Here is the big list of players eligible for arbitration. How many of these guys will end up not being tendered a contract? Will any of them be good players that are non-tendered by cheap small market teams? Discuss.
With left-hander Alex Wood on the mound for the Giants, Albert Pujols got to start in the postseason for the first time in years. He was batting seventh.
An opposing pitcher accuses the Astros of stealing signs? That’s simply unheard of, NOT!
Speaking of unheard of, Angel Hernandez apparently made some bad calls.
The Phillies hired Kevin Long as their hitting coach. It looks like this was probably Joe Girardi’s idea.
Meanwhile, the Nationals have let a couple of their coaches go. Third Base Coach Bob Henley and First Base Coach Randy Knorr will not be returning as coaches. They are reassigned to player development jobs.
This kid’s a little less crazy than some of the acrobats I’ve linked to.
Job posting: Tampa Bay Rays Research and Development Intern.
Job postings: Multiple Analyst roles for the Colorado Rockies.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Some arbitration cases I’d like to pick up, though I doubt they see FA…
Pitchers: Ryne Stanek, Lou Trivino, Ross Stripling, Mike Soroka, Seth Lugo, Trevor Williams, Joe Ross, Dinelson Lamet, Zach Eflin, Chris Stratton (yup),
Short Stop/IF: Orlando Arcia, Hanser Alberto
Catcher: Austin Hedges
I wonder if the A’s would trade Sean Manaea to us, or maybe the Twins want to get out of paying Tyler Rogers if we send them enough prospect….
Pretty much none of those pitchers have a realistic shot at being made available, but if they were I’d take a chance on em.
The A’s certainly have some good pitchers that are starting to get pricey. I don’t know if they will trade within the division – but would be nice to have one or two of their arms in our rotation instead. (They have other people to pay too, so it becomes a numbers game for Oakland – as usual).
The Yankees have a huge arbitration class – but I can’t really see any of the shaking out of that helping us (unfortunately).
But yes, based on your list – looking for catchers and shortstops this way might just work (we might even be able to find a decent bullpen arm or two).
About last night’s Gaints-Dodgers game, one can say that the Dodgers lost due to a “kamikaze” attacks. All that wind blowing kept all but one ball from leaving the field!
Very disappointed that the Rays lost to the Red Sox. Looks like I’ll be supporting a NL team this team too save the Dodgers (I doubt the White will beat the Astros & even then they ain’t got no chance against the Red Sox.)
Angel Hernandez is the Poster Boy for the Bad Umpires with Jobs. Until the Umpires Union sets down tougher parameter’s then the men in blue are going to be disrespected because they do not want to improve as a whole. I do not believe that there should be Robo Umpires for the game at all, but keeping Hernandez and then allowing him to do Playoffs is not helping the game. Umpires should earn those spots and show the other Umpires that improving is the best way forward. Teaching and then promoting the best does not seem to be working in these positions and I blame the current umpires for allowing this mess to continue as they should be demanding only the best be out on the field.
So Padres pulled the plug on their manager in a season mired with a ton of injuries to key players. Yankees had a good year and are contemplating changing managers. The world of MLB is a funny business. Don’t know anything yet but I believe Joe is safe. (Least I hope so.)
Padres’ owner is an idiot Grandpa. He’s spent the last several years bankrolling everything his boy Preller wants to do. Sure, blame the manager dude.
Preller is very controlling. The owner came out yesterday in support of AJ, that is too bad but he has just extended him through 2026. Yikes. Should have fired the both of them.
I find Preller a very positive GM, with some of the moves he has made. If he finds the right manager (Dave Roberts-type who can manage personalities), the Padres will be fine.
What are some disadvantages to Preller?
He had better be.
Joe is Arte’s hire (boy). He’s more safe than Carole Moreno.
so the baseball world is getting hyped because pujols had two singles, one at 71 mph?
lol that’s amazing
Nobody else on the Dodgers had a 2 hit game, lol.
Not Seager, not Betts, not Turner, not Taylor etc.
Perhaps just give a little credit where credit is due. At least you can say the guy had a good game.
he had a solid game with one solid-contact hit!
In the boxscore it looks like two line drives baby !
Loved Dusty Baker’s handling of Ryan Tepera’s claim the Astros were stealing signs. Dusty is a solid manager and such a perfect hire for that club.
He’s a perfect, low-key, spin doctor of a hire.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2021-10-12/1986-alcs-angels-red-sox-game-5-donnie-moore-dave-henderson-al-michaels
It’s behind a paywall, but if you can access it, you get to relive the worst game in Angels history, which I was at. I remember it like it’s yesterday.
The birth of my extreme loathing for the Red Sucks…….
I put the blame for that one on Gene Mauch. Although I understood the matchup reasoning, I wasn’t happy when he pulled Witt.
Here’s a non-pay recap of the series.
http://www.espn.com/page2/s/1986/revisit/alcs.html
Yep. Pulling Witt was huge.
Gedman had hit the HR earlier in the game off of him. Surely that was in the front of his mind.
Gene Mauch should have just left in Mike Witt. Horrid decision by Mauch.
The part that I relive is Angels had a runner at 3rd with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th. A sacrifice fly and the Angels win, go to the World Series and Donnie Moore is probably still alive.
Yes. Moore became the goat for his pitch to Henderson, but DeCinces was at least as much to blame for not being able to deliver a medium fly ball to the OF.
I’ll also add that as heartbreaking as Game 5 was (particularly in light of the ultimate result of the series) Game 4 was pure electric elation. The crowd in that game 4 from the 7th until late into the evening after that game was absolutely magical. The thrills of Game 4 (which carried through to much of Game 5) to the depression after Game 5 was one of my adolescent introductions to how highs can quickly progress to lows.
Why would I wan’t to relive that game?
No kidding, thinking the same thing. Reliving is like a steady drip of sulfuric acid in the eyeball.
Take a look at who wants you to remember, LA Times, espn, and the Red Sox
Anyone happen to already have the cap # and estimated budget Perry will get to spend this offseason? This is prob my favorite time of the year prearing to go spend Arte’s money and build a team that we think would win it all? I’m assuming we will have a great contest again with the If you were Perry series!
Unlikely to know any of this until there is a new collective bargaining agreement. As it is, the owners will lock the players out immediately after the World Series ends. Then negotiations will start on a new agreement which will include the issues you raise.
Arte math: 2021 payroll budget + $1 = 2022 payroll budget.
He can then spew to the press that he’s raised the budget for 2022.
What’s his 2022 budget?
Translation…….depends on how good we are at the All Star break. ( see 2014 ).
😠 😣 💪 💪 💪 💪 💩 👈
I don’t think the Angels ever announce what their spending limit is but it will be under the luxury, again.
How do you know that ?
Have you spoken with Arte ?
Re: Angel Hernandez
Was rooting for the Giants but still enjoy the game within the game. The only moment where I thought Pujols was a clear liability last night was when he was on second and the Dodgers were down 1-0. A base hit probably doesn’t score him. I thought a pinch runner there made better sense under the circumstances than to leave him in the game requiring two hits to score. It became moot with a passed ball and Albert taking 3rd.
I did think about the baserunning aspect there as well… Betts was at the plate and I was thinking that it would likely take a double to score Albert from second. Alas, it did not become an issue as you mentioned.
Really, I think Friedman has used Albert optimally. He has not played him everyday at 1B. Instead, he got frequent starts against LH pitching (and he did very well there) and was also used to good effect as a pinch-hitter.
What I was saying about two years ago was that Albert could still be a good and contributing Major League player if he was used as a part-time player, especially as a pinch-hitter. Because Albert has been quite good in close, late game/high leverage situations in his career, (even decent on the Angels), and, because he would not be anxious or shrink in those situations he would be the ideal pinch-hitter. Also the fact that he has some pop in his bat makes him a threat to opposing managers and pitchers.
I think Friedman understood this. And to his credit he was honest with Albert up front and utilized him in a way that helped his team and did not put them at risk defensively or otherwise…
Yes – agreed. And the same circumstances did not exist in Anaheim with Walsh needing to play every day and Ohtani getting the DH at-bats. Also, the Dodgers organization has credibility that the Angels do not. So Albert was willing to go along with Friedman’s plan.
Ultimately it was a win-win-win and I have zero bitterness. Albert went to an incredible organization which appreciated how best to use him, Walsh got a ton of playing time and continues to develop hitting nearly 30/100 and Ohtani had a historic season batting primarily from the DH spot.
Win-win-win.
You whiffed on him too Perry. Signed a ONE YEAR $3M DEAL 14 MTHS AGO.
So let’s reiterate……..Anthony DeSclafani signed on a one year deal and Chris Flexen ( making $4.75M!! ) acquired on a cheap two year deal for a song and dance by that Anti-Christ up in rain & mold country. WTF is going on? BTW I expect the Gigantes to keep DeSclafani and Wood both since Gausman is already getting $18M now. 😭 😢 😠
pretty amusing and I gave you a rec
Bottomline is I’m still right however. But I also realize if Perry had actually acquired those guys and they were with us they wouldn’t have had the same success either. Our deplorable fielding defense, our bad bullpen with everybody except Raisel Iglesias and the two big injuries would certainly had scuttled all that. This is probably were the Moneyball factor comes into play ( got to find affordable pieces that work in a complete team situation ). The Giants, Brewers, Mariners, and Rays are all assembled this way..
These teams 4 teams aren’t full of big names like the Dodgers, White Sox, Yankees, and Astros are….
That wasn’t so hard was it?
Please link to the post where you suggested Anthony DeSclafani and Chris Flexen be acquired before they were acquired.
I think I remember Gitcho suggesting DeSclafani as a low cost, pitcher to put in the rotation.
I wouldn’t be surprised, Gitcho follows the league pretty well, but I’m guessing Captain Hindsight wasn’t pimping them.
Addendum
Perry Minasian was hired on Nov 12, 2020
Chris Flexen ( Seattle 14 game winner this year ) signed a two yr deal on Dec 9,2020 for $4.75M a yr
Anthony DeSclafani signed a one yr deal on Dec 16, 2020 for $6M.
Alex Wood signs a 1 yr deal for $3M on Jan 14, 2021
This trio combines for 37wins at $13.75M, didn’t Eppler pay Matt Harvey alone damm near close to that a few years ago on his one yr deals MO?
😥 😭 😫 😠 💩 ……..sucks doesn’t it? So Perry certainly had opportunity to get these guys in a span of 6 weeks….
Bottomline is I’m convinced we don’t fix people either mechanically or physically and I think our GM’s probably hope that a mere change of scenery and a fresh start is all we can really offer these guys as opposed to OAK, SF, and MILW who probably actually try to help them more.
I certainly was. Being in a NL Only 12-team roto league, you find yourself scrubbing down to the bone looking for pitchers with swing and miss stuff, low OBA and low WHIP. Read through countless scouting and prospect reports. Alex Wood was another one along with Ryan Tepera and a couple others. While DeScalfani was a miss for the Angels, I was ecstatic the Giants (2nd favorite team) got him to pitch in that park
I am pretty sure both DiSclafani and Wood came up as interesting gambles that Perry should try. But, would they have turned out as well as they did with the Giants? If Jose Quintana winds up doing well next year (possibly, with the Giants even, they clearly saw something and they might bring him back), should we blame the Angels for “giving up” on him after what he did here? Or, God forbid, if some team actually does the impossible and manages to “fix” Heaney?
Great point. Organizations are not apples-to-apples comparisons. Coaching, strength and conditioning, mental health, whether the family is happy, ballpark design – there are so many factors involved. It’s simplistic to say X player would have had the same success in Y organization. You are correct that that type of analysis (ie that either of these pitchers would have had equivalent years in Anaheim) lacks nuance.
Agree, ballparks, coaches and organizational philosophy’s can make a difference and often do. But just pure pitching metrics needs to be taken into account first, as that should translate into a higher potential for success. With Quintana, he has been sinking for years with the Cubs. He might be a little more effective in SF but higher probability he won’t have a career revival. If he does, another condemnation of the Angels. For Perry to sign him at $8M was flawed, counting on a comeback with an arm who clearly could not locate pitches any longer. But I get what you saying, the Angels cannot develop talent or make adjustments, that is a very true fact and a flaw.
I’m old enough to remember Ron Perronsiki, Dodger pitching coach. That could could flip the switch like non-other. Amazing pitching coach.
Wellll…. accept for Cobb, Sandoval, Barria, Suarez and probably Ohtani, though it fits the narrative better to just declare that the coaches just left him alone, never even made eye contact with him for six months, he was just magically improved by the power of people liking him (this year).
The Angels ability to get something out of meh ability is OK. The thing is that they need to be really good at it, and also just get better pitchers, if they are going to get anywhere.
Yeah. I wanted him, he was solid on the Reds and then had one bad year as his platform. But he jumped to SF really early.
I wanted DeSclafani, but dude signed on Dec 16th. He pretty obviously wanted to go to SF, the new destination for pitchers who want to upgrade their value on 1 year deals. Even at that time everyone knew 3M was a big underpay. We were still trying to sign Bauer at that point.
Thing is, they will need to pay him. I think the whole point of some of these guys doing the 1 year by the bay deals is they intend to get a better and longer contract next. Maybe we can get him now.
I think DiSclafani can easily turn into Cahill for his next team, the one that pays for what he did this year. That makes me wary of him as a FA acquisition.
Eh. He’s not anything close to an ace, but he’s had WHIPs well below 1.3 four out of the last 5 years and 2020 he sucked cause he was hurt. He’s a safer bet that Cahill…. though at this point who is actually a safe bet?
About Pujols :
all of the Albert hate has clouded the minds of alot of people. His outrageous Angels contract and inability to live up to it aside, he has performed very well for the Dodgers since he got there.
He has hit .294 against left-handed pitching Albert Pujols Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com , garnering 40 hits in 136 AB during the regular season.
Thus, he did earn his start yesterday and he came through, going 2-2 in a game where the Dodgers only had five hits total. Pujols was not the reason they lost last night.
what does he want………
https://youtu.be/jkxB15nXRvM
He hit well with us up until around our last winning season and still had one more decent good year albeit with a low BA. Can’t fault him for accepting Arte’s outrageous long term deal, Anybody else here would’ve done the same. Can’t blame Albert on anybody, but the 75 yr old rich guy on that one. Bottomline is had we kept him that would’ve meant Walsh would have been stuck in RF and splitting time at DH with Ohtani.
Of course we can blame Albert. I think he’s a con-man puffed up by juice and a doctored birth certificate.
Yes, agreed.
If, however, Albert had been more flexible he could have provided us some value as a pinch-hitter. Of course, Albert was not willing to accept a part-time role with us. Probably, knowing he would get playoff AB’s with the LAD was a contributing factor in his accepting such a role with them.
“Very well” is a stretch. He’s managed to hit the ball for a higher average but he’s well beyond being useful.
I think he has clearly been “useful” to the Dodgers. There is no question about that.
Perhaps you could argue the point about performing “very well,” but I maintain that he was brought there to be a part-time 1B against left-handed pitchers and a pinch-hitter. By hitting .294 in that capacity and getting a few pinch hits he did what was asked of him in the role they assigned him. Therefore, he did his job “very well.”
His defense is atrocious now, however. I didn’t realize how far he had slipped until I saw Walsh get every play.
True, he is a liability on defense. But that is why you don’t play him there a lot.
Ideally, one start per week and a pinch-hitter would be his 2021 role.
That is pretty much what Friedman did.
This is pretty much what he wouldn’t do for the Angels
Pretty sure Albert blew a gasket when Maddon (he later fingered his GM like a good soldier, smh) inserted Goose into the DH role that one night. He was done.
Yes, I get that.