Whitey Herzog got things going at the winter meetings and promised it was just the beginning.
In Herzog's first big trade as general manager of the California Angels, he acquired Von Hayes from the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday for outfielder Ruben Amaro Jr. and left-hander Kyle Abbott.Shortly before midnight, San Diego and Cincinnati finally completed a deal that sent reliever Randy Myers to the Padres for infielder-outfielder Bip Roberts.
The Reds see Roberts as a leadoff hitter and part of the puzzle to rebuild the offense now that Eric Davis is gone. Roberts, who will play second and left, hit .281 last season with three homers and 32 RBIs.
Both the Angels and Padres expect to make a few more deals before the meetings end on Thursday.
Hayes' power numbers have dropped off the last two seasons, but the Angels have him penciled in to play either first base or right field.
"We were 13th in the league in runs scored and 13th in on-base-percentage," Herzog said of the Angels, last in the AL West. "We know he's coming off a bad year. But he can help us in those areas."
Hayes, a lifetime .270 hitter in 10 seasons, made $2.2 million last season.
Amaro Jr., 26, is the son of former Phillies shortstop Ruben Amaro Sr. He is a switch-hitter and led all minor leaguers with 95 runs scored in 1991.
Abbott, 23, was the Angels' first-round pick in the June 1989 draft. He pitched in five games for the Angels last season and was 1-2 with a 4.58 ERA.