This article concerns the best statcast plays of 2024. Guess who threw the fastest strikeout pitch. The Angels and Nationals both made offers to Gleyber Torres before he ended up signing with the Tigers.
Right-hander Corbin Burnes signed with the Diamondbacks for six years and 210 million smackers. Walker Buehler only got one year out of the Red Sox.
The Cubs sent first baseman Matt Mervis to the Marlins in exchange for infielder Vidal Brujan. Patrick Weigel got a minor league deal with the Nationals. Brennen Davis got his minor league deal with the Yankees.
Two time All Star outfielder Charlie Maxwell passed away at the age of 97.
Shohei Ohtani and Mamiko Tanaka are expecting a baby in 2025.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Corbin Burnes… Wasn’t he on LA Law?
I’ve warmed to the idea of Polanco as long as he stays on 2B or 3B, but what would be the price to sign him? Would 2 years for $20 million with a$1 million buyout of the second year be enough? Or has the price for infielders that hit below the Mendoza line undergone inflation too?
BR top farms to end 2024:
22. Los Angeles Angels
9 OF 30
Top 10 Prospects
1. RHP Caden Dana (Tier 1)
2. 2B Christian Moore (Tier 1)
3. SS Joswa Lugo (Tier 2)
4. RHP George Klassen (Tier 2)
5. LHP Samuel Aldegheri (Tier 2)
6. OF Nelson Rada (Tier 2)
7. RHP Ryan Johnson (Tier 3)
8. RHP Dioris De La Rosa (Tier 3)
9. C Dario Laverde (Tier 3)
10. SS Denzer Guzman (Tier 3)
The Angels have made a habit of rushing their top draft picks through the minors in recent years, so don’t be surprised if Christian Moore gets a serious look for the starting second base job this spring, especially after he hit .347/.400/.584 in 25 games between Single-A and Double-A in his pro debut.
After years as one of the thinnest systems in baseball, the Angels have assembled a solid collection of young talent
AL West Rankings: Angels (22), Astros (19), Texas (11), A’s (7), Seattle (1)
Top 5: Seattle (1), Tampa Bay (2), Detroit (3), ChiSox (4), Cubs (5)
Dodgers are at #8
Gradual gains. Supplement this list with the 2nd and 45th selections in the draft, some prospects from trading Ward, Anderson, and Rengifo, and move up the ladder some more.
How is it that Seatle, Detroit, the 2 Chicago teams, Texas, and the A’s have such good systems compared to us. I get the Rays, the A’s, and the Dodgers, but Texas just won a WS. We have had higher picks than most of those teams. Jerry is obviously doing something right.
and this dude who we are signing —
For several scouts, Gabriel Davalillo is the top catcher in the 2025 international class. Davalillo comes from a big baseball family spanning multiple generations.
Gabriel’s instincts for the game aren’t surprising, though it’s the power tools he brings that stand out.
https://x.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1873083015905030650?t=ilxu3apjCqaVDlQD5RfqHA&s=19
Yes! A couple more years of building the farm and with that focus the team could move up to a top 10 farm system feeding the major league club with young talented players. That is the path.
You knew this was coming……DIDN’T YOU!
I don’t and won’t agree to any of this…….UNTIL I’M PROVEN WRONG…..
#27 and Zach Neto and…………? since the 2000’s, BTW pitchers even longer.
Does this come in english? My translator isn’t working on this.
Lets see Santander is now on the wrong side of 30. So while he is a switch hitter (which would be great for our RHP platoon deficiency), he has a career slash line of .212/.329/.318 in 79 plate appearances at the Big A.
Those Reggie Willits power numbers certainly would command a 5 year $105 Million commitment with a full NTC.
Draft picks are for losers. Come on Perry get it done.
We’re apparently front runners for Santander.
This is not the year to lose draft picks and international spending money. At least not for a bat that won’t put us into the playoffs.
Couldn’t agree more. Just a silly potential signing. And that is a high compensation pick. This Org….
Yeah. That would be one of the dumbest things Arte could do.
So, welcome to Anaheim, Mr. Salamander!
Unfortunately your logic is flawless.
Interesting Jeff. Should we assume that a deal involving Santander means Ward will be moved or someone else? I understand the concerns over loss of draft picks and INT money. Santander can at least play though. He at least has some talent.
BTW I will come to understand that Arte is shelling out money for this guy if and when the ink is dry on the contract. He might be trying to make it look like he’s in the hunt but just missing out on guys.
If Arte is signing Santander he’s trying to win. So I’d imagine award stays.
The possibility of a Ward/Trout/Santander/Soler middle of the order with plus offense from catcher could sell just enough hopium to put some butts in seats.
But maybe not enough to actually win enough games.
Arte’s motivations:
#1 – shiny new toys sell seats
#345 compete for World Series Championship
The problem is that they aren’t really that shiny. They’re second hand.
Nonetheless, Arte will polish up whatever he latches onto and will pronounce them as the next great thing.
I suspect this is more of a CtPG Guy thing. I don’t think anyone in the FO actually thinks Santander himself will sell many tickets. they can look up how many jerseys of his sold last year if they want.
It’s more like signing a pile of Soler/Santander makes it look like we are trying? I guess? And then, since we signed some dudes no one below my level of interest cares about we’ll sell tickets? That’s the nefarious plan to sell tickets to schmucks?
Is this the evil that we are on to?
Really, I think it’s just doing what the fans, including most of the guys here, want. “Add 40 HR to the line up and stupidz will feel good. Maybe we will also win some games. Stupidz will continue feeling good while we ‘build’ a farm and then win.”
Both Arte and StupidzFan don’t want to sit through years of a tear down that may not even work the first time. All these assholes are perfect for each other.
YYYYAAAAAAYYY! We won’t dip under .500 till August. Huzzah.
The only good side to this is that I like Santander and at least he’ll be in place for a few years. We won’t have to trade for a guy like him down the line. But the move is still really early.
But THIS move is exactly why I want to finish the tear down. Sure, I like Santander as a player, BUT WHAT DOES THIS ACTUALLY DO FOT THE TEAM? Santander plus Soler plus Trout will equal more HRs and that’s nice. But if you minus Adell or Ward or both from this equation, what are we actually getting done?
That’s horrible, bunch of slow footed, stone glove outfielders. Say goodbye to prolonged rally’s
Angels attendance was not a big drop-off last year to panic buy.
Not for nothing but, what’s a prolonged rally?
It’s a myth. Like the female orgasm.
I actually like Santander. Just like I like Pete Alonso. But man, this is not the year to get this guy and skip out on our #2 pick in the draft at all. He’s perhaps a little more steady offensively than Ward, He’s worse defensively. We’d need to give up on Adell as a starter for this to happen. I don’t like that. Unless we trade Ward. But then we’d get Santander + what ever prospects we get for Ward, but lose a pick and IBPool money while having to pay Santander more money for longer….
It’s not like I’m gonna be super pissed if they sign him. Say they sign him and then trade Ward to the Tigers for a good prospect, a prospect with a better shot than our #2 pick this year. OK. So now all we’re doing is pissing away a few million buck for a couple years. Fine.
It would just be smarter and more flexible to make the same move with Austin Hays, keep our #2 pick, be able to trade Hays in July, and be able to trade Ward now… as Jeff pointed out weeks ago.
Next season, when we can’t pick early in the draft, is when to piss away picks on FAs.
Our second round pick is selection 45 overall.
I’d say a Braxton Ashcroft level prospect would likely equal or greater to a college guy selected 45th overall.
But I highly doubt adding Santander leads to trading Ward.
FYI I just read Santander wants a five year deal. If so, I hope it is elsewhere. 2-3 years maybe we can talk. Five years, good luck elsewhere. I hear Toronto is nice in summer.
…Toronto is nice in summer, well, except for the Canadians…
He’s from a failing socialist country. Should fit in nicely.
Nice…way to hammer those Canucks.
I always liked Canadians until I went to a few games vs the Jays at the Big A. I didn’t think it possible that Baahstan and Skankee fans could be so clearly out asshatted.
He’s what you hope Adell becomes. Low BA and OBA with a .500 slugging average and as usual for Perry, he’s coming off a career year with a 134 OPS+ but has a career OPS+ of 112. He’s much more Soler than Alonso and it does mean you’re giving up on Adell. He’s not the guy I would want because as you say, he’s not really a difference maker, and Adell has no options unlike Schanny. Alonso would make more sense but I do agree with Gitch’s thoughts on this even though I don’t believe next years FA class is as good as this years.
Next years FA class sucks. But making a stupid FA signing because you may not be able to sign other stupid FAs in the future is still a really bad plan. Pay money and block roster development to…… take the slightly less sucky option?
We both know what solves this. A farm. If we have 4 good OF prospects this is solved. If we have 7 good prospects that teams want, any two problems can be solved via trade no matter how ugly the FA market is in the future.
Like everyone else here…this is fucking stupid. Really has to make you wonder if Perry knows what he is doing.
It looks like maybe he figures he is done collecting starters. Maybe Perry is using more hopium than CtPG put together.
Outfielders we have. Even Rengifo can do that.
Edit: Oh. Never mind. Jose Suarez is still here. We’re saved.
Not putting much stock in it.
Adell Era is beginning in 2025
Isn’t Soler exactly Santander: lots of pop, low avg, bad fielder? Guess the game plan is out homer the opposition every night. Ok Perry, then next move dig up washed swing/miss Joey Gallo and chuck a first baseman glove at him. Seriously, If this Santander thing happens I hope they trade Ward for pitching prospects.
We can’t sign anyone worth having more than one season, so let’s give Salamander some of the limited budget that exists….
What could possibly go wrong this this strategy.
Sterling Marte and two prospects (One OFer) for Ward and Arte pays 1/2 or 3/4 Marte’s salary?
Put down the breakfast chimichanga Perry and get on the horn.
Not a bad idea at all…..
That’s the type of Ward trade I would try to make since we still have Trout. Get an MLB ready player + prospects. No chance Perry will dump Ward for straight prospects not ready for the Show. So long as Trout is on the roster, management is compelled to “try” and compete.
Playing on the sim, Marte is scheduled to make $20.8 million this year.
Marte, $8 million in cash, Carson Benge (21 year old OF prospect), and Jesus Baez (19 year old 3B prospect) is equal to Taylor Ward.
I’d do that in a heartbeat as it only adds about $3 million to payroll while bringing in Marte and prospects.
Are we taking the day off!
The question is, is Perry?