Welcome to the holiday season where schedules cease to have meaning and I cover a Monday links. The off season is about to truly begin now that the deadlines for extending and receiving qualifying offers and non-tendering players is over.
The Phillies kicked off the Brinks Truck sized deals by keeping Aaron Nola in the fold for 7 years and $172 million.
That’s a year and $22 million more than MLBTR predicted and also quite a bit more than FanGraphs predicted.
Get familiar with those links, folks, because the annual “If I Were..” off season pieces will be rolling out this week.
The Angels have made only one personnel move this off season, non-tendering Jose Marte. He joined this list of players who are now free agents prior to the deadline on Friday. This isn’t a stellar crop of non-tenders, but here are the top 9. See any that might help?
But the Angels did add to the coaching staff over the weekend. Yes, next year I will get a nice seat near the Angels dugout yell “Washington” just to see who turns around.
Johnny Washington is the Angels new hitting coach. No relation of Ron, but this should be fun. Also, Jerry Narron was brought on as catching coach.
It is award season at the minor league level as well and one future Angel picked up a very nice piece of hardware.
Never pass up the chance to throw out a Nolan Ryan Angels stat. This is cool.
Start poring over those free agent predictions and playing with the simulator. I’ll have the Perry template up at 10 AM and my piece at noon.
I get a bit of a kick out of seeing Jerry Narron’s name. He’s an Angel alumnus from 1983-1986.
If there is any truth to that crazy report about the Dodgers being willing to give us top prospects in exchange for Trout (which I take with a huge grain of salt)…
Then I shudder to think of how good a future this team might have had, if we had not gone all in, and instead traded away at least Ohtani, Esty, Moore, Drury… and then plus the Trout thing.
Oh well, the would’ve could’ve should’ve department…
I’m 2GA2 think about it
I really like that uniform that Nolan Ryan is wearing and wish someday that a new owner would re-instate as a primary uniform for the team. I’ve never liked the all-red jerseys that Arte put on the team years back.
But the all red jerseys that Disney changed to in 2002 are ok?
Ah yes, Disney’s final year before Arte doubled down on code red
Disney had 2003 as well.
I assume he’s referring to the literal Red-on-Red jersey that came to be under Moreno, not the overall branding.
Disney had the font and the logo. But the jerseys were Grey and White and there was the vest with the red shirts under.
I listened to the Davis Daniels interview on the super halo brothers podcast. I was very impressed with him in every way. He seems to have a great head on his shoulders, a very good approach to pitching, and no fear of attacking the zone. His success in the Arizona fall league is also encouraging. I can now see him as having a significant role in the rotation this year. Maybe that’s just the Hopium talking, but without dreams, all you got is nightmares.
Perry has been told by his bosses to build a winner. All of Perry’s bosses don’t have a glue how to help, there is only 68 million to spend, and the team is relying on Rendon and Trout. Holy Toledo, how do you replace Ohtani twice? Trout needs to move to 1b or RF, but then who plays CF?
This off season shows that with all the years of high payroll against building the team up through the minors and having Scouting, the Angels have just been getting farther and farther away from being a winner. Having Trout in his twenties and Ohtani in his prime shows that no one player can lead you to the playoffs.
A rebuild started in 2017 would be showing possibly a winning team in spite of Arte and his No Nothing Team.
That’s because all of Perry’s bosses stick together.
The fact that the Platypus apparently has “bosses” tells all that is needed to be known about the dysfunction.
When “everyone” is in charge, no one is in charge.
The only way to make the Angels competitive again is to rebuild. Just too many holes to plug trying to spin your wheels with what one has to start with for 2024. If you get 75 games apiece out of Rendone and Dead Fish, you are lucky, but the team isn’t. Rengifo will again cost the team 3 loses with his fielding, but really more with his range and decision making. Starting a 1b that will hit .285 with no power. Adell in RF, yea that will make the team a winner as we will need his 200 strikeouts. Stassi is no better than Thaiss as he is toast with the bat.
Sandoval and Detmers will each win 14 games, between them. Bullpen is looking good for this time of the year, Loupy is gone.
Taking 3 years to build the team to at least win more than the loss column collects is the only way to go to try to win.
Need Arte to sell so that the Front Office, Scouting Department and Development Department can get a lot better.
PTP has gone through the learning stages, but he still will not be here next season as this “Chasing Wins” approach is just not the direction to building a winner, “Been There-Done that” should teach some people a lesson. But you can’t teach stupid, want proof? Look at what Arte has done with his daily involvement, what has he accomplished in the last 14 years?
Rendon has played in less than 30% of the games since his contract began. 75 games is pretty ambitious .
That’s just the point, even if he plays in 75 games the team doesn’t gain anything really, he will just hurt the team. Trout is the same thing, send him East to be closer to family and eat 12-15 million for 7 years, eat Rendon’s contract for 3 years. Maybe the Yankees-Mets-Phillies would take a chance. Bring the Minor League teams up to par by rebuilding.
Reynaldo Lopez just got paid. A 3-yr deal with a 4th year club option/buyout. Ok with missing out on that.
$30 million for 3 years? This is even more disconcerting than the Nola extension.
At this rate Its going to take Perry $100 Million to try and rebuild the bullpen.
I’m so excited!!!!!!!!!!! It’s almost IIWPM time. Let’s get that Hopium filled up
You know Shohei is thinking (Concerning the Halos being aggressive), “Fool me once shame on you, fool me for seven years…….”
I wish Rod Carew was physically able to coach hitting for the Halos. He really helped the group that eventually won in 2002 (Including Glaus).
The last successful batting coach we had was Don Baylor in 2014 broken leg and all
Oh cripes you knew our season was doomed when the first pitch puts an aged veteran in the hospital with a broken bone.
You knew our
seasondecade was doomed when we ended up with the best regular season record in baseballWell, we are 12 days out from the hiring of JHS as manager. He has managed to hire 2 of his 5 stated “coaches” that were on his wish list, arguably the least exciting ones. No Torii, no Chili. Where is everyone’s hopium level at now?
Running on empty.
Is Mickey Hatcher available?
🙄
The good thing is we could recycle vintage 2010-2012 game threads:
OMG WHY ARE THEY HACKING AWAY AT STRIKES!!
We could also get the Butcher of Anaheim back and complain about MOAR SLIDERZ!
LOL
I’m optimistic of our new guys (O’Hoppe, Moniak, Neto, Schanuel). I’m hopeful we find some gems from those two pitcher drafts that emerge by sheer numbers alone. I’m hopeful for some rebound years from Trout and Rendon. I’m doubtful we’re in the same league as Houston and Texas, and we’re probably trailing Seattle too.
I too like the young O’Hoppe, Moniak, Neto, and Schanuel. I’m expecting maybe 45 games from Rendone, and Trout to be okay, but would love to see him move to left or right field.
They indeed were the least exciting ones.
Out of all the guys he’s bringing in, I’m most optimistic about Hurdle. I hope he can still pull that off.
Pathetic CtPG loser guy is always high on hopium…just ask Wash!!
So successful coaching is all name recognition?
Nope, not at all. Just throwing it out there that everyone was pumped because of Washington’s coaching staff list, that hasn’t come to fruition. We already know that the home run or bust launch angle approach hasn’t worked.
“We’re going to be aggressive this offseason,” Minasian said, “and we’re going to make this team better.”
Then shock the baseball world and sign Yamamoto, maybe that would make the Halos appear to have some forward movement! I foresee more “innings eaters” and such in our immediate future again (Heavy sigh).
Oh the humanity…….
2024 edition of the Dipoto Four?
Harvey sigh….
With Shohei still unsigned, of course Perry will say that
Translation to the above Perry “aggressive” quote:
“If you are wavering on whether to renew your season tickets for 2024 – buy them. Trust me.”
That statement had marketing all over it in my opinion.
He says the same thing every year and it never translates into what fandom believes “We’re going to be aggressive this offseason,” Minasian said, “and we’re going to make this team better.” should translate into….,.
Happy Monday Halo faithful.
I need Shohei to make his decision quick.
I can’t just sit with all this anxiety about where he’s gonna go until a week before pitcher and catchers.
Pull the trigger or put the gun away, but I can’t sit here in this limbo!!
LOL, his old lady won’t want to be dating an “Unemployed man.” He’ll sign in the next couple of weeks as no paycheck now coming from the Halos is really gonna impact his budget.
(Facetious ray off)
Don’t be anxious. He’s not coming back so there is certainty in that.
Where I agree regarding a quick decision is it leaves the Angels in limbo until he does decide. That is where I would like him to make a quick decision- so the team has time to effectively change its off-season strategy.
This.
And it isn’t only the Angels. Anybody really involved in his market will sit on the sidelines until his decision is made.
Not that there’s a ton of great backup options on the market but they will definitely be on the sidelines until Ohtani signs.
If only telling anxious people not to be anxious worked! Lol.
I don’t want to be a naysayer, as he might be a great coach, but why are so many hitting coaches guys that couldn’t hit? I just find it crazy.
Those that can do, those that can’t teach/coach/manage/supervise/write?
This is why so many lifetime back up quarterbacks become head coaches
They are different skill sets.
Instructing requires knowledge of hitting mechanics, observation skills to identify areas for improvement, and the ability to explain what to do differently and how.
Hitting requires good reaction time, pitch recognition, hand-eye coordination, good physical control over your body, a body that develops good muscle memory quickly, strength, and practice.
Being a good hitting instructor will necessarily make you a better hit, but no amount of knowledge and practice can make you elite at a physical skill that your body simply isn’t capable of doing. On the reverse side, you can be an elite hitter without ever understanding why what you are doing works.
I’ve discussed hitting with elite hitters. Every one of them have a pretty good understanding of why they do what they do. In fact, I’d argue a better idea than guys that have never done it well. Does that make them good coaches? No. But they typically do understand why something works for them. Pretty much every elite hitter has talked hitting with other elite hitters (and hitting coaches). I’m not saying J-Wash isn’t good, I’m merely pointing out it’s pretty shocking that most hitting coaches weren’t elite hitters. Of course, my theory is different. Elite hitters got paid well. MLB assistants do not get paid well.
Hitting at the MLB level is pretty much ‘elite’ level.
I agree, pretty much every elite hitter understands what works for them, and why. However, being a coach is looking at someone else and helping them figure out what works for them – that is a different skill.
Perhaps part of the problem we have had recently (especially with the reporting from some of the pitchers) is having people preaching one way of doing things – likely what worked for them, or what they were taught works well – and trying to apply that across the board. That will take good raw talent and make them better – but not move someone from very very good to elite. Each elite hitter hits in their own unique way, imho.
Nothing to do with mechanics but someone needs to sit down with Moniak and show him video of what he’s swinging at and tell him no one will throw him a hittable pitch until he stops swinging at balls he can’t reach. 😀
AAF, you are right though. It’s always easier to catch flaws in others-Ina related story, I am so glad the grammar police have vacated this site.
“I am so glad **THAT** the grammar police…” 😄
LOL
No, in that context “that” is optional.
Your to funny
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/436a4e56-da8d-410b-9dc6-54ab76a031be
Exactly. Same goes with a lot of sports. Go to a good boxing or MMA gym and you’ll find plenty of Golden Gloves and college wrestler types who had to get every single ounce out of their bodies but simply weren’t elite enough to make it all the way to the top.
Also, those who do make it to the top typically make enough money they don’t need to coach after their career. They only do if they truly love the game and can’t give it up.