Mondesi a Possible Option

Outfielder Raul Mondesi remained without a team on Saturday but Manager Mike Scioscia, who fostered a relationship with the often-moody and tempestuous slugger when both were with the Dodgers (Scioscia as a coach, Mondesi as the right fielder), said Mondesi could conceivably find a home in Anaheim.

Yet while Mondesi told Associated Press in his native Dominican Republic that the Angels were one of four teams, along with Boston, St. Louis and Seattle, that were interested in him, Scioscia said the Angels had not talked with Mondesi.

“Raul is still a talented player, there’s no doubt about it,” Scioscia said. “Whether he’s a fit here or not, that remains to be seen. I just know there hasn’t been any contact with Raul and I don’t even know what his status will be.”

But wouldn’t Scioscia’s previous relationship with Mondesi help sway him to sign with Anaheim and bolster its beleaguered lineup?

“I think when players see the talent we have in our organization and on the field and the prospect for winning I think they’re drawn to this club for that reason,” Scioscia said.

“On that end of it I think Mondy would be comfortable. All of our staff has known Mondy a long time. We appreciate his talent, and I think a lot of players on our team know Mondy from either the Dominican or playing with him or against him here. I’m sure he would feel comfortable in that respect. But as I said before, a lot of things have to come together for you to add a player of that caliber and we’ll have to see how things pan out.”

Said right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, one of four Dominican Angels, in Spanish: “There’s been a lot of talk, but nothing is official. If he came he’d be another Dominican here, another countryman, and he’d bring a lot of talent.”

Still, Mondesi has been seen as a clubhouse distraction in many of his major league stops.

“It would have to be discussed,” Scioscia said. “It would have to be a situation where you really feel a player’s going to bring a piece of the puzzle to the team. A healthy, motivated, focused Raul Mondesi is a heck of a player.”

Sticking to his policy of not discussing players not under contract with the Angels, General Manager Bill Stoneman did not comment specifically on Mondesi.

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Setup man Brendan Donnelly, who has been shut down with tendinitis in his right (pitching) elbow since experiencing tightness in it during a rehab assignment on May 9, hopes to play catch today.

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Angel coaches Alfredo Griffin and Orlando Mercado were inducted into the San Francisco-based Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum’s Hall of Fame in a pregame on-field ceremony.