Welcome to this year’s series. The Angels face a tough challenge in a pretty stacked AL West. The bad news is the payroll is still very top heavy and the farm is pretty thin. The good news is there are young pieces to build around and if I play my cards right I might have a decent team in 2024 with room to grow into something really special.
Here are the ground rules for those who need a refresher.
So, the smart thing to do is something we should have done in 2010 and rebuild. However, if I was actually Perry, Arte would fire me before the paperwork would be signed. So, what can I do to keep my job and improve?
Well, I take that 68 million dollar budget and figure out what stars can I get for Arte’s billboard and have enough money left over for actual club improvement stuff. Luckily for me, there is a team down south that really needs cash now.
Angels Trade Rengifo and Suarez for Soto and Musgrove
Soto is expected to get 33 million in Arbitration. Musgrove has 4 years left on his deal including 20 million in 2024. Rengifo and Suarez are expected to get 5.3 million combined. Padres just got a 50 million dollar loan so the 47.7 million saved with the trade is huge for them. Soto is an amazing hitter as we all know and Musgrove would fit right in on the top of the rotation. Padres save money, Arte gets his billboard players, and the team improved at the plate and the mound. Win-win-win.
68-47.7=20.3 Million dollars left in the budget.
Angels Trade Hergert and Quijada for McNeil and Megill
Mets are not competing next year, allegedly. And RP are great to trade at deadlines, so the Angels get 2 underperforming Mets from 2023 to look to bounce back in 2024. McNeil was an All Star and Silver Slugger winner in 2022 while Megill has been trying to breakout with the Mets for 3 years now and while obviously has talent, he has yet to reach his potential. So, why the betting on upside? Well McNeil is a utility player that can cover the OF, 2B, and 3B while Megill is pre-arb. Also both had positive BWAR despite their down years which were higher than what Suarez or Rengifo had last year. Meanwhile RP is volatile so it should work out for the Angels. Hergert and Quijada are expected to make 2 million total while Megill is, again, pre arb and McNeil is 10.25 for 2024 so, let’s make that 11 million.
20.3-9 = 11.3 Million dollars left in the budget.
Angels sign Michael Wacha for 3/33M
The Angels need one more SP arm and so, I am choosing Wacha since he is the best with the budget left. For some reason, Fangraphs is really down on him despite his 2nd straight 127 ERA+ season. Sure, he hasn’t pitched a ton of innings in any year, but over his last 2 years it is a 3.22 ERA and a BWAR of 5.7. Not bad, not bad at all.
That is .3 million left in the budget which I am not touching due to maybe an error or two up top.
2024 Team
The rotation looks decent this year.
- Joe Musgrove
- Michael Wacha
- Reid Detmers
- Patrick Sandoval
- Griffin Canning
And there is depth with Tyler Anderson, Chase Silseth, Tylor Megill, and Kenny Rosenberg.
Bullpen wise, it is a bunch of young guys for the most part.
- Carlos Estévez
- José Soriano
- Jaime Baria
- Andrew Wantz
- Sam Bachman
- Jacob Webb
- Ben Joyce
The lineup looks… interesting.
- Mickey Moniak CF
- Mike Trout DH
- Juan Soto LF
- Taylor Ward RF
- Logan O’Hoppe C
- Jeff McNeil 3B
- Zach Neto SS
- Brandon Drury 2B
- Nolan Schanuel 1B
Yes I am assuming Rendon doesn’t play much. Besides him we have Matt Thaiss as C/1B, Jo Adell as 5th OF, Max Stassi as C, and I don’t know, let’s say, David Fletcher. Sure. But there are also options like Michael Stephanic, Jordyn Adams, and Kyren Paris.
Summary
With this approach, while the budget is all used this season, there isn’t too much tied up after 2024, allowing to reassess if the team struggles again. Musgrove is the only one with a rather large hit at 20 million for the next 4 years, which is less than what almost all of the top FA are going to get anyway. On top of that, by not losing anyone left in the cobwebs of a farm, the bleeding has stopped there.
Overall, it is yet another “If everything goes right this team is playoff bound” gamble, but with more SP depth and with a team that is more contact and OBP driven than in years past. Will it work? We will never know.
Well, tell me what you think and if I would get fired or not. And if you want to take a crack at it, submit a fanpost. Just be sure to follow the rules and we will post them here at Crashing the Pearly Gates, after we show ours of course.
The viability of the Soto trade seems dubious to me, but setting that aside, Soto is the type of big splash talent Arte seems to covet. Him ending up in OC wouldn’t shock me in the least.
He becomes the face of the franchise post Shohei & Trout and could anchor the young core for the next five seasons.
I love high OBP + low K rate players more than any other and he has solid pop as the bow on top.
Happy Thanksgiving to all CTPGs contributors and readers! 🦃🦃🦃🦃
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m having a hard time keeping track of all these aggressive moves being made by the Halos.
Up there in there in the upper right if you hover around there is a button called “bookmark” which you can probably rename to say just which bookmark we are talking about. Pretty intense, I know.
This is for comic relief.
The furious activity is whiplash inducing.
Then again, no activity is better than bad activity. That’s all I got.
The two trades sound good. Of course, that’s because they are totally one-sided for the Angels. As a whole, the Angels trade Herget, Suarez, Rengifo, and Quijada coming off surgery plus a bag of donuts, for multiple quality MLB guys who would seriously improve the team. Obviously, yes we would do it. Will it happen? No.
The Wacha deal is paying $33 million over three years for a guy that likely has one decent year left. No thanks.
Soto ain’t no Shohei, but he has career numbers similar to Ronald Acuna who is the current NL MVP. Yes, the Padres need to jettison payroll, and may be open to Rengifo-Saurez-Adell, but they could do better with other teams I would think. Not many really good players do not really set their sights on being an Angel in a state with high taxation, being a loser and now losing Ohtani and Trouty looking as though he is not around a lot.
The charts you are showing are cool with the values and I can see that the trades are very even, plus SD wanting to lower payroll all make sense. Thank you for being here as much as you are.
I’m all in on Soto as long term solution. He turned down a lot of money from the Nats though.
Zero chance Padres make that trade. Other teams would offer way more than Rengifo and Suarez. The latter makes me laugh.
I mean, why did the Padres need a utility infielder and a shitty pitcher?
hopium
I did a double take when I saw the trade for Soto and Musgrove. This seems to be exactly the reason that we don’t (really) trust the trade simulator…. Still, if that can happen, that would be a worthwhile gamble!
Gamble = 2024 season, not the trade itself.
Yeah, Soto would sooth the loss of Ohtani’s bat as much as anybody could …IF indeed that could happen the lineup could be strong… The order looks a little off to me though …You can’t have Drury batting 8th — wasting his productivity.
I’d keep it the same but bat Drury 5th, O’Hoppe 7th and Neto 8th.
Depending on how they start you might also consider flipping Schanuel and Moniak.
This would give us the strongest bottom third of the lineup we’d had maybe ever ; or at least since the 2002 team years and right after …
This is well done. I do have a few nit picks on the trades and the final roster construction but I applaud the effort here!! When I look at doing trades not only does the simulator need to come back for value, but it also needs to beg the question why would the other team do this.
So let’s start with the first one. The Padres prob need to shed some payroll and Soto is in the final year of his contract. He’s also one of the best trade chips on the market right now. Musgrove is their “ace”. If San Diego is saying we are done for 2024, then I can see this trade making some sense. Honestly, I think you throw in Adell as well to replace Soto. SD best prospect is a SS, so I assume Rengifo would have to play 3B and Suarez is a decent pitcher who is still in early Arb. I love the idea of Soto long term for the Halos and I think he is our #1 target in the 2025 FA market. Rengifo, Adell, and Suarez for Soto and a new contract, I’m in. I just don’t see how you get Musgrove as well.
The Mets trade fits the value and I love me some former Dirtbags in McNeil. This trade doens’t pass the why would the Met’s do this trade. You are trading a controlable asset in Megil and a 2B with value for BP pieces? They would want prospects not MLB guys if they aren’t competing. So I can’t say that this one works for me. Maybe one of our pitchers for McNeil would get it donel
Wacha is ok and I’m fine with the FA signing. You then need to trade Anderson for a bag of balls. He can’t be on the roster with that contract and not be starting for us. To me if you got the SD trade, then instead of Wacha you focus the reamining cash on our own bullpen and make it stronger.
All in all, it’s a good effort and stays with the “Arte likes shiny things approach”. Good job!
If we sent Neto in the trade, I still don’t believe San Diego would pull the trigger.
For just Soto, it’s a maybe. Musgrove will not be in that trade. But Rengifo, Suarez, and Adell for Soto is pretty good for a $30 mil OF in last year of contract
Baseball America’s view of realistic trades for Soto:
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/juan-soto-trade-five-mlb-teams-with-the-prospects-to-pull-it-off/
All better offers than what the Halos can offer. I agree. Soto as a FA in 2025
Suarez has zero value IMO, Adell is close to zero unless some club thinks they can pull a “Mickey Moniak out of the hat” type scenario.
Losing Rengifo would be unfortunate considering he’s position flexible on a team that is injury cursed and he’s been one of our more productive bats over the past two seasons.
I’d rather move Ward if SD would bite.
That said, Soto would be a big “get” for the Angels.
I’m surprised Ward has any real trade value considering the incident.
The Trade Simulator is always perfect though.
What “incident” are you referring to ?
I sincerely appreciate the work on this.
Unless Arte buys the Padres and hires Tony Reagins as the POBO, I can’t imagine the Musgrove – Soto trade realistically happening.
I love your creativity John Henry but are you concerned about Musgrove’s injury?
Thumbs up for Rocky Racoon reference!
You gotta be careful about quoting that song, there’s some lines about Desmond that will get you cancelled.
I think Desmond is in “Ob La Di, Ob La Da”
🙂
He’s doing his pretty face.
I may not be on later, so now I’ll post Happy Thanksgiving Halo faithful!
now I don’t have to do my own IIWPM. I’ve also been looking at Wacha, who would likely pitch as well as some of the more expensive hurlers. Hurlers….like Dylan Bundy.
Other than the salary relief – I cannot imagine the Padres doing that trade. If they would I’d be all for it!
I think the thing I love most about this is Soto would be an elite trade piece if we are sellers at the deadline. We could blow this up before the end of the year and still get some future value out of it (if Arte allows it to happen).
Thats True since Arte has such a great track record of trading away key rental players a5t the deadline when we are not performing.