So, we have $68 million to spend. We obviously need to wave the white flag. Right?
But, because our farm system is not that strong, a firesale will set us back for years at the current discounts we’d have to give to trade Trout and/or Rendon. (I personally think Trout would take a lot less and might be even better come the trade deadline if he’s healthy. Don’t know if I could pull the trigger.)
Therefore, I’m going to try to compete, and I’m going all out. When I say all out, I mean all out. Like “All Out.” Hope you are sitting down.
Trevor Bauer – 2 years – $24 million ($12 AAV)
($56 million remaining budget)
Yeah, I know. Trevor this. Trevor that. Blah, blah, blah. Did I tell you Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame? Nobody else wants to give him a chance. We will. Our bad-boy manager will be perfect for Bauer outage. Swords, Ron, and the bump just seems to fit. (It’s totally a guess on Bauer $’s- if we can’t sign him there, this whole thing falls apart.)
Mike Clevinger – 2 Years – $26 million ($13 AAV)
($43 million remaining budget)
Reunite the nasty boys? Heck ya. We’re going all out here and get another bad boy discount while we are at it. We’ve got to deal with some terrible salaries we’re stuck with, so we have to take what’s there. Sorry, ladies. It might be safer to stand clear, but we need to win.
Marcus Stroman – 2 Years – $44 million ($22 AAV)
($21 million remaining budget)
Notice all these new contracts are expiring in 2 years to give us flexibility moving forward. The rotation is looking pretty good, but it’s still not there.
Blake Snell – – 7 Years – $200 million ($28.6 AAV)
($7.6 million deficit)
The rotation just got better. But now I don’t need to dump some arms and pick up some salaries.
Trade O’hoppe and Sandoval to Brewers for William Contreras and Trevor Megill (-$4 AAV)
($3.6 million deficit)
Save $4 million AAV and pick up a stud catcher.
Free Stassi/Suarez bundle to a team needing backup C and RP. (-$7 AAV)
Giving up Suarez to get rid of Stassi’s contract is a no-brainer for me but doable for others, too.
($ 3.4 million surplus)
So now we have:
Snell
Bauer
Stroman
Detmers
Clevinger
Canning
Yes, this strategy actually puts $3.4 million into Moreno’s pocket. Y’all spending it all are greedy. Okay, he might need to spend some on a team psychologist and the rest on PR, but this rotation should keep us in a lot of games. I hope all my numbers are correct. Contreras and Megill are both listed as possible to move and Brewers could use Sandoval. Let the hate comments begin. (I’m not delusional enough to think we can sign all these guys, but it’s a fun fantasy-like game.)
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
I’m surprised how many people want O’Hoppe over Contreras. Contreras is a dude. I like the O’hoppe upside and we did well on that deal, but given the choice, I’m taking Contreras.
It probably has much to do with holding onto a cost controlled (young) player with high upside.
There is only one year difference in control. Contreras is pre-arb too.
Trade Rengifo instead O’Hop on Pop. The rest is still better than anything that Perry will do.
This is my favorite IIWPM so far. It’s bold!
I respect anyone who does one of these. It’s obviously pitcher-centric and that is fine. I think we already have a stud catcher in O’Hoppe so that deal is questionable to me. But overall, I do like pitching (although am somewhat adverse to Bauer). Good of you to create content!
This is certainly creative and another approach. I would not trade O’Hoppe but I like everything else especially if we also signed Ohtani as well. It’s all imaginary anyway, so why not. 🙂 Only problem is you would need an awful lot to happen in the minor leagues in the next two years. Otherwise, in 3 years you’re back to where you started.
We’re now “Linked” to Will Smith (The non-slapping one).
That dude is such a putz. He’s bent out of shape because his cray wife turned him into a simp by nailing numerous dudes whilst making it public knowledge, so the ‘fresh prince bitch’ responds by slapping a buck-o-five soaking wet Chris Rock. What a chump.
Will Smith the receiver ?
I was clearly referencing the 19th century English geologist.
Will Smith do what?
You’re getting a little sappy with your comments
I was wondering if somebody would snag Bauer. From a pure baseball standpoint, that’s a steal.
Outifield is Ward, Moniak, Trout with Adell on the bench.
Infield is Rendon, Neto, Drury, Shaneul with Rengifo and Fletcher on the bench.
Killer rotation.
Bullpen is suspect.
Really this plan is to give Perry a competitive team for two years and pray the farm can produce some players over that time.
Barring some extra, extra run of bad luck with injuries, I think that rotation has the Angels in the thick of it as the deadline and assuming that’s the case, you can add BP help relatively easily.
Besides, I like Joyce, Bachman & Soriano quite a bit. No overusing ‘The Most Interesting Man In The World’ would also help.
According to Full-Count.jp (Japaneses Baseball website I often reference), Bauer does not seem to interest any MLB teams during the GM meeting in Nashville thus far. One team representative mentioned Robert Osuna of Astros, who was essentially banished due to his DV issue. How about Wander Franco? I think USA is quite prudent or prudish when it comes to sex/violence issues. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Japan tends to be much more forgiving. Difference in religious attitude?
People should be eligible for redemption, particularly in a nation where the politicians should be strung up Mussolini style for selling this country out.
I agree with you. Just about everyone makes some significant mistake; the main thing is that he or she learns from it and don’t make the same mistake again.
Interesting. If you’re going “big”, we could do worse than chasing this much pitching.
I’ve said for months now that signing Bauer at a relative discount is a no brainer.
Stroman has been seemingly linked to the Halos since the Eisenhower administration so this wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
The 200 milly for Snell is a bit scary, but I do like the player.
Not in favor of O’Hoppe, however. Trading away a cost controlled potential stud at the catching position is a bridge too far for me.
Ron Washington alluded to “cats in the bag” or whatever so perhaps you’re onto something……
Contreras is Pre-Arb too and far more proven. The way O’hoppe has soared up the rankings is impressive, but will he maintain it? If you can handle getting rid of Sandoval, this to me is an upgrade and Megill had a 3.63 ERA last year in the pen and is also Pre-Arb. I saw this trade with both Contreras and Megill listed as a “Medium” likelihood of being traded, and it just made so much sense.
You make a persuasive argument…..
Of course we could keep Sandoval and O’Hoppe and save money by not signing Clevinger or Stroman, but…
NO to trading O’Hoppe.
NO to acquiring Bauer.
YES to acquiring Snell.
MAYBE on Stroman ($22 mil per is a little high for my tastes for him …)
IMHO Bauer would not sign for such “Pittance.”
I don’t want Bauer. Having said that, he might sign for $12mil but only for 1 year so, if he did well, he could cash in for 2025 and beyond.
Bauer has always had a giant ego and it was fed by beating the allegations and doing well in Japan. He won’t take a reasonable amount to play, he wants a retirement contract.
I don’t think any team will bring him in without a bargain as it’s not worth the PR headaches.
Hard to say, but he’s certainly in “prove it” purgatory, so….. maybe…..
Well, according to all the interweb stories the Halos have more “Links” that a butcher shop.