Yahoo Sports graciously gave the Angels a grade of C for the offseason. Seattle got an F. So did the Padres. The PECOTA standings have the Angels beating out the Sacramento As to take fourth place in the AL West. I guess that’s competitive. In case you missed it yesterday, some folks think Taylor Ward is not as pathetically bad as he is sometimes made out to be.
The Angels extended their stadium lease until 2032.
The Twins snapped up Harrison Bader for $6.25 Million plus bonuses and a mutual option for 2026. The City of San Francisco declared yesterday to be Barry Bonds Day. It looks like they wisely omitted having a ritual airing of grievances. It was also National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
The Rangers signed Matt Festa to a minor league contract. The Yankees claimed Owen White off waivers from the Reds. They claimed Braden Shewmake from the Royals. Terrin Vavra got a minor league deal with the Orioles.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
The good news is that no expensive over 30-year-old was signed. More good news is that no long-term contracts were signed. And additional good news is we now have the knowledge that we will still enjoy the Big A as our homebase for a few more years. Now if we could only get some snow for some skiing. 😀 ⛷ 🏂 ☃
Angels signed Yoan Moncado.
Finally making up for the Baldoquin signing over Moncada.
Angels have always felt expiration dates are simply a suggestion. I mean at that price for 1 year why not. . He’s 29 on the wrong trajectory but one of these guys is bound to hit at some point right ….
He did hit it in 2019
Maybe CMo won’t be breaking camp with the big club because ..
Yoan Moncada to Angels. $5M
https://x.com/JonHeyman/status/1887654036893040701?t=I5Z5brGL_TvhQ1TzRwJPHg&s=19
2025:
1B – Schanuel
2B – Rengifo
SS – Neto
3B – Moncada / Rendone
Maybe Rendon really is Rendone?
The problem is this dude strikeout aTON and has been injured alot the last few seasons.
Should fit right in.
Yep on the Rendone analysis. I almost forgot we have Newman as the utility infielder, sooo…
Surely feels like Perry is getting close to pushing Tony off the plank.
The first lines of Ippei’s book, The Shoshank Redemption.
“The first time I saw Ippei I liked him,” mused Red Dog Jameson, “However, that didn’t stop me and my boys later from…
Well, you’ll just have to buy the book.
Free Ippei!
Hang on tightly to the soap….
I’m sure he will be able to pay back that money 🤣
You can bet on it.
Can we bet on that at Prize Picks?
Oof. 57 months in prison and a life long sentence to the IRS. They are the worst to owe money to outside of the break your knee caps types which I’m sure he knows a couple.
Ohtani has probably long considered the $16 mil a sunk cost and moved on but the IRS will bleed every penny til the day he dies.
Ippei will write a “how to” book on gambling that will pay off all his debts…..
LOL, yeah, would have to be a New York Times best seller for sure. Maybe Ippei could write: The Shoshank Redemption.
😂
GOLD!
Hey Shohei, the check is in the mail!
Wow so not only did Ohtani pin all his gambling issues on Ippei, now he’s forcing federal courts to imprison him for almost 5 years AND give him 17 million dollars.
What a scumbag.
LOL, you Ohtani conspiracists (Big word usage) make me laugh.
If, by chance it was Ohtani, I don’t think he suddenly stopped. That much money being gambled was by an addict, not just a casual Lotto scratcher type gambler.
Now, if he requests a trade to or opts out to play for the Las Vegas A’s, then holla.
I suppose I should have added the /s
I bet (no pun intended) Ohtani is mean to his dog too
I heard he’s a left lane camper.
He’s always got more than 15 items in the express checkout lane
That’s deep
Just called the Angels ticket office to get an answer about unused Angels Ticket Bank funds. I was told that the purchaser is expected to use all funds deposited into the bank in the season of the deposit. So all funds must be used for tickets in 2025 if you deposit in 2025 or you lose any amounts leftover. The rep said exceptions could be requested under certain circumstances (such as illness etc) but there is no guarantee the leftover monies will be available in the next season. Part of this is related to the fact they don’t know how many season tickets they will sell season to season.
So there is your answer- if you deposit $2500 in 2025, you have to use all the money in 2025 or lose it unless an exception is asked for and made.
Buyer beware.
Can you buy playoff tickets with the leftover amount? 😀
What is playoffs?
Class action lawsuit incoming in 2026. Arte loves collecting lawsuits.
Pete Alonso and Jorge Soler had identical OPS+s last year so we’re getting ours for 13M instead of 30M. Taylor Ward is not too far behind and he’s costing us 10M. That’s money well spent unlike some of our other contracts.
Some of the best moves that you make are the ones that you don’t make. The Angels did not get bogged down in a multi-year contract with a 30 year old player, etc.
I wouldn’t have minded that Alonzo contract to play for the Halos, but I am sure Arte would have been taken to the cleaners for a much longer and larger contract.
This article (Bollinger) says Angel pitchers and catchers report Tuesday the 11th.
I’ve now read Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Friday…earlier today post revised to 5 days.
It can’t come soon enough for most all of us here…no matter how bad they are!
https://www.mlb.com/news/angels-spring-training-2025-faq
I heard a guy talking yesterday. He said almost all the players, other than guys who are rich and doing specific prep with specific trainers (or are contract hold outs), show up at camp early…. usually Feb 1st.
Why? It’s when their lease starts. They do it to settle in etc. Funny things, a lot of them do it so they can get allergy adjustments out of the way, get sick from travel, etc and be ready to go Feb12th. They get to know new players, go to dinner with friends n coaches, work out in the sun etc. Try out new equipment. A lot reconnect with friends in Florida/AZ before they have to focus on work. But the majority of players are already at the facility from what I here… just not suiting up or being there for hours a day.
In the years I was not catching, when not required to report early, I drove cross country and reported early because there is some fabulous fishing in Florida and to acclimate to the weather.
Not two weeks early though, just with pitchers & catchers, though a few days earlier in the area to stay with family, to purchase an out-of-state fishing license and chillax.
Yep. That’s what I’ve been told. I get out of jail around Jan 28th and then ride cross country on the back of some dude’s Harley with all my stuff in a garbage bag. We hit a lot of dive bars in places like Monroe, LA. I get zig zags shaved into the back of my head. Then I eventually arrive and lead the Indians to greatness.
That was always an option.
That interstate 10 is kinda long.
Most guys are already out there with many already working out. The Fletcher brothers share a family friend’s house and move out there a couple of weeks early. Tons of players with families do the same.
There’s also a pretty sizable contingent of players who have homes in AZ.
Polar Bear likes New York.
LOL, tail between legs as he waddles back to Queens.
when I saw PECOTA predict, besides the division winner this year, two Wild Card teams also coming from the AL West, the writing was on the wall – it wasn’t going to be a good year for us, but hey fourth place! Better luck next year.
so we just wait and hope for PECOTA 2026.
I’d settle for a 2025 with a strong third place finish with the “Kids” progressing and Moore transitioning into a MLB player. For 2026 we can look at signing a 3B/1B power guy as that will be when Rendone’s contract will be in it’s final year.
Not sure I ever heard anyone say Ward was a bad player. He’s a good player, just not a really good player. He’s a valuable piece for what he costs. There are not a lot of good LFs right now. The problem with Ward is he is so streaky and his streaks are long. He’s hits the daylights out of the ball for a month and a half and then doesn’t hit at all for a month and a half. His highs are really high and his lows are really low.
It’s not that anyone comes out and says he’s bad. It’s just that lots of people complain about him. You kinow, the way you would about something that is not good. Which is the opposite of good…. which is bad.
This is a safe space. It’s OK to admit CtPG Guy is very certain and often wrong but always repeating himself. Ward is very much above average. Especially when you don’t include DHs like Yordan Alvarez in the list of LF.
Have a look at this Fangraphs article. It’s interesting because it shows how important DEPTH is. Ward has a pretty high individual value compared to a lot of LF. BUT the Angel’s positional power rankings are not that high because of the steep drop off if Ward doesn’t play. Which is why the Moniak/Adell gamble is important.
You are correct, you’ve said it so many times,
If it makes your ass hurt every time CtPG Guy takes the mocking stick maybe you are CtPG Guy?
I’m not sure what that means exactly, but I’ll say yes, I enjoy CtPG, visit on almost all days, try to be polite while disagreeing and to have a decent take.
It’s also pretty much the story for every other position, especially in the OF. Although we have Soler now who even thought he isn’t very good defensively would definitely provide a good replacement bat assuming we could find someone to DH.
I think Soler will DH a lot…. and if Moniak is OK Trout will DH more than he has, though he really sucks at DH as of now….
If Moniak is good then we likely see Ward traded soonish and then maybe we see Soler thump around in LF some, or if Kavadas just plain demands DH at bats with his girthy swings. But that’s a lot of good that has to happen….
Meh. It’s all just very imperfect attempts to develop the team by not clogging up the roster with contracts BUT add more power than we had last year….
It is a fact though that if we have O’Hoppe, Trout, Soler, Adell, Ward, Kavedas and Neto magically all able to hit then we have many many more home runs than last year. But it would be like when the Phillies would play Schwarber and Castellanos at the same time.
I about spit out my lunch when I read this lol
Maybe this will mean he will have good trade value. He’s a relative bargain bat this year and next. He would have been a much better value than Santander albeit not quite as good.
I personally like Ward and realize at the end of the year he’ll have his 2 mabye 2.5 WAR but you are right about the streaks. He seems to get off to a hot start then nosedive over the summer before finishing hot again.
He’s a bit of a bargain compared but not hugely. I still expect him to get moved at some point.
162 in 180 is brutal. These guys that do that for 20 years are amazing. Think of how incredible the Ripkin streak really is considering he did it at SS.
the enormity of Ripken’s streak didn’t hit me until years after he retired. I grew up in Kern County where men went to work in fields and oil patches day after day. Blue collar toughness is simply expected.
But to do so for two decades straight at the highest level of the game is beyond remarkable.
It’s usually just hyperbole. The day after a tough loss people are looking for the poster child for “The Angels should have won the game. If only _____________.”
See also: Rengifo throwing wildly to first; Adell watching a ball bounce over his head; Suarez being Suarez.
People get disappointed. I get that. Me too when I’m typing up postgames.
Yeah but if you complain (like on every single post) about complaining doesn’t that make you some sort of keyboard hero and net a positive?!? Asking for a ‘friend’ gritcho.
Nope. It makes you bored as fk at work…. and sick of semi-geriatric piss.
But some of it is serious. I play it up ALOT, but I do actually think the sad bitch mentality of “true Angels fans” has some effect on what happens with the team… the culture or personality of the fans. Which then has some slight influence on the team. If the fans are looking to stay positive about adapting and overcoming problems then so will a lot of the players.
If the fans shit on everything all the time, then there’s already plenty of shit, so why should the players give any? No player enjoys sucking or being hurt. It’s safe to assume they and the FO are working at being good. What is constantly shitting on their efforts supposed to accomplish? If a player or manager or GM really sucks, and an org can replace them, they do. It’ll happen without our constant “help”. They may be getting paid to make millions, but they can do that anywhere.
I wish our team was like the Cardinals traditionally are. They suck now, and their fans know it, but they have a “let’s get to work with what we have” attitude. It’s why they will be good again soon and it’s why players want to play there and win.
And St Louis sucks as a city.
Before any of you go putting your hard earned cash into the Angel Ticket Bank be aware (per the internet):
“According to the Los Angeles Angels’ ticket terms and conditions, any unused funds in an Angel ticket bank account are not eligible for a refund.”
So if you deposit the minimum required $2,500 you must spend that full amount on tickets or you lose it.
Does it roll over to the next season? It must, otherwise I think that they would open themselves up to a lawsuit.
I don’t know the answer to that question but I certainly would ask before I would ever even consider this. From what I have seen, I think they are viewing this as a form of season tickets (likely to boost their revenue side of the balance sheet), which would mean that the investment is good only for that season. But that is something that should really be checked.
If you think about it from the Angels perspective, if it carried over, somebody could do this and use that money over 10 seasons for example. I’m not sure this is what they are going for. I think they want access to the money right away.
…it rolls over to Arte’s bank account in the Cayman Islands
So, I don’t get to root for the Anaheim Angels of Long Beach for a few more years?
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Long Beach.
Gotta cover all the marketing bases.
I stand corrected
That’s kinda hard to fit in while singing in the 7th inning stretch….
That was funny.
Of San Antonio
Los Angeles Angels of Mars.
Arte has been saving his money to go next level with his relocation plans.
https://x.com/MAstronomers/status/1883224454748336243
That’s funny. Arte will be very dead when we send mens to marz.
I’m having to dig really deep for positives. Perhaps a lease extension indicates that Arte has the idea to sell in the near future? No new stadium was feasible to be completed prior to the previous lease expiration and that deadline would have been an obstacle to a sell.
I still think having a new stadium to look forward to would have been a nice distraction from an otherwise less than promising on the field product for at least the next several years.
Yeah Pedro, let’s hope the extension bodes well in one way or another.
I think LB would be a great place for a ballpark, especially on the water, but a longer drive for me, so I’m not sure if I’d attend as much.
cold foggy nights in May and June sound appealing though.
Arte’s gonna need to find a town that wants to take it in the face. Like Inglewood. It’s the only way something like a stadium gets built in California. So any new locations gonna have a bit of ugliness to it. It’s not gonna be in an area with stuff we already go to and super easy access, etc.
Long Beach is a pain to get to, but at least it’s “an area” and even has an identity with some good reasons to head out there for a day. Unlike, say, Rialto. Done right Long Beach could be a lot better than Inglewood as far as becoming like Wrigleyville. Does anyone hang out in Duh Wood after a Rams game?
But I think the Los Angeles Angels of Downey is a lot more likely, and even that may be impossible politically, in which case get ready for the Los Angeles Angels of Orlando or some crap.
I still say building a ballpark in the parking lot of the Big A and blowing up the Big A is the best solution.
Yeah, but Anaheim has to let it happen…. Disney has needs too you know.
I gotta root for Benji’s team…not Albert!!
https://www.mlb.com/news/2025-caribbean-series-day-6
Now with the Polar Bear staying in NY, we should feel pretty dang confident that we keep our 2nd round pick and entire international bonus pool. I would be absolutely floored if we signed Bregman or Pivetta.
This season is going to be awesome. The soft rebuild stays on train tracks and we get to watch our young pups continue to develop. Of course, it would be more fun to win and win big, but we aren’t at that point yet.
Successful offseason ✅️
I don’t think Arte is spending anymore except maybe minor additions. Seriously doubt he signs Bregman as that would be like $60m committed to 3B factoring in Rendone.
I generally agree with your comment on the rebuild.
What happened to those additional relievers that supposedly were being brought in? Sadly, I agree that I think Arte has given up on this year already. I’m shocked they didn’t bring Garcia back or someone like that for low money though.
With the main objective of this season being player development, I hope we see guys like Kelvin Caceres, Michael Darrell-Hicks, Victor Mederos, Camden Minacci, Luke Murphy get significant opportunities at the MLB level.
Investing money in relievers is a flawed strategy. Unless of course it’s to flip them at the deadline, which is smart (i.e. Charlie Sheen + Luis Garcia trades). I’m sure Perry will do his usual thing and grab a couple relievers before/during ST.
Amen
I’m unsure how he can “give up” on what never was. All the signs have been there: highly paid players who are not aging well (Trout, Rendon, Anderson), young pitchers who take two steps back for every step forward (Detmers), and the general lack of power at the positions that traditionally generate power (OF, 3rd, 1st). Lastly, there’s no immediate salvation on the farm. There’s potential, but it’s several years away.
The bright spots are Neto, O’Hoppe, Soriano and Joyce.
Baseball is a team sport, and the Angels have some talent – but they are not talented.
The 2025 Angels should be better than the 2024 Angels primarily because it’s hard (but not impossible assert the Rockies) to get any worse than 99 losses.
For the Angels a 90-loss season is a step forward. Arte can do that without spending any more money. Embrace the “we don’t say rebuilding around here” rebuilding.
Excellent summary. It will be hard to be worse than 99 loses but It’s hard to see 90 loses as an improvement. A lot of the interesting things to watch will not be at the major league level. We have to hit it big with the second pick and nail this draft. Hopefully we’ll see some optimistic growth from our minor leaguers and get some decent prospects back from trading veterans. If they do well, any of the guys we picked up in the off-season are potential trade candidates in addition to Anderson, Rengifo, and Ward.
Secret Rebuild! In the shadows…. the team sucks…. and get’s young…. a precocious tiger…. ready to pounce.
It’s Feb 6th and there are still unsigned bullpen arms. I don’t want a 10M pen piece, I want a semi-OK veteran… basically Garcia 2.0. We can totally get that.
I am excited because I listen to A TON of baseball podcasts with scouts, FO guys and ex-players on em. They are doing a lot of “who is your secret low key positive etc etc” segments now days.
You know who gets a mention a lot? Logan O’Hoppe. A lot. Zach Neto comes up too. Ben Joyce. And Adell has even gotten some love. I’ve even heard a couple guys say our young pitching is intriguing. We almost have almost gotten a core going almost.
“We almost have almost gotten a core going almost”
WRONG. WORSTIEST FAHM IN DA LEEG. NO FUTAH WIT SHEETIE ANGELZ
Did I do this correctly lol?
We need 2-3 more position players like O’Hoppe and Neto, then we could say we have solid young core.
Yep. If say Moore and Lugo turn out to be useful…. we upgrade to ALMOST having a core. Or if like three pitchers work out like Soriano did last year. We become Mariners/Giants good.
That’s true.
Perfect.
The Angels having both the longest playoff drought at 10 seasons and also the worst ranked farm system in the is so depressing.
Hey – but you have to admit the Angels do excel at some things….
6 Days!!
Hope, or is that Hopeium, springs eternal.
Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the ST opener.