Here is a summary of the off season calendar. This week the GM meetings are underway in Las Vegas and the free agent market officially opens up November 10th. Shop wisely.
None of the Angels prospects made it to the AFL Fall Stars Game. I spoke too soon! Werner Blakely made this list.
Carlos Rodon opted out of his contract with the Giants. The White Sox picked up Tim Anderson’s team option. Chris Bassitt declined his mutual option. The Mets picked up Daniel Vogelbach’s option. The Twins picked up Sonny Gray’s option. The mighty Sam Hilliard is now a Brave in exchange for minor league pitcher Dylan Spain.
The Astros won the World Series on Saturday, Alex Bregman had a boo boo.
Photo credit Rex Fregosi
https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/yp4f9b/blum_shohei_ohtani_will_not_be_traded_this/
Not surprised really, but it’s just a reminder to me that I don’t see a lot of positive things happening for us until this sale goes through…whenever that is.
Perry should just be silent and let someone bowl him over
Wow, that sounds ominous.
Perry is an idiot.
He may be an idiot but it ain’t his call.
Yep – he knew who the QB was when Arte hired him.
I am seeing a correlation between an Angels fan being so old they might not see the end of a rebuild and demanding we go “all in” and try to win and then see if we can sign Ohtani and then see if we can afford Ohtani leaving Angels fans under 50 years of age with a shitbag full of problems for a decade or so after the couple years of “all in” likely result in squat.
Factual numbers? Ageism? Why not enjoy both?
We have new coaches: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/angels-announce-coaching-hires.html
I guess we added another GOAT today? https://twitter.com/LanceBroz/status/1589699704308527104
What happened to the Driveline guy Angel’s signed last year, did not hear much once the season was underway. NOt sure where he was assigned to.
Angels pitching coordinator Dylan Axelrod
Hes still there but I believe hes a minor league coordinator? he’s probably the guy who fixed Reid Detmers after he was sent down.
Yeah, he’s still with the MLB club…. this is our second Driveline guy. This makes me happy. I would like some more. Driveline guy at every stop in our org. So let it be written, so let it be done.
Phil “The Final” Plantier, dude had a nasty uppercut, going for the fences at all times. Whatever, hitting coaches are hired to get fired.
Its all about the launch angle baby.
Guys don’t necessarily coach they way they played — but neither Thames nor Plantier sound like guys that favor contact and hitting to the opposite field. They sound more like guys that teach all or nothing power hitting. Hopefully that isn’t the case.
Thames was the hitting coach of the Marlins last season.
Who had the better hitting stats last year: Angels or Marlins? If you answered the Angels, you’d be correct and would win dinner with Andrew.
Is this a sign of what’s to come this winter?
Stopgaps until the team is sold?
Instead of creating additional value when the team is sold, Arte seems to seek the status quo.
He remains “Moreno. Lord of the Idiots”.
I have no idea if this is good. The Marlins are crap and they didn’t do anything about it. Can they help our crap? I have no clue. There is absolutely no way for me to distinguish between a hitting coach that will be good and one that won’t unless said coach is heading to a team with six Tony Gwynns…. he’ll somehow be a good hitting coach.
Wouldn’t mind taking this guy off their hands……But that 75 yr old rich guy wouldn’t like it however!!!
💪 💪 💪
Is that Jorge Soler? Avisail Garcia? When will you be down to your last Marlin we were stupid to not magically make an Angel?
Wundir iff hee showed up to repreesent us? Alex Anthopolous’s formir personal assistant isn’t the real GM/POBO silly……….
💪
Ahmm the Leperchahnnnn! I mean The Joker! So edging!
This has to be the least excited I’ve been coming into the offseason (assuming the sale isn’t finalized this offseason). All I’m hoping for is an Ohtani extension. If that happens I’ll be satisfied as I doubt Arte will actually spend significant resources to improve this roster in the short and long term. But if somehow Arte sells the team by January, then things start to get really interesting. Either the new owners go full Steve Cohen or they go full Jeter is my expectations.
I’m not even sure which one would be better at this point, though my heart wants Cohen.
I think a smart owner could go short term Cohen and create a window. What I mean by that is sign a bunch of guys on 3-4 year deals while investing heavily in the farm.
Kind of what I thought Arte was doing when he first bought the team?
I think this would be the smart approach considering where Trout is in his career arc, AND the need to have a good season in hopes of signing Ohtani long term… IF Ohtani leaves then a new approach might be tried, but for 2023 I believe it has to be All-In and shove the chips to the center of the table !
Why not just let Ohtani go?
Build a good farm system like the Harris Co TX puppy eaters and you’ll be able to let Gerritt Cole, Zack Greinke, George Springer, Carlos Correa and pretty soon Justin Verlander walk without skipping a beat. You’re not getting a King’s Ransom for Ohtani so just stop it! BTW we’re probably headed for CONSECUTIVE LOSING SEASON #8. Especially if Art*ro is still the owner by next Labor Day 2023. Wouldn’t it be so beautiful if one of our own players could propose to his fiancé after winning the WS? It would be all over the Today Show with many tears of happiness. BYE!!!!!!
Trouble is, no one around here is likely to be stoked on players who will sign 3-4 year deals. They demand more because they are 10s.
Angry……..hate what you can’t have or don’t have……ARRRRGGGG!!!!!!
I really like the non tender deadline being moved up a couple of weeks. I think it will speed up both the trade and free agent markets.
And there’s some good talent that might be non-tendered: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/10/mlb-projected-arbitration-salaries-2023.html
I bet the phone lines in Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are already smoking and it seems like half the league has double digit arb guys this year.
Could set up a nice couple of weeks of activity.
There’s at least a few players on that list that will make some POBOEIEIO look geniusy.
Has Roberts or Boone been canned yet?
Roberts won’t be canned. He simply does what the front office tells him to do so replacing him would result in no change.
Boone has to be gone, though. Old man Steinbrenner would’ve canned him after their last loss.
Nope Boone is coming back. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/10/aaron-boone-to-return-as-yankees-manager-in-2023.html The Old man is probably screaming from his grave.
I was surprised to see the Yanks bring him back. Thought for sure he was a goner after a sweep.
No, but they would be if they worked for the Angels.
More janitors and McDonalds’s workers PLZ!!!
the Joker was heer.
I’m happy for Dusty but the players will always be cheaters.
So Kyle Tucker, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, Framber Valdez, Jeremy Pena, Christian Javier, GM James Click were all part of the 2017 Houston Astros?
Another seething, wounded, traumatized, angry, unforgiving 80%er I guess who wants this team to experience Dante’s Inferno’s 9 rings of hell. Meanwhile the rest of MLB wants to poach the Astros (Baltimore and SF) and maybe we should hire former Tiger’s GM Al Avila who just got canned during the summer in Detroit.
You’re assuming this team didn’t cheat. We all thought the same of the post Spygate Patriots only to later learn that cheaters find new ways of cheating.
Really, we should give it 5 years before accepting this victory at face value.
Congrats to the guys for now, but with that reservation.
You are the voice of reason Jeff.
It didn’t take all that long about the Patriot’s misdeeds when the former employee whistleblower went public.
Brady got permission to use his own deflated balls several years before that became public.
Was that before Gisele took them ?
Try 100% jackass.
Please no name calling.
Agreed
Congrats to the Harris County TX Satanic baby canine consumers.
Meanwhile I live in District 12 with Katniss and Peeta so I’m totally poor and ghetto. No running water, gas, electricity, and telecommunication.
💪 💪 💪 💪
We wish you had no telecommunication.
I’ll never be your friend 😆 😆
How long has it been since we won the WS again?
Great. We finally agree on something.
This sick burn brought at us by….. The Joker….
It’s Monday… another day where 80%er still isn’t a thing.
Phuck Baker. He whined like a little bitch in 2021 when the asstros were confronted with boos at The Big A claiming ‘We paid the price for it” Really, what price? Again, fuck that guy!
https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/06/astros-manager-dusty-baker-frustrated-heckling-sign-stealing-scandal-anaheim
Man, breath deep. Just trying to support his team that was all. Even w/o cheating, they still punk the Angels, right?
That’s what he’s supposed to do, he’s managing the team by supporting his players. I disagree but the work he’s done as a player and manager far outweigh that episode. A book should be written about him.
Cheaters talk just reeks of jealousy. Astros on their worst day kick the Angels ass. Truth is that all teams try attempt to steal signs in various fashion.
Stealing signs isn’t inherently cheating, it’s the various fashion part that made the Astros cheaters.
What the Astros did compared to what most teams do is the difference between using hidden cameras to look at someone’s poker hand and looking at the person’s hand next to you because they hold their cards 2 feet in front of their body.
At least the ___________ didn’t win the world Series.
MFY!
I actually would have prefered MFY.
My hate for the Yankees goes back to Reggie Jackson sticking his leg out to block a throw in the 78(?) WS against the Dodgers.
I thought it was his ass cheek
I can still see it hitting his outer thigh. Unless it’s a false memory and I’ve been hating the Yankees for 35 years!
Don’t worry. You don’t need a reason to hate the MFY.
… but…. there are so many!
Dodgers or Red Sux.
I’d have greatly preferred a MFY win over Houston.
my thoughts, exactly!
I don’t see the Angels doing much in the off season due to the ownership change. But that makes me happy! I hope they back up a Brinks truck to Ohtani and just stay pat. Play the unicorn in the field two days a week in the middle of starts, either 1B or the outfield, so that others can cycle through the DH for rest days instead of removing guys from the lineup.
I am optimistic about the infield, would prefer one more bat for outfield buy don’t see that happening with Ohtani money hopefully spent, starting pitching looks good, and with the kids coming up I think the relief corps could be fine. Let ‘em play!
https://theathletic.com/3765832/2022/11/07/shohei-ohtani-trade-packages-teams/?amp=1
It’s still the Doyers who could offer the best opportunity. Some of the other proposed packages are laughable.
Like Seattle and Yankees, avoid those two teams
yeah, a package led by Gleyber Torres??
maybe PTP just has a thing for Yankee MIFs
Texas also has a deep farm system with multiple top 100 prospects: OF Evan Carter, RHP Jack Leiter, RHP Brock Porter, RHP Owen White, 2B Justin Foscue for Ohtani
yoo forgot Kumar Rocker
No, I didn’t.
If we’re looking at comps for previous packages, I think Mookie Betts is far and away the best comp here. When Betts was traded he was coming off a 8ish WAR season, had one year of control, and had the highest arbitration eligible player salary ever.
Verdugo was rated MLB’s 35th overall prospect, was MLB ready.
Jeter Downs was rated MLB’s 44th overall prospect and was two years away.
Colton Wong was kind of a throw in piece.
The Red Sox cut their return short by unloading a bad David Price contract. The Angels don’t have a comparable contract to unload.
So, that being said the Angels are likely looking at two MLB ready pieces with lots of control and a couple of either meh MLB players or really nice prospects.
Better make that 4+ years away for Jeter. Alex Verdugo has had some good seasons and hes still only 26 but he seemed to be regressing last year. So I am underwhelmed with that trade and would hate for it to be the model for an Ohtani deal.
BTW you got the wrong Wong ( is there a right one?) Its Conner Wong
At the time Verdugo was a piece the Dodgers refused to include in many other trades. He was supposed to immediately fill an OF hole created by the trade with well above average production.
He didn’t live up to the hype but we have to judge the trade by his perceived value at the time, which was a 3 to 4 WAR player.
Still young, due for a bounce back. The Red Sox organization and roster had issues in 2022. He would be available in a trade.
This is my fear of trading Ohtani purely for prospects and/or up-and-coming players. I understand the logic and need for trading him, but I fear of the potential result – that the team is right back where they are/were and lost Ohtani in the process. Angels get someone in exchange of “equal” value, majority of it in “potential”, as these are prospects, and then that potential disappoints, or worse, never pans out. I still remember Miguel Cabrera for the promise and potential of Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller (among the other players they received in that trade).
To the Dodgers, they’d do that trade over and over again. The Red Sox? Maybe not, but they didn’t have much of a choice at that time. I would think that the Sox hoped that Verdugo would immediately light it up for them.
Almost none of the past superstar trades netted much direct trade value exactly because prospects bomb. But that ignores the fact that most of the time those prospects are a bonus. These are superstars that will no longer be with their teams. The team is getting out of paying said star, likely so they can pay other players, plus they get the pile of prospects which they can trade or try to develop into a loto winner.
But you rarely see an 8 WAR player traded for prospects who combine to net 8 WAR per year.
Rendon says hold my beer…..
Rendon’s contract is much worse than Prices was at that time.
Awww. Not you. Ah well. I guess you’re the guy.
“The Angels don’t have a comparable contract to unload”
If I comment Rendon am I stupid? Yes. Yes I am.
Now I’ll scroll down and see if anyone actually did it….
Just read the proposals. all 9 are an easy NO.
Ohtani is an All–Star pitcher and hitter. I want at least two All-Stars back, not lottery tickets.
If trades aren’t going to improve the club for 2023 (now), i’m not interested.
Worst case is trade him in August – there will be teams that will pay dearly for a #1 starter.
I guess I’m in the minority here. We keep Ohtani and try to win it all this year. I don’t really think the team is that far away from playoff contention!! They were top 5 in baseball and almost all of that team is coming back.
Just keep them off the IL!!
Yes, you’re right
this team is a closer to 100 losses than a WS appearance.
Then how can he be right?
I want to ride a large armored bear like a horse to work all day while the band Isis acts as my personal live sound track.
A hell of a lot better haul than some of the posts on this site, Sox, Jays, Dodgers…
I submitted a fanpost that has all of the best trades I could get off the sim back when I was looking for a trade for the “Get the Payroll Down” game.
All of those trades on that Athletic article…. Holy F***, I’d take any of those. When actual value to an org is factored in I couldn’t even get a prospect like Mayer strait up for Shohei.
I wonder how long it’s going to take for the news to break on how the Astros cheated this time.
Took 2 years after the 2017 WS for Mike Fiers to speak up.
This may turn out to be the saddest offseason in the history of my Angels fandom (circa 1985).
At least I finally go home next week to my wife and kids… and pug.
Could be a dud of an off season, orrrrrr….. they could announce the new owner and this place will explode. MLB is currently vetting possibilities for ownership, so this could actually fast track.
I got my Andy Dufresne meme ready, the one where he breaks out of Shawshank and the rain in coming down on a free man. We are way overdue for good news!
Every time I suggest the second of your possibilities I seem to get rebuked, so we’ll see…..
Probably the worst offseason I can remember was 79-80 when Nolan signed with the Stros. It seemed like all of Buzzie’s replacement moves backfired on us. ( I’m still not sure who the two 8-7 pitchers actually were supposed to be)
Coming in second was when we also failed to sign Don Baylor after the Brewers ALCS meltdown. I think the only major move we made to replace him was to sign the oft injured Ellis Valentine.
I was going to games with my dad back then, but I was too young to understand all the transaction stuff, so I didn’t experience the roughness of that time.
There were some very rough times. On the bright side, you could buy a cheap nosebleed ticket and then just pick a seat down by the field and enjoy the game. Also there was a time that even though The Angels sucked and had a horrible record, they would beat The Yankees, and it would be glorious!
Yep before the Rams remodel it was easy to figure out which seats hadn’t been sat in if you went trolling down by the field level for a better seat once the game was underway. Since the old Big A seats weren’t retractable and the stadium crews had to hose down the aisles after each games, they had to flip them back up before the start of the next game.
Or any offseason where the Angels announced “Gene Mauch set to return to the Angel dugout…”
On a personal note, today is going to be rough as I prepare for the foot or more of snow. WD40 on the metal shovels and Pam on the plastic ones. Finish filling up the wood racks and finnish wrapping up the outdoor cement Bear and Deer cement animals. Next week, weather permitting is the start of Christmas decorations. Winter has started early this season.
Yo Santa! (PTP and Arte) what is on your wish list for us good little Angels? 🎅
Well make sure you give Pam a lot of breaks. That snow shoveling is alot of hard work on her.
We need that snow. Once it melts we can let it go right past all the farms and people who need it and into the ocean.
Where are you at, Grandpa?
Good Morning all, today starts out as an opener of Free Agents, players switching agents, GM’s to Vegas, determining who get QO’s and who doesn’t.
Here is to hoping that PTP doesn’t get burned again with signing a QO player and losing a draft pick.
Are we just a player or 4 away from contending or is everything just a house of cards? I hope that we head for the rebuild that is sorely needed, but Arte may want to throw shyt against the wall and hope it sticks and we go all in for a playoff spot.
Dodgers, Padres and Braves all choked in Post Season making the Phillies look good. When allowing so many teams into the Post Season, all it takes is to get hot and bingo-bango you find yourselves in the World Series. But you better have pitching, including having one stud. Our stud wants out, sad but true, do we end up teammates for more than a year or does he find someone new, oh Shohei tell the Halos just what to do, our fear is in losing you.
I do not believe we are close to contending. I know that many people have tried to do an analysis that shows that if we just have better health, then we’re really close, but after seeing the same result for many years in a row, I can’t honestly believe in those analysis as much. I think we’re a bunch of players away from truly contending.