The MLB Trade Rumors arbitration projections are out. The Angels have twelve decisions to make.
Manager Market Links
Bruce Bochy would consider returning to a role as manager. So far he has not had an interview this year. For his own part, Tony La Russa is excited at the opportunity to interview for the White Sox field manager position.
Playoffs Related Links
George Springer hit a home run on the first pitch of ALCS game 5 to give the Astros the early lead. The Tampa Bay Rays are taking extra precautions against sign stealing by the Astros. Can you blame them? A fan down at Petco Park used a megaphone to heckle the Astros in detail. This article argues that the Rays lack aesthetic appeal and that baseball is suffering as a result. Kenley Jansen was reduced to mop up duty on Wednesday. Aaron Boone seems to be in a little bit of denial about what just happened to the Yankees. At least Luke Voit is aware that the Yankees lost to the Rays. Jose Altuve’s yips are back. The Astros won game 5. The Braves won their game 4.
Sad News
Former Angel Gary Pettis is battling multiple myeloma. Get well soon, Gary!
Hey Bill Thompson, author of that Rays article, is this your first time trying to think about baseball? If so, that’s probably why it’s so easy to think of counterpoints to your article….
First, best is spelled BEST, not bets you professional writer you.
Second, the much dreaded “youth demo” dead horse isn’t attracted to the Rays because they replace bit players too fast? Their stars move on too often? Unlike Football and basketball? Do you watch sports?
Third. Their owner is a “titan” with his 800 millions dollarz fortune? In the AL East?
Fourth, the Rays have plenty of characters. Fans gravitate toward “folk hero” types in baseball, not just big stars who are allowed to start 162 games or pitch seven innings an outing. There are too many beloved players who were not big stars, or even on a team for all that long, to count. Sure, being able to pay a big star to stick around would be great, I’m sure the Rays would love to have done that with, say, Evan Longoria, but they don’t HAVE TO in order to attract attention. Rays fans get excited when Castillo comes in, or Anderson, when Meadows or Morton or Glasnow play, and they love them some G-Man etc. Just as Nats fans last year enjoyed Howie and Baby Shark.
Fifth, roster interchangeability has always been part of baseball to various degrees, the Rays are far from the worst offenders in history. You’re a perfushnial baseball writer. You should know this. Even the Rays staff usage is akin to the way a lot of teams pitched long long ago.
Let’s face it. You hate the Ray’s aesthetic because it’s annoying to a writer like you to have to watch a team where you can’t just constantly repeat two or three names like Trout, Mookie, Derek, Rizzo and otherwise know almost nothing about the roster, yet still “do your job”.
I hope the Rays continue to turn over their roster and beat out the Yankees and Red Sox until you die of old age…. or quit baseball and go work at a Best Buy.
I hate spelling police (becuz I kan’t spel goodly) but in this case it is in the headline caption of the article.Remarlable that he ass-umes that Tampa Bay Rays have no national audience simply because no one knows who they are. There exists American League fans, Florida fans, Southeast fans and converts after watching them go head to head against the Asstros. But he has the forum and we do not have as large a forum. The Rays are a smarter organization than the Angels in Scouting and Development. Maybe he sees that the Rays are smarter than his team. Yes the Rays are smart, but so is LAD and the Braves, no one team has the market on that.
besides the catcher position, maybe reliever/closer might be in decline too.
mariano rivera, trevor hoffman and dennis eckersly where are you? 😣 🤔
not good on Pettis. That’s a tough one to fight. Wishing him the best.
Regarding our arbitration eligible players.
Hansel is gone
Andriese, Anderson, and Bedrock are coinflips
Shohei, Stassi, Mayers, Noe, Keynan, Bundy, Heaney, Pena are all easy keepers.
What do you guys think?
Andriese/Anderson/Bedrosian are cheap for what they provide, no tough decisions this year
Anderson is also coming off of TJS and is still a project pitcher. You’re right though, for $700k it’s probably worth keeping him around.
Andriese was a borderline DFA candidate before he was traded by AZ last year. He’s solid, and again that’s worth $2m, but if it creeps closer to $3m maybe we think again. The landscape may dictate some of these decisions.
Bedrock is a RP who doesn’t get Ks, doesn’t get GBs, and doesn’t limit walks. Is he worth $3m next year?
bundy & pena…….the rest could all be total hansel robles disasters next season.
nobody else 🤔 💪 👈
They could all be … but what is the cost of replacing them with others (who are also all potential Robles disasters, no?)
The only answer to this rabbit hole conundrum is to hire a experienced GM and, preferably one with eye for old school Grady Fuson style talent evaluation skills. Sabermetrics alone is not the answer. 🤔 💪 .
I hate analytics…….Joe Morgan ( RIP ) and Grady Fuson’s revenge!!
47 days in a row with no new positive COVID-19 tests in MLB.
(at least among the players)
Dodgers have dug a deep holean it maybe just to deep, we’ll see. They will win today I think. The Rays are having trouble with the Asstros but will overcome today to get the pass.
As long as the dodgers lose I’m happy. The astros losing is the cherry on top. Braves take the WS.
Can I just be put into a coma and wake up in February?
Better a coma, they put me in a corner and feed me at Thanksgiving, Christmas and then again for Presidents Day and then it’s on.. Go Halos!
Nobody puts Grandpa in a corner.
Love is Strange
Comment GOLD!
why? So you can wake up to hear Governor Throat Job sexy voice his way through announcing California is closing down for a fourth time because some of the state’s businesses’ boards of directors haven’t hired enough POCs which has caused a rise in Covid-19 cases? Extra plus be scared since this new extra super scary Covid kills up to seven percent of the less than one percent of people it kills. Just 15 months to flatten the curve…. then maybe we can have 10% capacity at Cali baseball games…. in August…. unless a link between global warming and Covid can be made, in which case there will never be baseball here again.
Sir, this is a Wendy’s.
Ma’am, this is an Arby’s
Now I want curly fries.
I hope we sign Bauer just so we all get to watch Correa duck repeatedly.
I bet my dad a dinner that he goes to the Padres. He thinks we have a good shot at him.
I’m not sure the Angels are an advanced enough team for him. Bauer may be too much of a character and outspoken for Arte to pony up the $$
Arte is an Angel star in in the night time sky fading fast and in a hurry into obscurity to soon become a former holder of the keys but to still be a landlord. I believe that Bauer needs a platform such as the Angels can provide. If he arrives and does very well he can and will claim that he was the one ingredient that put us over the top and the press will hang on every word and make him the straw that stirs the drink. If that is the case then he will after a short contract and stay rake in a whole lotta love. (mula). So yea I think your dad is spot on. If not it is fun still to FANtasize about Bauer and Bundy and Ohtani on Sunday.
I guess we’ll see!
Are you not aesthetically pleased?
Choi did some nice work on his gut. He’s still not reached CC Sabathia proportions, but there’s still time….
David Wells says “ Hold my beer and drumstick “