The Angels have asked the Cubs for permission to interview Dan Kantrovitz for their General Manager position. You have until November 13 to vote for the All MLB Team nominees, Anthony Rendon, Mike Trout, and David Fletcher. The Angels officially need starting pitching. We already knew that. Tony La Russa is out of here! Where is our new General Manager? For rage purposes: apparently Mike Trout is only the 15th best player in baseball this year. Mookie Betts gets the top spot in this article, I guess because he’s a winner. The author did not explain where he got those WAR figures or why he is using “average WAR” in an article about only one season. He did not even explain what he means by “average WAR.”
News About Dirtbags
Yasiel Puig getting sued for sexual battery? How can this be? The article doesn’t say whether he was in the men’s bathroom or women’s bathroom, but damn! I’d say pinning a woman to a bathroom wall while (ahem!) rubbing Aladdin’s lamp is definitely crossing the line. If this is true, why isn’t the District Attorney doing something about it? The Tigers interviewed A.J. Hinch. Domestic abuser Roberto Osuna is on outright waivers. His elbow is a little more banged up than that of Brad Hand, so when the number for both of them is $10 million, I think we will probably rather claim Brad Hand.
Other Baseball News
All Star closer Brad Hand is on outright waivers. He could be claimed by a team from the waiver wire and then have his 2021 option picked up. Alternatively, he could clear waivers and then Cleveland declines to exercise his option at which point he becomes a free agent. New York Mayor Bill De Blasio is supposedly doing due diligence and leaning against allowing Steve Cohen from becoming owner of the Mets. This smells like a local government shakedown to me.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
I’ll try to work up some links by lunch time. I had to do my billing and I have a telephonic court appearance this morning.
Monday, Monday, just love this day
Monday, Monday bring links my way
Oh Monday, Monday what do you say?
Tell me more
Seen in Pasadena: the newest Angels Team Store…
Simba deadline approaches, crickets
Deadline passed, word is per Fletch is no QO
Not only an awesome infielder, lead off batter, and third string catcher, he also reports on team news during non game times. What can’t Lil’Davie do???
oops wrong Fletch, J not D lol
Not really a shocker: as much as we love him, Simba would not be commanding $18 mil in the current market. I’m somewhat hopeful that the market will be slow as everyone will be looking at how Covid and the economy trends into next year, which should give us the time to install a FO regime and put together some kind of strategy for short to medium term, at least, and allocate resources contingently. If Angels’ weakness is organizational depth, this off-season should be very helpful, at least in the short term. With all the solid or better players out there, there should be a chance to add a lot of good role players on one year deals–IF Arte is willing to take short term losses and sign a bunch of not-quite-stars. But someone needs to put together a plan and sell Arte on that.
I still want Simba back. I think he is better than Semien (better track record for longer) and Didi (whose underlying numbers aren’t holding up), and I think keeping Fletch at 2B makes the whole team better.
I think 3/30 would work nicely. He might even sign for slightly less in a depressed market.
Trade Rumors have the Angels taking Semien for mil more than the Yanks give Simba, I would prefer Simba on the 1 year deal to Semien on a 1 year deal
List is now at 14. so when does it start going down and not up?
Virtual Winter Meetings in 6 weeks. If I had to guess, second interviews start by end of week, decision and offer in 2 weeks.
When the prospects start to return the calls
Angels contact Kolten Wong. Stroman to receive QO. Betances and Brach exercise player options. Cleveland baseball team exercises Roberto Perez option at $5.5M.
I’m really interested to know who is doing the contacting. I’ve got a theory that Maddon is acting as GM at this time.
Arte, because he does, and Carpino said he would
Why of course, he SHOULD be part of the process… the pay the people part.
UNSUBSCRIBE
???
Just kidding. That was in reaction to the concept of Arte acting as GM.
Acting?
At any time or in any form
The MLB Angels page and other sources list Jonathan Strangio, Asst GM and Bill Stoneman as involved, and of course Maddon. Two of the GM candidates worked with Maddon in Chicago, and Theo in Boston before Chicago. There are also still player personnel staff on payroll.
Per Fletchers story in OCR Strangio’s contract expired yesterday and will be going home to the east coast
Thanks, both Asst GMs gone. Need a job?
Sorry but I retired for a reason
Aha, then you can be a scout and write off those vacation expenses.
But they fired all the scouts
You can always be a volunteer scout, and cover your own expenses. Arte still wouldn’t listen, and he would fire you in the process.
My retirement plan.
ThoughtDreamed about you yesterdayWas it a nightmare or just a dream?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuTviZDhXEE
I bet you LaRussa is still involved
Eye bet yah Sosha’s probubly still invulved tew!! 😆
Are we going to have a “construct an Angels roster” series of posts, where we can formulate plans based off of having an X amount of money available?
Looking at the market, IF Arte wants to spend a bit, there are many, many great opportunities to be had in this market.
Looking at Cot’s contracts, we likely have around 40mil of luxury tax space to spend.
Looking at Fangraphs’ contract projections, we can likely easily afford to add Bauer AND another useful piece beyond him.
Perhaps 2 or 3 “X” alternatives.
Who in their right mind would wan to work under Arturo Moreno?
He doesn’t seem to pay very well. Likes to undercut his employee’s decisions. Totally likes to jump across the median to make his own deals that are against any strategy for the the future of his team.
His team, that is what it boils down to.
Wurst ownah evah. You’re so right, I’m totally with you. Here’s hoping no one good takes our GM job so you can be super plus ultra right. That’ll be fantastic.
Not the WORSY, but high up there on the bestest meddlin’ fer sure yah you bett’cha you know what I am saying?
We could have been like the Red Sox and traded Trout like they traded Mookie.
The problem with Moreno’s search is that he is unwilling to hire a President of Baseball Operations.
Right now, with most teams shifting to that structure, baseball’s best and brightest minds are gunning to be in charge of the entire operation. With that position not being offered, Moreno has put himself (once again) at a disadvantage, as the candidates for the job realize they won’t have the degree of control that they would otherwise want in terms of building out the FO, analytics department, etc.
We still have plenty of candidates lined up, but it’s a shame that we are unlikely to attract the best minds, as this should be one of the best jobs available – great location, owner who does spend money on payroll and wants to win, baseball’s best MLB player and another incredible one, etc.
I feel we will never really be positioned to win it all with Arte in charge, simply because he cannot foster a FO structure that is conducive to the most success in a modern baseball environment.
This is exactly right. A ‘GM’ is not a position that the best and brightest want anymore because it does not provide the full control that President of Baseball Operations does and leaves one subject to a meddling owner. It’s really unfortunate that Arte does not seem to see and accept this.
Yeah, it sucks. We can still hire someone who is good, but we’ll always be at a competitive disadvantage simply due to our antiquated front office structure.
I still have a very, very small hope that we’ll get an announcement that will say “so and so is hired as President of Baseball Operations,” but I’d say that hope is at like 1% at best.
The problem with Arte’s search, is he wants, acts, and wishes to be the great Cheeto.
The orange stain of Orange County.
RIP Sir Sean Connery……1930-2020
Bond…..James Bond.
Elder Dr. Jones
Agamemnon in Time Bandits
Largo:
Do you lose as gracefully as you win?
James Bond:
I don’t know, I’ve never lost. 😎 👍 💪
BTW……not debatable, the best Bond evah!!!
“You wanna get Capone? Here’s how you get him. He pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the Chicago way. And that’s how you get Capone!”
Jim Malone…..The Untouchables 💪
“It takes an Irishman to play bagpipes” (from the Longest Day) naturally delivered with very Scottish accent.
Zardoz, my first memory of the man
That was, eh, surreal. Even more surreal is that, somehow, that “worked,” in a manner of speaking.
Highlander
MLB will be very fortunate to have a 120 game 2021 season. Will 100% of California be vaccinated by April 1st, lucky not. Will dictator in charge Gavin allow games to proceed as planned or will he just shut her down as he has amusement parks and large gathering as currently being played out. While not exactly combat war the fighting the Covid – 19 monster is going to prevent any serious attempt at having a normal season once again.
Will it be CV that stops the season or our government?
In California it will be the dictator, who will sooner rather than later be leaving to be VP.
Moving a bit far from baseball and into politics here, no?
Really big list of GM interviews. Phillies thinking no GM will want to uproot and move their family in the middle of a pandemic is interesting with regards to our own search.
Burning, looting and pillaging have nothing to do with making a Baseball career move does it now. “You know Dear I was just offered an opportunity to interview for the Phillie’s open GM spot and you know what, that town really knows how to light it up!” If 2020 Strange gets any less strange in the next 2 months I will bee surprised.
Honestly I feel like with Arte, he is probably listening to Maddon as much as anyone. If I had to guess Maddon is quietly playing the role of interim GM.
He’s got to be having some input. I would just expect that. I want a good GM sooner than later. On the other hand, new GM must know he’s stepping into an office where everyone already knows they need pitching, they need a middle infield decision, a catcher…. a lot of that turns a fair amount on what Maddon wants most likely. It’s not like the FO has to just sit on it’s hands till the new GM is picked.
The first thing a new GM will need is a five year plan, Arte is a businessman you know, and Soggy Joe will not be a part of making his new bosses plans. Joe’s ideas will mean shit. How can you run a business if you let the hired help bring you ideas?
Bane interview is as close to Arte admitting a mistake as you will ever find.
Please Please Please re-hire this guy.
So now instead of making questionable trades for some of these players you can now pick them up for less as free agent cast offs
That is a win for anyone who would just rather spend cash then deplete an already barren farm system. We will soon find out if Arte is that guy.
Might take some time though, as players/agents work out what the new price point is for FA players in these uncertain times. Can one sign Hand for only 5M instead of 10M? Do top FAs take shorter deals this year with the hopes of a rebounded market giving them better option in 2022? Do teams force the price low by not signing many ‘middle tier’ players until well into January?
When it comes to Bedrock just remember that he went unclaimed, 29 teams said pass while watching Barnes getting claimed
Barnes had good Velo, lots of strikeouts, and his underlying numbers look A LOT better than his actual ERA. Bedrock lost velo and is a garbage time pitcher: he did well once the Angels were out of the playoffs. Lucky for him, we were out of the hunt a lot.
Understand the Bedrosian and Barnes moves. The optics of DFA’ing a 3mil reliever don’t look good, but the bigger issue is that neither Bedrosian nor Barnes had options left. When constructing a bullpen, you want a number of relievers who have options, such that you can shuttle them back and forth depending on your team’s needs and their general level of effectiveness.
As it stands now, we have 4 guys in our projected pen who don’t have any options remaining – Mayers, Andriese, Ramirez, and Robles. I expect Robles to get non-tendered, so that basically leaves just 3. (Fangraphs has Peters listed as a reliever with no options, but he’s an easy non-tender move).
Who’s making these player decisions? Are they asking the interview candidates to evaluate the roster for free player advice??
Maybe Carpino and Kuhl are playing around with a ouija board.
Carpino Diem, you Kuhl with that?
Didn’t Billy have an assistant GM? I can’t remember his name but I thought he temporarily stepped in??
Stranger
Now adding Eddie Bane to the mix for GM
Didn’t see that one coming.
Will he decline too?
Who knows, same owner that fired him
Nice gesture, in a sense a public apology. Shows a little class nonetheless.
The end of an era, no more bedrock being subsoil among other names, so how long before we hear about Robles being released
If Robles was a 1 mil gamble I think it would be okay. Definitely worried about the velo drop with a guy like that though.
Only I think he became the coffin and not the undertaker this season
The velocity came back though.
He touched 97 at the end of the year, that’s not what I would call coming back. Yeah its relatively high, but he was hitting 100 mph in 2019. And with a fairly straight fastball, a drop in velo like that is significant. Especially considering his main weapon was using the velo difference between his 89 slider and 98 fastball to get hitters out front.
Where are you guys seeing this?
The Bedrosian, Briceno, Eliot Soto, Jacob Barnes moves are discussed on MLB Trade Rumors.
Edit: Robles is still just speculation.
Also per Jeff Fletcher tweets
thanks guys. Whoa on Bane!
[edit] I went to mlbrumors and read this “Of course, anyone succeeding Eppler will be taking over a fairly appealing situation” as “…fairly appalling situation”.
I was pretty amused by that line.
I’m dying over this line.
The budget is the hindrance.
Arte may be spending much moola, but he will only spend so much, and he personally has committed the so much. Not much left for the infield, catcher, and pitching. Back to the dumpsters we go.
Watch Robles go somewhere else and recover his mojo.
I’m telling you it’s gonna happen.
A’ss and Asstros, which ever team we are facing that series
I’m not sad about losing Bedrosian. He was always a liability with the game on the line when we were still in the hunt, but always seemed to do just fine when we were out of the hunt. Our bullpen doesn’t look pretty, but I didn’t find much value in keeping him.
Bye bye Bedrosian
And so begins the great purge of 2020.
But we still have Hoby Milner
That cat can sail away.
Wish we could have said that in 2016