Mondesi Seeking Closure

VERO BEACH, Fla. —  Raul Mondesi is eager to begin his first season with the Toronto Blue Jays, but the former Dodger has some unfinished business.

The right fielder was unable to say goodbye to many of his friends before going to the Blue Jays in a four-player November trade that brought right fielder Shawn Green to the Dodgers. Mondesi plans to meet with former teammates this weekend in Toronto.

The Dodgers and Blue Jays close the exhibition season with games today and Saturday at SkyDome. Mondesi talked about facing the Dodgers during a phone interview Thursday.

His friend and business associate, Gene Mato, interpreted the conversation to help Mondesi best express himself.

“The games haven’t been on my mind--they’re not regular-season games--but I am looking forward to seeing some old friends,” Mondesi said. “I miss some of my friends in L.A. I was in L.A. a long time and I have a lot of friends there . . . so it will be good [to talk with them].”

Mondesi’s Dodger tenure ended after six eventful seasons. The ’94 National League rookie of the year impressed Dodger fans with his athleticism and passion, and frustrated management with his undisciplined play and behavior.

The Dodgers traded Mondesi after he had blasted General Manager Kevin Malone and Manager Davey Johnson, then reaffirmed his desire to play elsewhere during an off-season meeting with new Chairman Bob Daly. Mondesi said he has found a home in Canada.

“[Toronto officials] let me be me,” said Mondesi, expected to bat third for the Blue Jays. “They just let me go out and play.

“They leave me alone and don’t put pressure on me. They don’t try to change my swing after I’ve been playing baseball half my life.”

Jeff Moorad, Mondesi’s agent, speaks often about Mondesi with Toronto General Manager Gord Ash. Moorad said Ash and Toronto Manager Jim Fregosi have worked hard to make Mondesi comfortable.

“Raul has adjusted well,” Moorad said. “He has a good relationship with Fregosi and the club has been extremely good at helping him acclimate in that new situation.”

The series also marks a homecoming for Green. Toronto’s No. 1 draft pick in ‘91, Green spent five seasons with the club.

“This is kind of the final piece of the puzzle, to go back there and say goodbye and thank you to all of my good friends and the people who supported me,” he said. “It’s going to be weird to see all of my friends sitting in the other dugout, but this is good closure for me.”

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Chan Ho Park completed his poor exhibition season in an 8-4 loss to the Montreal Expos at Dodgertown.

The struggling right-hander gave up seven hits and five runs in four innings. Park, scheduled to start the second game of the season Tuesday night at Montreal, dropped to 0-3 with a 7.43 earned-run average.

He gave up 31 hits--including five home runs--in 23 innings. He has had slight arm stiffness, but team medical personnel believe Park experienced the typical end-of-spring-training soreness.

Park acknowledges that his previous problems have been mostly mental, and it appears he’s encountering road blocks again.

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Infielder Juan Castro cleared waivers and has been reassigned to triple-A Albuquerque.

Castro has 72 hours to accept the assignment. He will become a free agent if he rejects it, forfeiting his $425,000 salary this season.

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First baseman Eric Karros returned to the lineup after sitting out Wednesday’s game because of a swollen left ankle. Karros fouled a pitch off the inside of his ankle in Tuesday’s game. . . . Johnson made official what has been apparent for weeks, saying Devon White will be the opening-day center fielder and leadoff batter. White had been competing with Todd Hollandsworth, who hit two home runs in Thursday’s loss to the Expos. . . . The Dodgers are 11-17-1.