Angels give ball to a rookie

In one corner of the room, the new general manager of the Angels said he had no relationship with the most powerful agent in baseball. In another corner of the room, the old general manager of the Angels said the new kid in town could handle the job, even if he had never played in the major leagues, served as an interim general manager or negotiated with Scott Boras.

Bill Stoneman had done all of those things when the Angels hired him eight years ago. Tony Reagins has done none of them.

“In a lot of ways, he’s more qualified than I was to step in,” Stoneman said. “He’s a bright guy. He’s got a lot of good people around him. Tony’s not going to do everything. I didn’t do everything.”

In a news conference short on specifics and long on tears, Stoneman resigned as the Angels’ general manager Tuesday, citing what he called “the burnout factor.” Owner Arte Moreno introduced Reagins, who joined the Angels as an intern in 1992 and ran their highly regarded minor league system for the past six years, as the new general manager.

Reagins, 40, agreed to a three-year contract. Moreno said Stoneman, 63, would remain with the organization as a “direct advisor to me.”

By passing over the senior assistants to Stoneman and refusing to consider candidates from outside the organization, Moreno appears to have shifted the Angels’ center of power toward Manager Mike Scioscia.

Moreno cited a desire to promote from within and a preference for an “easy transition” by replacing Stoneman with someone who already enjoyed “easy communication” with Scioscia. Moreno acknowledged Scioscia, perhaps the most visible face of the franchise, would have a greater say in player personnel discussions.

“We just felt that it was really important for us to, one, move within the family, and also to give Mike more of a responsibility in making sure we’re delivering what he needs,” Moreno said.

After the Boston Red Sox swept the Angels in the American League division series, Scioscia said the Angels needed to acquire another power hitter to complement Vladimir Guerrero and went so far as to say he would not rule out Barry Bonds, even though Moreno previously has ruled out Bonds.

Stoneman had the contractual option to continue as general manager or move into a consulting role. During the season, when Moreno offered Stoneman a new contract as general manager, Stoneman said he might prefer to give up the job. Moreno said he and Stoneman began to discuss possible successors three months ago.

“We started looking at a short menu,” Moreno said. “Tony kept popping up on top.”

Moreno offered the job to Reagins on Thursday. On Monday, Stoneman called his lieutenants -- all former major leaguers with long careers in the front office -- to inform them that Reagins would fill the general manager’s position.

“I didn’t even know it was available,” scouting director Eddie Bane said.

Reagins then spoke with Bane, 55, assistant general manager Ken Forsch, 61, and chief talent evaluator Gary Sutherland, 63. All three agreed to stay on.

The dynamic between Reagins and Scioscia could be worth watching, if only because the Angels blew up the last time they promoted a player development director to work with an established manager. Bill Bavasi, as a rookie general manager in 1994, asked twice for permission to fire Buck Rodgers. He got permission the second time.

Reagins and Scioscia each said he works well with the other. Added Reagins: “This organization is not broken.”

However, Reagins said Moreno has granted him authority to make whatever staff changes he might deem necessary. “Arte told me, ‘If you like what you see, stay the course. If not, make changes.’ ”

Reagins said the Angels’ offense “is going to be an area we address” and said the team could pursue pitching depth. He offered no specifics, speaking almost as if Stoneman had left him a script.

“If it improves our club and gives us a chance to be better, I’m willing to look at our options,” Reagins said. “First and foremost, it’s got to improve our club. I’m not going to make a trade just to make a trade.”

Moreno also offered no specifics, but he extended yet another hint he had no interest in paying Alex Rodriguez anywhere near Boras’ anticipated asking price of $30 million a year, should Rodriguez opt out of his contract with the Yankees.

“Obviously, we have spent historically whatever we felt we need to do to make sure we stay competitive,” said Moreno, pointing to the Colorado Rockies as proof that the high payroll does not always win. “From an economic side, obviously, we can afford to do -- within reason -- what needs to be done.”

Stoneman led the Angels to four playoff appearances, three division championships and the only World Series title in club history in 2002. He said he was “worn down” by the 24-7 nature of the position.

“This job requires a ton of energy,” Stoneman said. “It really wasn’t going to be right to continue.”

Times staff writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report.

bill.shaikin@latimes.com