As you read this, players are making their way to Spring Training camps. Those oh so familiar cherished sounds of mitts being popped, balls being hit, and the rustling of cleats on dirt are coming back at the big league level.
Yesterday the owners and players finally agreed on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It took 99 days. We had 99 problems but a CBA ain’t one.
This is from yesterday:
Hopefully the Angels didn’t skimp on coffee, No Doz, or Red Bull. That line about free agents and trades is huge.
Take a look a some of the big names still on the board. Correa, Freeman, Story, Rodon, and more. As we all now the second tier guys move after the top tier.
And then there are trades.
The next couple of days should be insane. Teams will still be getting put together as camps are going on. This will truly be nuts.
I’d hang out around here to keep up to date.
One thing the front office can take off their plate is the Rule V draft. It has been cancelled for this year.
This should keep Michael Stefanic in the fold. He’s been a rising star in the Angels system.
99 days is a long time. In case you’ve forgotten we still don’t know who will play shortstop for the Angels this year. That’s a pretty important position. But we have a legitimate Opening Day starter. Thor.
Minor League camps have already been underway. One potential future shortstop, Jeremiah Jackson, has big pop but also a big strikeout rate. He’s hoping a swing tweak will result in more contact.
How will the game itself change? There are reports MLB and the union have agreed to ban extreme defensive shifts. I’m happy about that.
Banning the shift is a divisive issue. Fangraphs does their usual great work and looks at what it will and won’t accomplish.
A huge on field difference this year will be the DH in the National League. Purists will really hate this one. If pitchers hit worth a lick so would I. But if they don’t hit in college or the minors, I don’t see how we can expect them to hit in the majors.
29 teams have pitchers that can’t hit. And then there’s Shohei Ohtani.
The postseason will also be different. 12 squads will make the cut and the opening round will be best 2 of 3. That truly makes the playoffs a crapshoot.
There’s going to be a ton that I miss but between work and family I have to cut this short. Smile. Celebrate. And please link all the news below.
I sometimes wonder if the MLB offices go to teams and bribe/force them to make stupid trades with the NY teams, the Dodgers and the Sawx.
I kinda thought Falvy was tearing it up there in Minnesota. Now we see how he’s managing to afford even Grays 10M…
Additions: Gio Urshela, Gary Sanchez (Barf) and Sonny Gray
Subtractions: Josh Donaldson, Isaih Kiner-Falafel, Mitch Garver and Bryce Petty
Ummmmm… so the answer to your problems is getting cucked by the Yankees? I mean Donaldson is a king douche, but he’s still better than both those players the Twins got in this trade… and IKF is way way more valuable.
So POBO did a ton of work to wind up stocking the Yankees and still end up way behind the White Sox and Maybe Tigers and Indians this year? Weird. Lame.
Correa now? Back to Houston? Or are we quietly thinking about putting him or Story in an Angel uniform.
I’d rather have Story on a short term prove it contract while our shortstop prospects get more seasoning. But the Twinkies jettisoned $50,000,000 with the Donaldson give away so I guess now they’re showing interest in Trevor Story.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/twins-rumors-trevor-story-shortstop.html
Who knew?
Soooo…. Royce Lewis isn’t the bee’s knees anymore I guess? Polanco’s at 2nd or 3rd…. I gotta wonder, is IKF some kind of asshole, cause i swear to gah teams are trading him around like he’s Taylor Ward level value.
I suppose it was to get Donaldson off the books… to then pay story…. and Buxton…
IDK. Maybe some of that Roughened Odor rubbed off on him?
Strange they would flip IKF that quickly to The Skanks. I don’t claim to know The Twins needs but it almost seems like this was a move planned well in advance, maybe over a month ago.
Rumor is they are after Story? I don’t see how that plus Urshula and Sanchez is better than Donaldson/IKF. With Gray in the mix is it even cheaper?
If the Angels think Velazquez is the answer at shortstop they will have the weakest offensive double play combination in the entire league.
https://twitter.com/SamBlum3/status/1503091259417587714
Yeah that really pissed me off to hear
Yeah, not the best thing to read but at least the club is putting it out there. Gives me a sense of enjoyment to know it’s not Rengifo.
Can only talk about players on the roster…
WHAT! But David Fletcher is involved…. thus fantastic? Also, the Plummer? What is Sam Blum, a Dodo?
Wow, going with the offensive version of Jeff Mathis at shortstop. Bold move Cotton.
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1503086615446515712?s=20&t=9UGPZdEaCX76SkySc4BSnA
While I like this idea, I’m shocked that Maddon would tell the press about this without first consulting with the GOAT.
Agree. Seems like it is a small thing, but just in case he’s not crazy about it you would want to know that first…
Trout in LF, Marsh in CF, Adell in RF. Or switch Adell and Trout if Adell still needs time on his fielding.
Make it happen.
Trout is now like porcelain. Need to be smart. Mike won’t have issue with this.
I know they said they need to talk to Trout but my guess is that this isn’t the first he’s heard of this idea going back to last year. “Talk to Trout” probably means they didn’t discuss it all lock out and now they are waiting to settle on the idea after he shows up at ST and settles in. I seriously doubt Trout checked Twitter a couple hours ago and said “WTF? Left field?”
Yeah, that’d be a serious dick move on Joe’s part to mention it to the media before ever having a talk with Mike
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1503088385790906369?s=20&t=9UGPZdEaCX76SkySc4BSnA
Sure hope they have a good year. This would kinda force Arte’s hand to keep Joe around. I am still convinced that given adequate ingredients he can cook up a winning dish !!
Nightingale says Angels have option for 2023
Hope we see some improvement.
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1503083364642811906?s=20&t=4iVUIiXeygas0QH-J1pSiA
I suspect our new head trainer is an expert on cryogenic therapies.
Me too !!!
Can’t get much worse. It’s worth a try revamping. Hopefully that means not just new faces doing the same ol shit but new methods as well. Like sciency stuff.
I guess Billy just signed this asshole. Thank God it wasn’t us.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/mets-to-sign-adam-ottavino.html
Didd anyone tell Perry that when the lock out ended it was okay to talk to FAs and other GMs
Arte said no visitors.
haven’t seen any players on the field yet unlike most other camps
we still haven’t got a 1b Coach either.
Is anyone home?
The first base coach is overrated. You cant steal that base anyways
Especially when Mathis is behind the plate.
Sonny Gray to Twins
Feels like another missed opportunity. Decent bullpen arms are being snagged as well.
I still think there is time for Sleggers and Hoyt. Bring back the band.
It seems like the Twinkies gave up alot for Mr Gray .
Really? I only saw Chase Petty, a guy projected to make the club in 2026, who else did they get? Petty being a FRP does not mean too much and we Angels fans know this all too well.
Technically, The Twins also gave up a 24 year old high A reliever. But yes, Really. I would not give up a 2021 first round pick for Sonny Gray. I would not give up Sam Bachman for him. Hell I wouldn’t even give up our second round pick from last years draft, Ky Bush.
These type of decisions have contributed to our current farm system that has been consistently ranked near the bottom of Major League Baseball.
Prospects are assets, you don’t fall in love with them. . You have to admire the Twins going for it. I do and they have an uphill battle with the White Sox.
You have Trout and Rendon getting older and Ohtani on a rookie deal. Angels continue to play small ball. Bachman is well more advanced than Petty. No guarantee this 18-year old will turn into Jake DeGrom. Perry is a “high” risk of not meeting his potential. He is 4- years out! Look at the Padres with Gore. The phenom is now on the verge of being shipped out.
I just strongly feel we need to go for it and not toss another year down the drain. We could have gotten more for Bachman than just Gray.
Here’s the dark and empty vastness we need to stare into. Who says we can get more for Bachman? Who said we even made an offer for Gray? Who said we didn’t offer Adell AND Bachman? Wait one extra day, who says the Tigers don’t step in and offer Ty Maddon and Daniel Cabrera?
All the ways that we don’t wind up getting a trade done form a wide and dark ocean, especially since every GM has had months to think on this stuff.
Chase Petty may be young but he’s a stud horse of a prospect. We did not have a Chase Petty to trade in our system and no, Adell plus Some Guy wasn’t gonna equal him.
The Reds have a stack of good pitching prospects coming up over the next 4 years, a couple each year, with Greene/Lodolo probably this year, then guys like Bryce Bonnin and Graham Ashcraft, then guys like Petty, Lyon Richardson and Christian Roa coming up in 2025-26. They are handling poverty pretty well even if their push to contend fizzled.
Yeah, your right. I backtrack, nice trade for Cincinnati. I would have done that. Did more reading on Chase. The kid has some serious heat and a nice slider. Raw but a LOT to work with. He does has a huge upside but with high risk. 17-18 years old, firing 100mph+. TJ is certainly in his future and that is not the end of the world these days.
Agree, we don’t have anything like him. Bachman would be the closest and is much closer to the majors than Petty but I’d take Petty over Bachman, no question.
I still like the aggressiveness from the Twins and we should be taking a similar approach where applicable. Bachman has reliever risk and if we could parlay that into something to help the team near term, you have to consider it.
So no more gnashing of teeth?
For this trade, yes. But Perry’s playbook seems stuck in neutral. By all means, we should be pressing the attack with whatever talent we have below in the minors.
Rend your blouses in hysterical despair guys. We didn’t trade for Chris Bassitt or sign Max Scherzer this off season.
I couldn’t handle having to watch Adell or Marsh rebuild in Oakland, so that’s fine…
And I don’t think anyone was gonna outbid Cohen for Max.
https://youtu.be/FuNJq_wI1ns
It looks like the Rockies are interested in our trash this year ( Well the trash that we’re not recycling of course)
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/rockies-sign-scott-schebler-to-minors-deal.html
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/rockies-sign-jose-iglesias.html
MLB free agency: White Sox, Joe Kelly agree to deal
White Sox To Sign Josh Harrison
He won’t complete a physical, for what it’s worth.
Sighhh. I kinda wanted Josh Harrison. Ah well.
Villar is still out there, right?
I’m pretty sure this right here. CtPG, is the place to be for up to the minute info. You “cats” are so tuned in that I know you’ll have any signings/trades listed before I see it anyplace else.
lol
https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1502793444590297088?s=20&t=AjU4UphpZXHR2nB6NpX57Q
Eppler building a stout pitching staff. Billy Epps!
Maybe, just maybe…the GM has never been our problem.
The difference between GM’ing for a crazy “Spend! Spend! Spend! Win now! Win at all costs! No budget!” billionaire owner.
VS.
“A tight penny pinching, stick to the budget, never mind my $250,000,00 mistake, my $150,000,000 mistake, my other mistakes, no money spent on development, etc., etc.,” kind of billionaire owner.
Easier job working for the scum bag owner Cohen.
One thing, Eppler can only get blame working for Cohen. Never will get credit. If the Met’s do well, people will say anyone could have been the GM. Just like your statement that it is an easier job. Many GMs turned down the Mets job and wanting to work for a Steinbrenner-like owner..
The Bassitt trade was not about money, just a GM willing to dish out his 7th rank prospect. Unkown if Perry even picked up the phone.
aggressive vs ridged……
So…. according to Fangraphs prospect list we’d have traded Janson Junk and a couple other guys for Bassitt. Obviously the problem here is PTP.
Now really, how much better could you be at your job if you had no budget?
But Lets see how Billy does with the Amazin’s draft and farm system. I have a hard time primarily blaming Arte for all of the shitty picks and lack of player development Billy saddled us with in his 5 years
In Epp we Trust!
Put me down for 90 wins in 2022. (Prediction will “assume” that the typical Angel doom and gloom “trAditions” take a year off). Better health, improved pitching, young core grows and contributes, less losses against the A’ss, Mariners and Ass’tro, no half-ass tanking. Those improvements will turn a 2021 77 win team into a 90 win team in 2022. That, with an extra playoff team, playoff baseball in October.
Thats more like it. Finally a little hope springs eternal
I think Rodon’s contract is a clinic in how to “agent”. Are you a pitcher with a 30%+ strike out rate when healthy who is hardly ever healthy? Do you want a 200M contract someday and thus need to sign it while still fairly young?
Why not spend 2 years making “only” 22 million a year, playing for a team that is magic for pitchers, in a pitcher’s park, in a division that has Dodgers stadium and Petco in it, where the D-Bags and Rockies suck and you will get plenty of starts.
I’ve seen online Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Rangers etc fans all crying “we could have paid that!” but this contract is a perfect example of “but he didn’t want you, he wanted the Giants.” If his goal is a mega contract those other teams would have been a bad choice, even if they gave him say 4 years 25 per year. You can see how agent/player think pretty clearly with a deal like this, and no, offering him 27M a year wasn’t gonna buy him off his plan.
Rodon is 30 years old its hard to believe that he wouldn’t have been seeking a longer term contract. Despite reports of clean medicals and the fact that Scott Boras is Rodon’s agent, this makes no sense other than he did get the one year opt out where he will have one more shot for the mega deal after the Giants polish this gem even more.
Exactly. Pitch one good, healthy year and, at 31, declare yourself an ace and try for 6-7 years at 30M. Is he worth it? No. Will he get it? If he’s really good this year I bet he gets something like 5/150. But it’s obvious this is what he’s trying to do and SF was probably the best place to try it. I bet he could have gotten 3/70 right now from the Mets, for an example, but he’s rolling the dice.
I have a bad feeling about where Arte’s head and pocketbook are right now. On one hand it could be let’s bring in Correa or Story and Trade for Castillo or Gray. Or it could be let’s go with what we got.
If Kurt is really an answer for what ails us, this will be year 7 of losing and the team will be of no relevance to no one, and attendance will come in under 2 million.
If there are 2 big moves left, then we are relevant and we are in the hunt then it 3+ million and being discussed around the water cooler.
Time is running through the hour glass quickly.
Arte hasn’t changed – he’s always been this way
Post lock out come backs are Buttrey, Ramos and Suzuki. PTP shopping in his own cabinet
God help us! At least Cishek made it over the bunker.
Gotta save money for the Skaggs settlement
With the new CBA does that count against the CBT?
No
Kurt Suzuki?
I mean, seriously, what the actual goddamn fuuuck?
The only reason I can think of is that Shohei asked for him personally
Well, any hope it was a new day dawning has been squashed.
Considering that we’ve been carrying only 2 catchers on our roster and one of them is a massive work in progress (Thaiss) this is no a brainer inexpensive backup in a very sparse catchers market.
However, his defense last year seemed awful.52nd out of 59 qualifying catchers in pitch framing, a 17% caught stealing rate while allowing 38 passed balls & wild pitches in only 557 innings last year ain’t getting it done.
Unfortunately, One of the few certainties from last season was that Kurt Suzuki was all washed up
It’s the home town thing, nothing more. Feels like a Maddon move.
drove up to Tempe Diablo again today – the banners do not reflect any attention reflecting 2022 baseball. nothing of note at the Stadium either – didn’t even see merch or concession being moved in ( i count 7 home games there this year)
Because apparently the MLB Team is using the minor league clubhouse, (that’s why Angels minor league spring training has hit the road and isn’t training in Tempe).
Defintely Angel MLB players were arriving at the minor league clubhouse and fans we sitting outside the players MILB lot. No one was on the field yet.
But its a beautiful day here and i imagine there will be pictures of Angels playing catch popping up this afternoon on the internet. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yessssssss!!!!
i’ll head back tomorrow and plan to hang – the boys are mainly just checking in today.
Oh I’ve been trying to ignore to the baseball lockout since more terrible things were happening around the globe… so now that it come back to it and give myself time to be slightly happy … only to remember how much Perry sucks and is on Dipoto levels of getting pitching. Oof. It’s like he did 0 during the course of the lockout.