Hope everyone is ready for the short week!
We begin, of course, with some amazing quotes from Mets owner Steve Cohen about Billy Eppler, the new GM he just hired. Angels fans know Eppler all too well.
“I just came back from the M.L.B. owner meetings, and I can tell you: just universal praise for the hiring,” said the Mets’ owner, Steven Cohen, who is rebooting the organization again after a trying first season, on and off the field.
“I mean, people coming up to me from everywhere saying that we got a real pro, well-liked in the industry, well-respected. So I’m excited. Listen, I put a lot of time into this, and like I always say, I’ve got a day job. So it’s a relief to get somebody that I feel really good about.”
NY Times
Noah Syndergaard says that the Angels presented him a clear plan for how to get his pitching back on track, complete with data. It’s a refreshing outlook to see the Angels organization so pro-data. Elsewhere in that aggregator, it mentions that the Rangers are looking into an elite shortstop.
The Astros may also enter the shortstop market, despite Carlos Correa turning down their extension offer.
A year after the Angels signed José Quintana for $8 million, he signs with the Pirates for $2 million.
Japanese star outfielder Seiya Suzuki will be posted. He has until December 1 to sign, although that date may extend with a stoppage.
Shohei Ohtani has reportedly turned down an award from the Japanese government, saying it is “still too soon.”
Title Image Screenshot from Angels Twitter
I think the 6-man rotation has ruined the chance for Max to sign in Anaheim. If Arte is going to extend his allocated payroll, Max would be one guy to get.
Why is it that we need to suffer with a 6-man rotation when our staters average less than 5 innings a start?
One more Santa Baby, please give us a Trout that doesn’t go bad in the preverbal Chick Baby’s fridge and have him on hook. line and sinker for oh I don’t know, say 150 games and then the Series win and oh the bow could be A MVP award. Whadda say Santa Baby.
I am still believing in Santa Claus at my age, Bring me ‘Stro and a closer. Iffen we pick up 2 more big pieces we’ll be fighting for tix.
…..he gone.
https://twitter.com/SFGiants/status/1462918945447444482?s=20
Why not join him Stroman??????
https://twitter.com/STR0/status/1462917169902067714?s=20
Like Thor, the Loup deal only works if there are still major pieces to be added to the puzzle.
In 10 seasons and 471 Major league games, Loup only has a total of 6 saves. I’m not sure I want to entrust the 9th inning to this guy. We probably won’t get the feedback we are hoping.
He’s not signed to be the closer ….
Source?
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1462922082220576769?t=DgnY1Iuw9ob92yHXMxCv9A&s=19
Meant as joke really.
I’m sure he won’t….But..
Angels….trAdition….Joe Madden…..square pegs …round holes.
And…Arte’s last minute purse tightening for FA pitchers.
By our budget game we have just over 18 mil to spend this winter. I wonder if Arte allows Perry one year of a bigger budget with Uptons $$ off the books next year. One more starter (Stroman) and Raisel and would we be done? A cheap vet backstop?
Yes, Arte is blowing up the budget.
Hope he is…..Even a little might allow us to add another nice piece.
It’s looking more and more like it.
LOUP THERE IT IS
Perry is a g. Time for Arte to blow up the payroll for all the pitching. Stroman …. Raisel …. Cobb come on down next
I think this is a good indication that Raisel is gone.
I’ve always figured he was gone. I doubt this deal prevents that, but it is definitely a step to mitigate his loss.
If we can land Graveman or Knebel in addition to Loup, I’ll be happy.
yes! Loup and Graveman/Knebel would be an improvement over Raisel/Cishek
I have Gravenan as a target in my piece that I’m writing
I’m still updating my piece too. I’m sure it will get completed before March 31st
Make sure you add operating instructions for Joe….
Looks like he’s a 1 inning non-closing guy.
that’s about the speed I’m going at, too.
Or Loup in the 8th, Raisel in the 9th! 😎
While we are dreaming let’s get Stroman too!
Like Smith/Street, KRod/Percival or Shields/KRod?
That would be awesome
Yep I think the Lights are going off on D Cell.
Raisel will be back
We will add another #2-3 arm (STROMAN) Arte is blowing the money this year.
Arte isn’t a moron– Albertross is finally gone and Trouty is getting older. Peak Shohei ….. this is literally the window
4-yrs at $14M? Pass.
Is that you Arte?
Hell yes its me. No closer gets that long of a contract, into age 36. Geezus Chryst,
Laughing my ass off, funny stuff.
Probably correct….If it means Stroman and/or other comps…that will work
Loup hasn’t been a closer during his career. Probably due to the fact that lefty closers are rare, but I could still see them signing Raisel or another closer (Graveman?)
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/11/angels-sign-aaron-loup.html
Let me tell you, I was thrown for a Loup by this news.
2/$15MM with a third club option 7.5MM or 2MM buyout.
So it’s time to tweak your IIWPM post if you haven’t yet posted it.
I had the Angels signing Loup in my piece.
I’d brag but the last time I nailed an Angels pickup it was Cahill.
What did you have him at? I’m too GA to go look.
The Fangraphs expectation of 2/12. No third year option.
Ouch, lol.
Nice one…LOL
Not my $. I like approve
I like this move.
Let’s fuckin go Perry!
I like this move
And he can PITCH !!!!
I wonder if 2002 approves????
I think Loup’s contract is for a lot more money than anyone here (or elsewhere) were expecting? This means either there will be a lot larger budget than expected (hopefully!!!!) or we’ll be looking at a lot more penny pinching for the rest of the roster. Obviously, very much hoping for the former (While Loup is a very nice piece, I don’t know if I want to see him as a replacement for Raisel, or another hammer down closer, if one could be had).
It also means that the price of pitching ain’t going down this year
Loup can’t be a replacement for Raisel.
Which is the point. But, at this point, one should wonder how much money Perry actually has left to spend now….
RIP Doug Jones. Good reliever, great facial hair. I remember having his baseball cards as a kid.
slow
slower
slowest.
RIP mild thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMYs-9LW2w
I keep getting emails that Angels tickets are on sale and for me to renew my 20 game plan.
Get a CBA signed and I’ll pay up. Until then, my money is staying right where it is.
Would a Tyler Wade trade change your mind?
It did for me!
Grrrr….Big Pill Poppi.
Reading an article about the Hall of Fame ballot for this coming year. The guy gets named as a steroid user, gets better at 40, and is expected to get in on his first try. The commish says “maybe the 2003 report was wrong”. Oh brother! I’d rather see Joe Jackson in before Ortiz.
I’ve long thought Ortiz opens the flood gates for steroid users in the HOF.
Pudge and Bagwell got in, baseball did not dig hard enough. Ortiz and Puljos are just like them.
Bonds was clearly an HOFer before the competition was getting shots in their ass. Barry got on the train later. Barry should get in
And Jose Canseco!
No way on Jose. Canseco’s brutal honesty regarding his steroid use as well as him enabling the use by others will preclude from ever getting in the HOF.
So Canseco should be punished for honesty vs guys who did the same but kept it quiet.
One could also argue that Barry started juicing before people think he did.
Take a look at his massive leap between 1989 and 1990. This coincides with Canseco and McGwire’s timeline. That’s a huge leap.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml
So the official story about how Bonds was playing by the rules but onlydecided to go to the dark side because he was being disrespected in relation to the love adoration that cheaters McGuire & Sosa were receiving was contrived bullshit?
That’s shocking.
Shocking, right?
Sports talk people started saying it so much it became a given. One day I was looking at his BB-Ref page and I found the massive leap from 89 to 90 to be shocking.
Granted, he was coming into his prime and that could be natural. But I’d bet against it.
You certainly could be right. His body did not morph at that time was where my head was at.
He was probably only using the Andro back in 1990′ . Bonds probably didn’t upgrade to the Bovine shit until 2000
But Bonds was promised that it was only brain tonic!
Now the Giants are in on Cobb.
Great fit. His problem was the long ball. Put him in SF with road games in LA and SD and that problem is better.
And don’t pitch him on road trips to Coors field.
Agree, I like Cobb. Pitching in that park and with the defense, he should be even better.
https://twitter.com/LAAngelsPR/status/1462835888975581190?s=20
Yankees Trade Tyler Wade To AngelsBy Steve Adams | November 22, 2021 at 11:36am CDT
The Yankees announced Monday that they’ve traded infielder/outfielder Tyler Wade to the Angels in exchange for cash or a player to be named later. Wade was designated for assignment Friday amid a series of moves as the Yankees set their roster in advance of the Rule 5 protection deadline. The Angels announced that they have designated utilityman Kean Wong for assignment in a corresponding move.
Wade, 27 tomorrow, has spent parts of the past five seasons on the Yankees’ bench, serving as an oft-used utility option while being frequently shuttled between the big leagues and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Last year’s 145 plate appearances were a career-high (though they were spread across 103 games), and Wade’s .268/.354/.323 slash during that small sample was the most productive of MLB stretch of his career. In all, he’s a .212/.298/.307 hitter in 491 plate appearances for the Yankees.
Of course, Wade was always more of a defensive option than a player expected to make meaningful contributions with the bat. During his half-decade run with the Yankees, he saw time at every position other than first base, catcher and pitcher. The bulk of that workload came at second base (546 innings) and shortstop (331 innings), but Wade has 33 appearances at the hot corner and 57 in the outfield.
I wonder if Wade’s increased production was due to some swing tweak or just an anomaly.
We definitely need to replace Legares and if he can maybe replace both Legares and Mayfield, that adds one spot for depth at another position.
Replacing one or more, Wong, Rengifo, Mayfield, Ward and GG……..
Keep or trade Ward…..Mayfield AAA-A stashed at the airport for insurance purposes.
Yeah, but does Wade have a GG?
Rengifo Part II
Meh, plenty of guys like him. Does not move the needle.
Keep trying Perry…
If one utility guy replaces two utility guys, Perry definitely moved the needle
Unfortunately, right now our 2022 shortstop options on the 40 man consist of:
Fletcher
Rengifo
Davis
Mayfield
Gosselin
Velazquez
Wade
I doubt that list would move a nano particle let alone the needle.
Gut tells me, our everyday starting SS next year will come from this list…maybe add another through a trade (lower tier). One or more of Rengifo, Mayfield, Goose could move on.
If we can stay healthy, I’m OK with it….offense should still be Real Good/Great without an offensive SS. Spend resources on pitching.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4…countdown for Mets fans to be sick and tired of dumpster diving.
Is Eppler going to give Matt Harvey a Spring Training invite? 😃
He’ll be hired as “Assistant to the General Manager” focusing on locating dumpsters from which to shop.
And New York has plenty of dumpsters, just follow your nose to the source of the stench.
Bigger rats to deal with……with bigger piles of trash.
https://abc7ny.com/nyc-sanitation-department-workers-vaccine-mandates-garbage/11188418/
Perhaps Jamie Moyer wants to take another shot.
Moyer would have a better chance through a rotation than Harvey would 😂
#BringBackBigSexy
😂
Actually this hire will give us insight into Arte and the speed governor his budget imposes. Let’s see what Eppler does with fewer financial constraints.
Also – I wonder if Perry used Ohtani’s successful recovery from TJ as marketing to attract Thor.
You mean the recovery that took a year longer than normal?
Cahill is a FA
😅
To heck with him, I want to know if Blantana is available.
Sorry that was the Jedi’s Star acquisition.
If he (by a miracle!) does OK, cue 2002.
But they’ll have the most athletic players in the minors. Lots of speed and college football recruits.
Maybe even some 2 way players that can’t pitch or hit.
None of which are Eppler’s doing.
I would say to Jedi…don’t F it up.