though the Angels consider him a temporary replacement until Anderson and Salmon return, he could provide pop in the middle of the order and another strong outfield arm to go with Guerrero’s and Guillen’s.

“We have another guy who can leave the ballpark,” closer Troy Percival said. “We’ve played so many tight games, you want that one guy who can make a difference.... He’s a big talent. He’s a tough out. He can only help.”

Said Escobar, who played with Mondesi in Toronto from 2000 to ‘02: “He’s one of those guys who, if you leave him alone, he produces. If you’re good to him, he’s very good to you. If you’re not good to him, that’s when he’ll have a problem.”

A five-tool player once said to have Hall of Fame potential, Mondesi’s relationship with the Dodgers soured in 1999 after the right fielder sat in the bullpen for a half-inning while the Dodgers batted during a game.

When then-manager Davey Johnson and then-general manager Kevin Malone chastised him, Mondesi ripped them both in a profanity-laced diatribe to reporters.

Mondesi was traded to Toronto for Shawn Green before the 2000 season but had a falling-out with Manager Carlos Tosca after being benched for showing up late for a team meeting in 2002.

The Blue Jays traded Mondesi to the Yankees for pitcher Scott Wiggins, but he lasted only a year in New York, where Mondesi accused Manager Joe Torre of not showing him respect and of showing a bias against Dominican players. Mondesi also left the clubhouse during a game in Boston after Torre sent a pinch-hitter to bat for him.

Fed up with Mondesi’s antics, the Yankees traded him to Arizona, where he played 45 games last season but was not re-signed.

Mondesi, who sent a letter of apology to Torre, hasn’t even signed with the Angels, and he already appears to be at odds with them: He told AP that the Angels proposed sending him to the minor leagues to get ready, but he rejected the request, saying, “I’m in shape.”

Scioscia knows Mondesi from their days with the Dodgers, and when asked about Mondesi’s being a disruptive force, Scioscia said, “I never experienced any of that.... When guys play every day, they’re going to vent things in the clubhouse -- I don’t call that disruptive.

“He’ll do what it takes to win. His skills are still strong, he’s running well, and his arm and bat speed are still there. He’s not coming into a situation where too much will be asked of him. He doesn’t have to carry the load. He just has to bring his game.”

And not his baggage.