Don Mattingly will be out of a job when the season ends.
The Pirates claimed Miguel Andujar off waivers from the Yankees. Clayton Kershaw seems to be thinking about playing in 2023 notwithstanding the retirement rumors. Jake Lamb cleared waivers and elected free agency.
The Rays will soon activate Tyler Glasnow from the injured list. Freddy Peralta is back from the 15 day injured list. The Rays outrighted Dusten Knight after he cleared waivers.
The fan who has Albert Pujols 700th home run ball is keeping it.
A couple of guys got themselves ejected yesterday during the national anthem. That may be a new record.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Did Pujols ever win player of the week when he was with us?
Yes but only by the AARP
AL Player of Month June 2014
One AL Player of the Week in 2012
that’s it – this list is so sad. He has over 50 MLB Awards – just two from the AL
https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/awards.php?p=pujolal01
240 million sure doesn’t buy much these days.
It bought a bunch of GIDPs – a helluva deal on that!
He leads in the 2 for 1 Specials!!!!
Livan Soto……….yet another flash in the pan flavor of the week.
Another gutty little under talented underdog guy that this organization cranks out because of it’s QUANTITY OVER QUALITY modus operandi (Andrew Wantz over Tony Gonsolin and Brandon Woodruff). Even their first and second round picks suck and either wash out or become career utility or middle relievers………
💩 💩 😖 😢
“QUANTITY OVER QUALITY modus operandi“ WTF does that even mean? You realize the amateur draft is restricted to 20 rounds and only to your assigned total pool of slotted bonuses, right? So where does the quantity claim even come from if each team is restricted to the same group of draft picks ?
YoocanstihlsiynafterdahfraftlykeJeredWalshanddMikePiazza…….Wonder if that guy still believes this is a playoff team?
Oh so the Angels are signing many more UDFAs as other MLB teams? Source??
They don’t sign any doofus
Where’s your source, Ron Johnson?
If they don’t sign any UDFAs doesn’t that pretty much defeat your own argument then Einstein?
It sometimes makes me sad reading stupid people try to trade barbs with a normal person. I mean it. It’s depressing. Like when I first read CS Lewis’ The Last Battle as a boy and the big dumb bear dies but he doesn’t understand…. man that bummed me out.
Tootie is Battle Bear. Having to read him “slingin hard truth” and “play the dozens to 13” with so much confidence and gusto is “HoDor hold the door” bleak.
Mattingly won’t be coming here. Neither will Girardi. In fact, we’ll see more front office types leave than come over the next few months.
The team is for sale. The new owners will want to install their own front office. That front office will want to install its own management team.
In short, very few people currently employed by the Angels will still be employed here in a year or so. And based on the team’s current record, that is probably justified.
The real question is, who is even out there, even guys who aren’t contractually available, that we’d really be excited to get? That’s how dated and stale the Maddon move was. How many “doin it alone punk rock field genius” managers are even around now? I mean employed, not around bitching to old man sports writers about nerds etc.
The FO and scouting seems to be where it’s at. The manager can be any guy who can deliver the info to all the various egos in his clubhouse and look good in an ugly sweatshirt from Fanatics doing it.
THIS may actually mean that we see a lot of “system” managers. Guys who come up in a teams FO, go coach and manage some in the minors, and if he does well, graduates to manage those same players at the MLB level.
There aren’t many. Donnie Baseball and Joe Girardi are the only two that come to mind.
Both are exactly the type Arte usually covets and would try to lure here. But anybody signing here is doing so with an extremely high likelihood of being fired by the new owners/pobo/gm.
Maybe Arte does pull out a rabbit and signs a guy to a 5 year backloaded deal, leaving the new owner to either pay him or eat the contract.
But really I’d expect Perry and Nevin to be in place next year waiting for the gallows.
I know this might be horrible for you, but I agree!
Uh nobody cares.
uhparently yoo dous utherwize yoo woodn’t have commented……. 😆 😜
He still doesn’t care.
My guess is Montgomery gets promoted, Nevin let go.
Not in the near term, but I imagine that the new ownership will likely want to bring in “established baseball talent” (if they are serious baseball people that is, which is hardly guaranteed), ie the names we heard of, at least as far as FO is concerned. I am curious who would actually sign on if that is the case
Once the new group is in place plenty of people will sign.
Until then people will stay away.
if there *is* a sale. I’ll believe it when it happens.
I’ve shifted firmly into the keep the ball camp, from both an economics and ethical standpoint.
First, the ethics. Baseball is a business because of the fans. It is not a business where baseball player’s individual performances generate tangible value. The value of a baseball player’s skill is entirely dependent on the existence of fans. Thus, from an ethical standpoint, I don’t think the ball rightly belongs to Pujols or Judge, it belongs to the fans. Thus, I argue Pujols or Judge keeping the ball instead of donating it to a museum for the fans is just as unethical as the person in the stands keeping the ball. If we don’t criticize players for keeping the ball, we shouldn’t criticize fans for making the same choice.
Further, a fan is far less likely to catch a home run ball than a player is to hit one. Thus, I argue the ball may have greater sentimental value to a fan, who may only catch one in his lifetime, then to a player who hit 700 in a career or 60+ in a season.
As for economics, Pujols’ ball is probably worth $100,000 while Judge’s 62 would be worth an estimated 2.5 million. (Source). That would be more than a year’s worth of salary for much of the country, and it’s still a nice 50% increase for a family making $200,000.
I ask, what would the players do if they were given the choice between a lower salary and “doing the right thing”. Most of them choose money over fans. Pujols, for example, turned down roughly 9 years / 200 million to stay in St. Louis for a ~20% increase in salary to go to Anaheim. Since Pujols chose money over fans, why should a fan be expected to turn down a potentially much large economic gain for Pujols?
Similary, Judge turned down ~$40 million/year to stay with the Yankees. In doing so, Judge showed a potential 25% – 50% increase in pay is worth more to him than Yankee fans. So, again, why should someone who catches Judge’s potentially historic ball turn down $2.5 million out of one-sided loyalty to Judge?
I might give Jered Weaver or Mike Trout their historic balls, because they showed loyalty to their fans, but that’s the exception, not the rule.
Note, I’m not saying baseball players are bad people for putting money over sentiment when it comes to contract decisions. Certainly the owners put more importance on money than the fans and players all the time. I’m just arguing fans shouldn’t be expected to put sentiment over money when neither the owners nor players do.
Percentage numbers off a little, but I get the point. I agree with your outlook on this. Though I was not aware that Judge turned down $0 million per season contract, the Yankees should hold firm. The players are all about the money as are the owners, so as a fan I sometimes think I wish there were a way we could unionize and keep perspective and prices in check.
Judge was wise to turn down the $0 million contract.
Yours truly,
Wiseguy
I get that argument. If Pujols was to put a hundred grand into my kid’s 529 it wouldn’t change a thing for Albert but would really benefit my kid.
That said, I’m fortunate enough to be able to provide for my kid and that HR was Albert’s accomplishment not mine. I’d give Albert the ball. But I’d insist on going to the clubhouse and personally delivering it. I’d also want some pictures and stuff signed by Albert, Goldy, Yadier, and the gang.
I’d offer to sell it…. to the pitcher who gave up the HR, or the pitcher he hit the most dingerz off of.
I’d give it to the Hall of Fame on condition they kick out Big Pill Poppy
Donnie Baseball? or pass?
He’s talking like he just wants to go hang around in Indiana.
That will take about a week to get over.
The fishing was good when I lived there, but these days I gather there are a bunch of Asian carp leaping into your boat while you try to navigate.
Pass, I am getting used to what we have, and no manager is going to win without a lot of help and that is not in the future as the club is for sale.
Hard pass.
I enjoy watching the success of recent AA call-up, Livan Soto.
He came out of nowhere.
He reminds me of Maicer Izturis, another solid player, a utility infielder, like Soto from Venezuela who I really enjoyed watching when he played for the Halos a few years back.
I hope he can keep building on his recent success…..
I knew he was a defensive wiz… didn’t think he’d hit the way he has, even in a small sample. But yah, if he can even manage a .260 BA he’ll be pretty cool.
Can’t ever go wrong with defense and hitting from the SS position and we may just have struck gold. Even if he is a Izturis, that works out great for us too. It does feel good that we are showing a whole lotta love in our system for the SS position and it does look like we may not have to go after another Braves SS this off season, well at least maybe.
Are we convinced that Soto’s defense is that good? In a SSS, his range factors are below league average and hes already at -2 DRS in only 67 innings.
I like the bat potential but if the glove aint all that we’re just reliving the past. Just sayin’
Yeah, that’ll smooth out. He’s been solid to good at both SS and 2B since he got into our system. His MLB stats need a lot more chances before they suss out.
Squid’s at +12 DRS in 900 innings this year so me thinks thats good.(confirmed by my Lylin’ eyes too) I’m a just little jaded with some these so called defensive specialists like Iggy last year where he was a league worst -22 DRS in 992 innings for us.
The glove played by all accounts in AA and was his calling card when getting signed here.
Yeah but Lyle Spencer never endorsed him.
Agreed. Definitely a very small sample size but….
He doesn’t look overwhelmed or lost at the plate a la Squid, Mayfield, etc.
There’s enough video from AA that pitchers should have an idea how to pitch to him.
That said, Soto should be ticketed to AAA next year as depth not counted on to be our starting SS.
Oh yeah. Starts in MiLB for sure next year. I’m just surprised he’s hitting at all given that he wasn’t smoking AA pitchers.
Yes. Soto looks like he’s better offensively than Squid and really good defensively also. Hopefully the Angels won’t make odd decisions as to this. You cannot have guys hitting below .200 on the roster.
He can’t be good at all, Eppler signed him (after the Atlanta fiasco). And we all know, Eppler was evil incarnate, driven to ruin the Angels franchise.
Eppler was just a skin suit that Arte put on when he wanted to play GM. Same with PTP. What’s wild is Arte is just a skin suit that Andrew puts on when he wants to play owner instead of just being the wellspring of evil.
So, when you see PTP, what you are really seeing is like a Turduckin of nefarious ego driven baseball decision making and lack of transparency while not caring about winning or trembling with remorse when things are laid squarely at its feet.
But a POBO, with his vastly different skill set than a mere GM, can put a stop to this golem.
MOAR POBO!!!!
NARR! MOAR PIGEON!
without the switch hitting capabilities.
Completely OT. The clue for 1 Across on today’s LA Fishwrap crossword was “Symbol on an Angels baseball cap” (4 letters).
B-I-G-A
H-A-L-O
Correct answer, according to the puzzle, but the others are fun as hell, too!
F-A-I-L
S-H-I-T
You guys always deliver!!! LOL!!
Boo hoo, Gramps is getting to keep his ball. He still has his $240 million of Arturo’s money in exchange for a whole lot of nothing.
I feel about Pujols the way I do about people who shit in a windowless public bathroom that opens on a bunch of offices… but to his credit he wasn’t mad about the guy keeping the 700 ball, which is cool. I would want to keep it, at least for a while, and enjoy it. Seemed like Pooh understood that too and didn’t apply the pressure to get the ball himself or “give it to everyone” by turning it over to the MLB.
Wishing all of our CTPG Jewish friends and their families a happy Rosh Hashanah.
L’chaim!
Shana Tova to you as well.
GET WRIT IN THE BOOK BABY!
Trouty hits another dingle run HR, Angels win puts them farther back in the lotto race. Nothing to see here folks, move along please.
Dingle run HRs are usually saved for St Pat’s Day!
I’m happy for the win. I don’t think our “brain Trust” could take advantage of a pick anyway, probably just draft another sore-armed relief pitcher.
That’s always been my take on the comments here: Tank! Tank! Tank!
Then “the FO couldn’t pick a good player, our FO sucks. If they did pick someone good, he would fail and do better somewhere else, since our development system sucks because (insert current GM name)”.
I’m expecting the new overlords to be managing the draft.
I like watching Trout have a good day (HR, 2 Doubles). Also, I want him to finish top 5 in the MVP race, and the more he hits in the next 9 days, the more he moves up the WAR board (the SLG, OPS, OPS+ are all top 3 already, if he has enough plate appearances, and he is second in HRs).
(I also think Ohtani is in the Cy conversation, with Cease and Verlander).
Trout has 464 plate appearances now and would need 502 to qualify. We have 9 games left. If he plays in all of them (I forget…didn’t Nevin say he would?) then he’d have to get 4 appearances in each plus 2 extras somewhere.
Adding another W/C team didn’t really do anything to make things more exciting now did it?
Sure it does!!!
Now we get to see our former GM break the Mariner’s playoff drought.
****assuming they don’t cough up a 4 game lead with 10 to play.
They sure coughed one up yesterday! 😆🤏🤏🤏🤏🤏
Philadelphia 1964 comes to mind.
Or Angels 1995
Pick your poison. Its a choice between Gene Mauch or Gene Mauch’s pitching coach.
Sosh-Brad-Joe-Phil-Don?
Yes, the CtPG “Jeopardy! Daily Double”
The answer is: “what names are on the reservation at the all-you-can-eat Italian Restaurant buffet?”
Mike Ford?
Better to have him than Mike Fiat or Mike Yugo.
Reflecting the cutting edge of Serbo-Croation technology.
Exactly.
I’d rather have Joe Isuzu.
Italian is the key. Sonny DiChiara.