Good news, everybody. The Angels intend to compete in 2025 so they held onto all of their valuable trade chips in the midst of a very strong sellers market. So said Angels GM Perry Minasian on Tuesday.
In reality, being the GM of the Angels is a token title at best. In fact, I hereby nominate we call Perry and all future GM’s under Arte Moreno “Token” from now on. A little nod to both South Park and reality.
As usual, the Angels did not embrace a rebuild at the trade deadline nor any other plan for the future. You know, the Arte Way!
That said, what little activity Perry Minasian did engage in was largely lauded. His trade of Carlos Estevez to the Phillies is being lauded as a “heist” by those in the industry.
The return for Luis Garcia from the Red Sox looks like quantity over quality on the surface, but Matthew Lugo has a strong .285/.385/.567 slash line across AA and AAA this season and can play third base to some degree. Ryan Zeferjahn’s number’s aren’t too shabby either.
The fact four of the trade acquisitions now dot our top prospects list per MLB is a sign of how well Perry did and how bad our farm is overall. It really makes me wonder how much more talent he could’ve added if he really had the autonomy he claims he had.
No, I don’t know anything more than anybody else. But if a guy who has successfully traded for Logan O’Hoppe and pulled off a “heist” against Philly really had autonomy, I think he adds a lot more to the organization.
Speaking of adding talent to the organization, take a look at 2024 first rounder Christian Moore.
I’m not sure if this is due to NIL or what, but several early round picks did not sign this year.
Now that the bitching is out of the way, I will say I like the infusion of talent. I just realize it could be more and how badly we need more. Based on Perry’s comments, we can also expect to see Moore in Anaheim next year.
As far as action on the field, we had ourselves one heck of a game on Tuesday. I’m an audiophile and there’s nothing like that thunderous crack of the bat that cuts through everything. Jo Adell provided that on Tuesday.
Notice there was no leg kick on that swing. Jo has ditched the leg kick in an effort to find consistency. I know a poster or two has been advocating for that for a long time.
To me this is where Jo’s season really begins. He’s improved a ton on defense and made a couple of swing adjustments over the season. We know his offensive numbers for the full season won’t be great. But if he can finish the last two months looking like a Major Leauger I’ll be happy.
Adell might not be the only Angels athletic outfielder to make a swing adjustment this season. Take a look at Jordyn Adams lately?
Logan O’Hoppe’s season numbers look great and he just wrapped up a great July. Lock him up now.
Is Anthony Rendon going on the IL even news at this point? And should we be surprised Trout is suffering a setback? We’re Angels fans, we know the answer.
But if we are going to compete next year, take a look at the free agent class and see who you want.
From around baseball:
The most critical story in the game is the ongoing regional sports network drama. Bally Sports and Comcast reached an agreement to put the 12 teams Diamond Sports broadcasts back on the air, including our Angels. This is a big deal as it puts MLB back into millions of homes, but for a fee.
Is this deal a life saver or a band aid? In reading the details, probably a little of both. Yes, the games are back on but they will cost consumers more money. Generally when prices go up, so does cord cutting.
Yesterday was the final day to sign 2024 draftees. The Orioles inked first rounder Vance Honeycutt and the Blue Jays wrapped up a deal with Trey Yesavage.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. If you want to scratch your baseball itch, may I suggest a minor league game. Go see some young talent without lining Arte’s pockets.
If you really want a diversion, an insanely packed night of fights is taking place at BMO Stadium tomorrow night. You know what I’ll be watching.
Tonight’s Lineups
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/mets-vs-angels/2024/08/02/746193/preview
Can someone remind me of where Peterson at inland empire came from?
I don’t see a Peterson there. What’s his first name?
Apologize I meant Nicholson.
ah…our 10th round pick, from Kentucky I think
He’s starting off swinging a hot bat.
absolutely! two games and pow! A grand slam last night. I can see him joining Moore in Rocket City soon.
Yes, thanks Eric.
Well he was rather pedestrian tonight going 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. Remember other than the Cape Cod league this is the heaviest competition a lot of these guys have had using wood bats.
Turk’s Teeth says the competition there is lower than the SEC (where he and Moore played this season) so I think they’ll move him up
Juan Soto is a RF
On a lower level so is Anthony Santander.
If Adell Can play a CF platoon with Moniak then you can improve the OF.
My guess is we sign Andrew McCutcheon.
Re: Perry, I would prefer to retain him on another 3 year deal and keep Washington in the dugout for at least one more year.
I do think there is value in continuity and I also appreciate that Perry has had to navigate rough waters (Ohtani, top heavy payroll with oft-injured stars, lack of minor league talent, etc)
It appears to me that his drafts are yielding solid building blocks and his trades have been quote good, albeit a limited sample size.
Moreover, apart from Stephenson, he hasn’t straddled the club with ridiculous contracts.
Re-up Perry.
He did with Stassi and Fletch but righted the ship more recently by dumping them on his BFF Alex
Perry is 50/50 with me but I would prefer to keep the organization stable right now.
Yup. I am a big fan of keeping a fairly smart young guys around and seeing if they turn into good GMs or managers.
PTP’s got a good general plan. I also think bringing in Washingtons and Friends was a smart move.
The team’s not winning a pennant in 2026 no matter what.
He’s as good a horse as any. Arte’s an issue, but so are the Sierra Nevadas. Maybe we should try letting someone have more than three years and they’ll figure out how to deal with the obstacle that’s always there AND develop a solid team.
Plus. Who are you REALISTICALLY getting that is better? We have a guy who was an assistant on the Braves. Who do we pilfer next? The Doyers? The Brewers? The Rays?
Good luck.
https://x.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1819501627637956669
Good. Mike Trout would also like to see that….. from a chair.
We have 53 games left. We will likely lose 30 or more if those. I’ll be doing what most of you will do. Watching the kids, tracking the minors.
Also agonizing over each game
WE WILL LOSE SOME GAMES
As I was shopping today I was thinking we’ll win 65 to 70. We all said so when the season started. Perry said otherwise. So was he putting on a brave face or did he really think we’d be competitive?
And of course, what does that say about his 2025 comments?
How often do GMs come out and say “We’re gonna win 50. We are gonna suck, and then I’m gonna trade everyone and we’ll be worse. We will also sign no one, and all our good players will leave for more money.”?
And as long as were looking for REAL HONSTEE around here, how many of us have mentioned to their wives that their ass got fat or are admitting to their friends that their kid’s actually kind of stupid and there’s not much special about them?
Didn’t think so.
So we’ll ignore what Perry says. I think that’s a good idea
Shouldn’t that be true of all front office people?
Perry’s job is to try (very hard) to make Arte look good. So yeah, or at least hear what he’s saying with two ears and a brain that knows that between em.
This was the first trade deadline (and off season) in a long time where there wasn’t a huge mandate. “WIW TROUT LEAF!!! AH NAR!” followed by “WEEEE HALF AN FISH AN AH UNICORM! YEW GOTSTA NEVA WASTE THEMZ! ISS DAT A HAPPY UNICORM? SAVE SUMS MONIES TO FEED HIM NAR!”
I liked how it started. Hire Ron Washington and let him hire a coaching staff. No, I do not care that the GM kept his guy in the dugout. Most teams have that guy and he serves a purpose.
Next. Do basically nothing and spend nothing all winter. Stephensen made sense. Shame he got hurt. But teams can always use a solid pen arm. Fine.
Pick up scrap heap guys who contribute. Good.
Play the kids. Develop them some. Good job Washingtons.
Draft. Sure OK. Was it good? We’ll find out in three to five years.
Check in on all those kids. Several of them are looking like keepers. OK. Good.
Trade deadline….. get more kids, right?
NO! We’ll need those players next year and then they can leave….
See, the “meddlesome owner” manifested itself in a way that I may not agree with in past seasons. You have Trout/Ohtani/Rendon/Pujols investments and you want to try to get that yacht to float. I don’t like it, but I can see why the GM is being guided by that mandate from above.
But THIS July? WTF? And you know we had offers. Offers PTP would surely have taken if left unmolested. Look at what the Pirates gave up for Bryan De La Cruz. Look what Paul Blackburn brought back. FK! It pisses me off to see what the Nationals got for Lane Thomas. I wanted that. And Rengifo would have netted a lot more than those Ward/Anderson comps.
Sure, all trade situations are different. BUT THE MARKET WAS SET. PTP was all set to trade for some collection of pretty good prospects. I mean, we bitch, but what he got for a meh pile of Garcia is even impressive.
Annnnnnddddd…. “We intend to compete in 2025. Thus Taylor Ward for one more year before he runs away to the Guardians and we get nothing.” With very little eye contact.
It’s different from past years. It is far far more stupid. And it’s far less a case of a GM being tied to an overall team mandate (that sucks) and more akin to what “tin foil Arte hater hat guy” has always tried to push, where even in the small stakes long game moves Arte’s felt the need to step in. Yes. Perry is gonna go to some team like the Rockies. Actually be allowed to do what he’s trying to do. And kick us in the dick.
I
Do
Not
Like
It
Good comments and I share the frustration.
I think in some ways we can now fully understand what Arte is going for in Anaheim and what he is not. We have all suspected it and bantered the evidence back and forth. But now we know for sure. We are not going to get a rebuild like the Orioles or even the Astros. It’s simply not going to happen while Arte is the owner. Arte wants to continue the “we will be competitive” narrative that we have heard season after season. If he can convince enough Disneyland goers that he will put a decent product on the field – he will sell tickets and hotdogs and beer and that is all he really cares about.
As long term fans of not only the Angels but of baseball, we know that not having good scouting or player development or Farm system or a true baseball Org is a mediocrity sentence unless (1) the owner is willing to invest big dollars in free agents and (2) the free agents perform to the expected level. Arte does not appear willing to consistently do #1 and we know how #2 has worked out.
I would argue that but for Perry’s acquisition of O’Hoppe and the good drafting of Neto, Schaunel and even Joyce, we really would have nothing to watch. So, overall I think Perry has done his job decently while being heavily constrained by ownership’s insistence on “competing” season after season – even though that goal has not been achieved in any season in the last decade.
What could have been – with the decent drafts and the potential that Moore represents, had Perry JUST been allowed to trade Ohtani last trade deadline and the Org had not given up talent at that trade deadline last year for Giolito etc, things would potentially be SO much better and on track. Particularly if this trade deadline had achieved its potential as well. But, again, “competitive” as a marketing concept has resulted in the exact opposite on the field.
As frustrated as I am, I do admit that all is remarkably not lost. Even with all of the frustrating baseball mistakes, with a little good luck, this team could be young and exciting and truly competitive by 2026. Moore would have to be the real deal. A high first round pick in the next draft would help presuming he pans out. A couple pitchers would have to develop. And Arte would have to be willing to invest in a couple FA starting pitchers who panned out. I agree that Rengifo and Ward are unlikely to be part of that ’26 team so there would have to be players to replace them (not terribly difficult).
We will see what happens but man, even with all of the mistakes this Org has made, and its unbelievable bad luck (Trout) hitting on O’Hoppe, Neto, Schaunel and Joyce is huge. Maybe a little good luck will shine on Adell. We will see if Perry did it again with Moore.
So was Perry lying when he said he was unencumbered at the trade deadline?
Yes. It’s all part of working for Arte in my opinion. Like Wash hinting in a November press conference the Angels would sign Ohtani. The quickest way to get fired is to blame Arte.
I don’t think it’s a matter of fearing Arte firing you, but NOT getting hired by other owners. Throw one baby under that buss…. no one feels comfortable with you, even if said baby was a real piece of shit.
I actually believe he has more freedom to work than people think and by letting people believe it’s Arte, relieves him of blame. Anderson and Rengifo will both be gone at the end of next season. Assuming they do not extend Rengifo, they will both be traded at the deadline but likely for less than they could have gotten this year. If for some reason they keep them because they believe they have some outside chance at the playoffs, and they leave and get nothing in return, they will have completely blown their opportunity. You’re probably more likely to get prospects further from the majors than closer and those guys might have been ready for 2026 but certainly won’t if they are acquired next year. That’s my thinking.
I think he does have more autonomy than we believe he does too, but Arte imposes his constraints. Like last season I can see Arte saying “I’d like to keep Ohtani” and Perry going “Ohtani wants to see us make a serious commitment to winning, let me make some trades” and when that imploded Arte was like “we need to get under the luxury cap” and Perry was “I’ll get it done.”
No question about last year 59.
This year is more of the same with Arte going “rebuild as best you can but don’t let people think we’re going to rebuild and suck for the next couple years so they won’t come to the park” and Perry was “Okay boss”.
Fair point. Agree.
It’s not really a question he can answer YES to. I mean, I can’t even do that in my job when the client and Creative Director agree to “let me work” but include some stupid guidelines. You basically just say “yup, I made that” when people ask in the meeting if you want to still get work.
So he could have said we decided as an organization that we wanted to keep them for now, which would not be a lie even if he didn’t agree instead of baldfaced lying that he could have traded them if he wanted to but did’t like the offers.
I guess we will never know……..
Very True.
Here. Imagine you’re my client/boss. A creative director….
I have just designed an ugly landing page that is hard to read, with a hellish tangle of words and shapes for a logo at the top for your company website update. This is because the CEOs wife wanted certain images, wording, and loves that logo.
At the big quarterly meeting where they discuss marketing for the next three months it’s obvious that this landing page is a brute.
If I am asked about this war crime of a design that obviously nobody approves of that was based on your demands, and they all know YOU are the guy who I was meeting with on this, and I answer:
“Well, yes. This was the design we came up with as an organization. There were some other ideas in the early stages but this was the concept that I knew would best fit what the company was asking for.”
Do you think ANYONE at that table doesn’t realize I’m really saying “No. This was not my idea. We all know the CEO’s wife is a twat and the CD is an asshole and a push over with limited skills. This abomination is what came through my hands out of their heads. I hate it too.”? That I am signaling that ABOUT YOU?
If you don’t realize that, are you hiring?
No. I say, “yep. I made that but I’m open to making some changes. Did you guys have any ideas?”
Then I charge more hours for revisions and get more work from the CD.
I guess I’m glad I don’t work in your field. I wouldn’t work under those conditions. That’s not a criticism it’s just me. But also, at the end, You offered to right the ship. If Perry said he was open to making corrections as well, that would be an entirely different story but he said you get what you get.
This trade deadline is just one little data point in a sea of mediocrity, but somehow I get the feeling that Perry just might be a decent GM if he was working for somebody else.
I put him in the same bucket as Eppler and Jerry D.
Well one walked out and the other got suspended by Major League Baseball for a year.
I wonder what ignominious moment will tarnish Perry’s GM career. Lets hope it doesn’t involve the texting of body part pictures to anyone.
I agree.
He turned the salary dump of Thor into Mickey Moniak. Pretty nice return considering the circumstances. With a little help from Arte he could’ve gotten a real prospect.
He turned Marsh into O’Hoppe. Win.
The return on the Esteves trade looks great.
The return on the Garcia trade looks nice.
So I assume had he been given the ability to trade Anderson and Rengifo, he’d have done well as well.
What insight do you have that he was prohibited from trading those two? Curious as hell.
There is no direct evidence. But Perry is a baseball guy. So I think it’s fair to presume he would have traded Ohtani at the ‘23 trade deadline if given the freedom to do so. He undoubtedly would not have gone “all in” under those circumstances. So we have to presume that was Arte.
As for Ward and Anderson, I’m not sure we can reasonably draw any conclusions because we do not know what if anything was offered. We don’t know if there was any interest in those players.
What we can reasonably presume is that the message that the Angels are striving to be “competitive” in 2025 comes from the upper echelons of the Org and likely Arte. If it were otherwise, why have we heard the exact same thing every season for the last 10 – long before Perry arrived.
Perry was put into the position of communicating his boss’s message and like a good soldier he did so.
He said publicly he had that ability.
Was this your first time hearing a sports manager or FO guy speak publicly?
How did Trout get another tear? He barely moved in the two innings he played. It really seems like it’s time for him to hang them up. It’s time.
Rendon, that’s just a whole other pile of putrid.
The unsigned draftees undermine certain worst-case/alarmist assumptions voiced around here about the Halos’ draft preparation and execution. Certainly possible even likely Perry and co. misread Prager’s bonus expectations… but this new trend also makes it increasingly possible that his camp sent out disingenuous or bad information, or (endemic of the Zoomer gen) he just made an impetuous decision not to sign with the Angels, because he doesn’t like our kind or didn’t want to play on the West Coast, had some NIL money coming anyway, etc. Hey whatever. Eff him. Someone to root against. Meanwhile it looks like a pretty intriguing/creative draft overall. Interesting mix of high-ceiling HS guys and live college arms. Moore’s off to a good start. Better than the 2021 draft in any case.
I agree
NIL is changing the landscape of collegiate and professional sports. Wait, with NIL money collegiate athletes are now professionals.
I’m all for college athletes getting paid, but it’s having unintended consequences. I’m sure A&M threw Prager a good deal of cash to stay.
This is my thinking as well. It is far more likely A&M found some more NIL money and lured him back.
I’m also all for college athletes getting paid, but college sports have gone too far. It is essentially free agency every year of eligibility. That’s a better deal than the pros get.
Actually, the pros had that and didn’t want it.
The key to the success of this draft will be the success (or failure) of High Schooler Dylan Jordan. His over slot bonus (along with TGA’s record deal that I doubt the Angels budgeted for) hamstrung the angels to sign Prager and lose that 3rd round slot money. Clearly the Angels valued Jordan much higher than most teams but probably also felt that he wouldn’t last until Perry’s Big Lots value rounds 11-20 where the unsigned dont really eat into your bonus pool.
speaking of unsigned draftees, Kumar Rocker is now in the Texas organization, 24 yrs old, in AA, coming off TJS. Many of us were excited as he dropped in the draft and it looked like we could get him. We passed, the Mets picked him and he didn’t sign, going to independent ball while he waited another year. We shall see if he’s any good, if he ever makes it to Texas.
Same sort of feeling now with Prager. Ok, buddy, so long, good luck.
I was one of the biggest honks of all time to sign this guy Rocker, and I’m here to say I was just plain friggin’ wrong. I own it, and am so glad we didn’t do that.
Rocker was drafted by the Rangers 3rd overall in 2022 draft and signed for $5.2 million. with a slot amount of $7.2 million . So BorA$$ got him about the same bonus slot amount he would have gotten as the 10th overall pick in 2021 draft if the Mets weren’t scared off by his medicals.
Ha ha.
You know how this plays out. He signs with another team next year and becomes the greatest of all time.
I was at Tuesday’s game, it is apparently 70s throwback week at the stadium, and I thought to myself, this team is arguably worse than those 70s teams. Only difference is now ushers try to stop you from filling in those empty seats by the field.
This team is arguably very similar to the 1974 team that ended up 68-94. Half a century later we are likely looking at something similar.
And yes I remember buying upper deck seats and sitting behind home plate by the 3rd inning.
But it was easy to sneak into the lower level back then. And you could tell if no-one had been sitting in a field level seat because the seats didnt retract when someone left and the maintenance crew would have to put them back up after the previous game to clean under them.
Yes and nobody really cared because there weren’t many people in attendance.
Made for better television to have those seats filled up with people.
——-
I got invited to a talk at the White House (not a very humble brag), and we arrived late and took a seat in the very back row. A guard came up and pointed at me and my wife. I thought I was going to be arrested, instead they moved us to the front row for optics. Arturo is just so dumb, he alienates even the few fans who make the effort to go to the park to watch his horrible product.
So ML is really Bob Uecker ?
Who knew?
Does that change how you think of me? 😀
It certainly doesn’t hurt 😉
Nah, if ML was Uecker, he’d have been moved to the far back corner of the room.
I remember it well. I’d like to say those were the days, but they really weren’t for Angels baseball.
I remember sitting right behind the dugout with some college baseball buddies in the mid 70s and yelling at Billy North and Dick “Wampum” Allen when they played for the A’s.
They were if Tanana or Ryan were pitching
Then two days of cryin’.
I went every time I could that Cryin’ pitched. I’d run into Gene and end up in the owners box b/c nobody wanted to show up on Cryin’ Days. /s
I went every time I could that Ryan pitched. You could walk up to the window 5 minutes before the game and buy good field boxes and then sit anywhere you wanted. Different times but it was awesome.
Me too.
Those were the days!
That team had a good pitching staff though, except for that Stoneman fellow. If this team had a 3.52 ERA, they’d be challenging for the division lead.
It doesn’t seem like it should be, but it rarely fires on all cylinders. On days we pitch well, there’s no hitting and vice versa. I see the problem, but the under performance of the team even with the level of the talent we have continues to be troubling year after year.
I got two free tickets from my credit union for last night’s game. They were at the top of the nosebleeds. My son and I grabbed our food, walked down to the field level, and never even crossed paths with an usher. Nobody sat within 3 rows of us. The benefits of a crappy team playing another crappy team.
Excellent!!!!
Carlos kids update: Mr Pickles will be starting Saturday in Modesto while the Italian Stallion has been assigned to Rocket City but still no definitive word on his first Trash Panda start unless his nickname is “TBD”, then he’s scheduled to start on Sunday
TY
The Stephenson signing is a bit puzzling considering we weren’t going to be good for the 1st 2 years of his contract.
No, but if you look at it as proving last season wasn’t a complete fluke so he could have been flipped for more talent, it makes more sense. And after his last season, I doubt he could have been signed for only a year.
I also feel like there were other big moves planned but Arte put the Kibosh on them midstream.
I think they made an earnest stab at T-scar… when that fell through, changed/reduced their game plan.
Valid point and risk if they intended on moving him.
If he comes back healthy next year (with plenty of rest) the angels bullpen should be nasty next year.
Surgery in was April. So Using the same timetable as Quesadilla probably the earliest you would see him is Late July.
I think that was a side-plan. If you are gonna give a bunch of Davis Daniel a chance for a couple years they settle in a little easier knowing you have a blow torch of a bullpen backing them up.
Agreed. To me the timing was poor.
Way too many starting pitchers were still available. Most signed for less than Stephenson.
I would love to hear what “the plan” was. To me, there was no plan.
I use this as a counter argument to anyone who says Minasian is a good GM.
He’s a mixed bag. He’s done some good things and not so good things. He’s a better buyer than seller. Hid Drafts are also a mixed bag. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. This year’s draft has promise. We might be very disappointed if we found out Arte gave him a lot more leeway than many believe.
It’s dumb to pay big money for bullpen pieces. Especially when they have a very short track record of good performance. Although our Angels are not the only ones doing it!
Angels have the lowest get in ticket price of the day according to ESPN ($7).
That’s a rip off! 😃
Seriously though- instead of giving Arte that money, use the available Apps – you can buy better tickets for less $$
Not for the Mets fans.
$11 all in gets you section 134 Row D on TickPick for tonight.
Jeff, I didn’t see Soto on your FA list.
Juan or Livan? Ha ha.
Juan is on there as a left fielder.
I missed him somehow
Overpay for Livan would be the move I’d expect.
Elliot?
I’m not interested in anybody on the free agent list!
That’s because we can’t/shouldn’t sign him.
Even with all the allocates I believe Trout’s HOF candidacy is lacking.
He still needs at least one of the earmark numbers…Hit’s RBI’s HR’s.
1648 H, 378 HR, 954 RBI is a nice career but…not really big enough.
Obviously three MVP’s is huge and might get him there all by itself!!
I guess what I’m really saying is I hope he comes back hard to clinch.
For me, Trout is like Koufax. It’s not about counting numbers. He has HOF rate numbers and was the best player in baseball for 10 years.
I posted mine, and then read yours. Great minds think alike. Or do lazy minds fail to move their eyes 1/2 inch down the page? 😀
Didn’t Harold Reynolds get in?
Do you mean Baines or was that sarcasm?
Me??? Sarcastic???? 😁
Sorry. You’re the soul of seriousness. I should have known better.
He didn’t belong in either.
Baines election smacks f the same cronyism that marred other veteran committee selections like High Pockets Kelly. But Baines was statistically similar enough to others already in that it hardly seems worth arguing over.
Trout is definitely better than some of the worst players already in.
Tony LaRussa heavily influenced the VC to get Baines elected. Its too bad Bobby Grich did not have a zealous advocate to finally get him into the hall
And Baines had Jerry Reinsdorf politicking for him too. I doubt Arte would press for anyone from before he bought the team.
Except Grich legitimately deserves to be in. If you believe JAWS, he’s the 8th greatest 2B of all time. Everyone in front of him and many behind him are in. He’s a huge oversite. He’s in the top 3-4 for players Bill James says should be in and aren’t.
Agree…about half the guys who have been inducted lately are not HOF’ers.
I think it’s the three MVPs and those amazing early years. Sandy Koufax got in for just five great seasons. Trout will get in for eight really great ones too.
Looking over the Free Agent list, I see several pitchers I’d like to have but Burns and Fried are likely to be too expensive and others with have qualifying offers attached. If Kikuchi and Severino don’t have qualifying offers, I think they would be Perry’s main targets. I’d love to go into a season not having to rely on another Harvey or Syndergaard.
Regarding Position players, looking at what we have, the age of those available, and considering the plan is to be ready in 2026, I am a no on any FAs other than 1 year bench players should we need them.
I think the team needs another infielder until Moore is ready or to help out at third when Rendon gets hurt next year.
You mean a utility player like Luis Rengifo?
No, I was thinking of either a 2B or 3B because I expect Rengifo to fill the other position. I suggested Torres at second and somebody else suggested Suarez for third. Either would do.
Rendon will start at 3B and be backfilled by Rengifo. Moore will start at 2B. We also have the plumber and Parris.
Herein lies the problem: the Plumber and Patti’s should not be in the conversation
Why not? They’re cheap until we’re ready to compete.
I agree.
I dont like Paris in the spring time and, so far, Adee definitely doesn’t do it.
Moore may indeed start the season at 2B, but I would consider the fact he may not be so signing another player who could then be traded when Moore is ready might be a better strategy.
Perris? No thanks!
I actually like him as a utility player, but it seems he’s does better when he has a set position and plays everyday. To me, he feels like our 3B, at least for now. Then DFA Rendone to remove any doubt.
I should qualify what I say by stating that I don’t care about winning next year I want the team to focus on winning in 2026. So, I would be ok filling in with players that may not be long term solutions and not spending much money. With that said, I think we have the players on our roster, along with Moore, to field a starting line up next year, minus a DH if Trout is still in the field. But if Trout DHs we have enough OFs. 3B is the real question mark for me long term. It’s fine if Rengifo is extended, but if not, they don’t have a long term solution. Rendon is not even a short term solution.
Amen
Kikuchi got traded so he’s ineligible for a qualifying offer.
We will need a shitpile of pitching next year just to dream about .500
I’m focused on getting ready for 2026. We just need bodies to fill out the roster next year.
Ok I fixed it then. We will need a shitpile of pitching
next yearin 2026 just to dream about .500Carson Fulmer, is on line 2……asking if their are any openings for him in 2025?
He looked good last night.
It’s ok. We can start next year if you like.
Sure because I dont want the kids’ arms falling off in the meantime.
Good point.
If we’re going to be another version of the A’s, I think Soriano, TA, Davis Daniel and Canning are good enough from Arturo and Minasian’s perspective. I don’t think they have any desire to sign free agents and hope that the draft picks and trade pieces will be enough when we hit our competitive window in 2030.
Isn’t Carson Fulmer> Davis Daniel?
In Fulmer’s 4 starts this year hes got an ERA of 3.43, a WHIP of 0.81 OPS against of .554 a 9.0 K/9 and a 3.0 K/BB. But averaging 5.25 inning per start while giving up 1.3 HR/9
In Davis’ 4 starts this year hes at a 4.91 ERA , a WHIP of 1.19, an OPS against of .725, 7.8 K/9 but a much better 9.5 K/BB. Daniel is averaging ever so slightly better at 5.50 innings per start and 1.23 HR/9. Of Davis’ numbers have been significantly influenced by his iconic 2024 season opener.
You’re right. I forget to include Fulmer. I think he might be quite decent going forward.
Burnes’s stuff is already regressing and Fried has real injury risk. Neither make sense for us, even if we had a owner willing to overspend.
Caden Dana is dominating AA at 20 years old:
111.1 IP
2.91 ERA
0.96 WHIP
122 Ks
Perry drafted Neto (1st round), Joyce (3rd round), and Dana (11th round) in 2022. 😇
Maybe Perry does know something.
Yeah. I like him as a buyer.
Could be best Angel draft since 2009.
But man have we had some real stinkers between those two.
The angels need this dude to pan out.
Safe to say that retirement is not on the table and that’s a good thing for fans.
Is it good for the fans and this team though? It takes the most optimistic eyes to believe the future won’t be like the last 5 seasons. It’s not like Trout had bad doctors and now is going to a good one. It’s not like Trout had poor rehab and now will be going to a quality facility or program.
Looking at the reality, here’s an aging superstar who has not been able to perform for more than around 60 games per season since he was 28 years old. He is now 33. Do we really expect things to improve? I think reality based thought process would respond with an unequivocal “no”. He will be 40 at the end of his contract!
What would arguably be best for the team and the fans would be for Trout’s $210 million to be off the books and invested in part or whole in more reliable, contributing players. That would require Trout’s retirement and some type of long term financial arrangement to deal with what he is owed.
In the meantime, in the last 5 seasons, Trout has made around $200million and played less than 2 seasons of games. That is not good for the fans.
Do you really think things will be different as he ages?
No reason based on recent evidence.
5 seasons, in my opinion, goes beyond ‘recent’. It is 40% of his career. And he is not getting any younger. .
We agree 71
I just wanna see my GOAT go out on his own terms. The amount of money he’s owed doesn’t matter to me.
I want to see Trout get 500+ HRs. I want to see Trout win a playoff game. He deserves it and dammit so do we, the fans.
Of course, none of that can be accomplished if he retires. It’s a shitty situation, and other than hope there’s little evidence to support Trouty getting healthy again.
The sooner Trout and Rendone and their contracts are off the books combined with Arturo selling the team, will be the day this team can actually rebuild to the future.
This is very troubling. How do you injure yourself in a new spot doing absolutely nothing. This actually proves to me he’s now in the Rendone category of permanently injured old guy, albeit with a completely different mindset.
BTW, I can’t wait to see the “swing changes” hitting guru Perry Minasian has in mind.
More Moore !
“The Angels have confirmed this. Moore played his first 2 pro games this week at low A.
Now he’s skipping high A and off to AA”
https://x.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1819251019815240013?t=Fy4PD4HsUfywYXRWtD9o5Q&s=19
What are the odds Moore is called up by September?
As long as Moore produces in Rocket City, I’d say pretty good because
Drury is literally the worst qualified hitter in the sport right now, Paris had his opportunity and sucks, Stefanic is still Stefanic.
He was 6 for 11 with 4 or 5 XBHs. Let’s see what he does in Rocket City.
With One walk And NOOOO Strike outs.
Schanuel got 22 games at AA before his September 1st call up. He slashed .363/.505/.487
Neto got 37 games at AA over 2 short stints hitting .342/.418/.550
As TT said, the competition he faced in “A” ball is less than what he saw in the SEC.
There’s absolutely no reason to rush his progression in 2024. Let him face AA and AAA competition this season. Let him compete for the ML roster next spring.
Unfortunately, a novel philosophy Bluto that the Angels PD department has not adopted.
I believe if he does well enough in AA he will be called up in September like Schanuel. If he struggles, they may wait until next year. I think he’ll be up in September and the starting 2B next year much like Nolan.
Maybe the best spot for him is hanging with Wash……if he is hitting AA like we think he can. Get an early start getting his glove up to snuff.
He appears to have the confidence to withstand some MLB failure. Won’t be intimidated. Moore Wash with Moore.
You gotta remember, and this is not meant to be a dig, our team is very “developmental” right now. Neto, Adell, Schanuel, Moniak, Joyce, Soriano, Fulmer, etc…. all guys “working on stuff and figuring it out”. All with Wash and the boys on hand. Against “as bad as it’s gonna get” as far as the competition.
It’s not the end of the world to let a good looking kid mix it up with Logan and Zach, hang out with Wash, fall on his face a little. It’s not like being called up to the Yankees, where there’s no place for youthful wobbles.
Sorry, Senator… but that SEC/A-ball comparison is utter nonsense. Take an elite SEC talent, put them in the California League, and over a statistically relevant timeframe their numbers will literally never be as good (or once in a blue moon, at best). BAs go down, ERAs go up, all of it. Rookie ball, maybe.
I trust Turks Teeth’s assessment on the level of competition at the A ball level.
MMMMmmmm…. that’s actually not the case. I’ve heard a lot of scouts make the same argument about A ball and the SEC. It’s VERY hard to make an SEC baseball team.
Watch. There are guys who were drafted in the late rounds who didn’t sign cause they are going to Auburn or what ever. They may never be seen again.
On top of that, A ball has a big pile of 18-20 year olds in it. Also a big pile of guys who are about to wash out. It’s not the flaming gauntlet that AA is, or even A+.
Even the SEC alpha to rule them all, Dylan Crews, experienced a dip in production in A ball last year after getting drafted. A LOT fewer homers (which is to be expected with wood bats, I guess) but also 70 points of batting average. (.420 > .350) But it’s not about the stars. Sure, skim the absolute cream off the top of SEC and put them in A and they’ll thrive. It’s about the stuff in the middle of barrel. In A ball, they’re generally 23- and 24-year-olds who were studs on their college or HS teams, or international; in the SEC, generally 19- to 21-year-old guys who might not even go pro. No comparison.
Believe in the System!
Will he get to the majors in fewer days than Schanuel?