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LA Angels Wednesday News Crash: Yarr

April 23, 2025

John Henry Weitzel

44 Comments

Arr Mateys. It be a time for links says I!

Angels News

The Angels are facing the Pirates. Game 1 went badly. Very badly.

But at least Mike Trout made a cool catch? It’s something.

Don’t look at the score

Fangraphs likes Zeferjahn. Nice. Good article about pitching, pitches, and technical stuff like that.

Around Baseball

Sneks get new City Connect Jerseys. Purple ones.

The White Sox continue to lose, are 52-152 in the last year and a half. And that’s terrible.

New Baseball fan stats are out. Younger fans more likely to watch fewer games this year. Shocker.

Older fans stick with things longer, who knew?

Oregon is throwing money for an MLB ballpark and team. Critics say it makes no sense financially.

Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes!

44 Comments

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Trusted Member

AngelsFanInHell

3 minutes ago

As per the post game information yesterday:

“It was just the third time in his (Soriano) career that he’s allowed five or more runs in fewer than five innings.”

After last night, I have now been at two of them. Lucky me.

Last edited 1 minute ago by AngelsFanInHell

Super Member

JackFrost

1 hour ago

Old friend Andrew Heaney faces the Angels tonight. And he is actually having a pretty good season so far; 2.13 ERA, 0.91 WHIP. I predict that he shuts down our bats tonight and yes, the Pirates beat us again.

Not only that, I think they will pull out a close 5-4 win on Thursday and complete a sweep of the series. At that point we’ll again be saying “when do pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training?”

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

1 hour ago

By coincidence, my 5 to 7 year old Angels squad is playing the 5 to 7 year old Pirates squad tonight.

So far we’ve beaten them twice and I do expect another W tonight. Most of that team should be in Tee Ball, though, and the parents are cool.

Legend

red floyd

1 hour ago

Well, I guess the part from the first four series is over.

Legend

Eric_in_Portland

2 hours ago

I just read that Nico I-am-a-leaving’s brother Madden is also a-leaving, telling Arkansas he’s going into the transfer portal after cashing his NIL check and having never played a game for the Hogs or whatever they’re called.

What a family!

Legend

Angels2020Champs

1 hour ago

Reply to Eric_in_Portland

I remember writing an essay in college on how absurd it was that Jeremy Bloom couldn’t receive money to help his Olympic ski career because he played college football at Colorado (how has he NOT had his jersey retired yet?!). Odd considering MiLB players get paid and can play college ball plus all the other nonsense through the years. Anyway, I don’t necessarily like the college football landscape as mush as I did a yout, but at the same time I’m ok with these kids getting paid.

Editor

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Jeff Joiner

1 hour ago

Reply to Angels2020Champs

I’ve long been on the “pay the kids” wagon as the money in college football is just insane.

The issue is that being a college player is a better deal than being a pro. It is unlimited free agency every single year.

Ideally the revenue creating sports would give stipends to players. But then you’d run into Title IX issues because outside of a handful of women’s basketball programs all the revenue creators are men.

Legend

Angels2020Champs

1 hour ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Agreed. Nico got more money from Tennessee than Brock Purdy’s NFL contract has paid thus far and he’s been to two conference championship and a Super Bowl in 4 years 🤷🏼‍♂️

Super Member

TrojanBoiler

2 hours ago

That article on ZJ was fun. His stuff definitely passes the eye test. Still pleasantly surprised with what Perry was able to get at the trade deadline last year.

That’s why we need to trade for MOAR YUTES later this summer.

Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

2 hours ago

Reply to TrojanBoiler

YUETS & KIDZ…. our firm

Editor

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Jeff Joiner

1 hour ago

Reply to TrojanBoiler

Great piece. FanGraphs writers are consistently great.

Perry has really nailed the trades when he’s been allowed to target talent rather than just dump salary. Hopefully he is allowed to do that again this deadline.

Editor

Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 hour ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

I actually think Minasian’s trade history has been very meh until Estevez/Garcia.

Hell, just look at the Braves trades alone, and it’s years of empty gestures.

https://housethathankbuilt.com/here-is-every-trade-braves-have-made-with-angels-since-perry-minasian-left

But July 30, 2024 was a good day, yes.

Super Member

TrojanBoiler

35 minutes ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

These are all bottom-of-the-barrel trades though. Almost every single one was for cash or as a salary dump.

Last year was probably the first time we really saw him operate and truly sell some assets, other than when he acquired O’Hoppe and Moniak

Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

2 hours ago

Full on bored day balls out what if….

The Cubs have a legit shot at a WS. They need to really enthrall Tucker and sign him. They are in full on go for it mode. Their pen is meh and they lost Steele in their rotation.

What if Perry went at them early and offered Jansen and Tyler Anderson for something like Kevin Alcantera, Christian Hernandez and Ben Cowels? Or even tried to get Brandon Birdsell with Alcantera?

It would surely dampen our 2025 early…. but it may get us some pretty solid return for what we all thought of as a meh burger on March 15th AND it could screw the Doyers too.

Legend

Eric_in_Portland

2 hours ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

The sooner we trade the easier it’ll be to blame the trades for our decline

Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

2 hours ago

Reply to Eric_in_Portland

My plan issszzz comb pleeeeet.

Super Member

PedroCerrano

4 minutes ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

MLB channel was saying that the same guys who accurate estimated Vlad’s contract are saying 12 years and mid $500’s for Tucker. Seems crazy to me but teams keep doing it.

Editor

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Jeff Joiner

2 hours ago

George Klassen is looking really good early. K’s are still high but the walks are down from last year.

https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1914862320183845351

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

2 hours ago

Caden Dana threw a gem last night:

https://twitter.com/SaltLakeBees/status/1914729688578306089

Legend

FungoAle

2 hours ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Happy for Klassen, my favorite of the two. Angels would be wise to give these arms plenty of action in the minors before promoting them. Especially Dana, he has yet to show he knows how to get big leagues out. Teams are hitting a robust .300 off of him. It’s not like he has lights out stuff.

Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

2 hours ago

Reply to FungoAle

Yah. Not to be a fatalist, but when REALITY has really sunk in with the 2025 Angels I am hoping to have Dana/Aldegeri/Klassen etc to look forward to watching in August.

Super Member

Roy Hobbs

2 hours ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

I’m fine if we have those 3 plus Detmers all competing for spots next year. It’s way early and there are already things making the future look hopeful.

Editor

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Jeff Joiner

1 hour ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

And there’s a chance to add Jaime Arnold in the draft to have yet another stud coming up behind them.

Editor

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Jeff Joiner

2 hours ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

Same here. My hopiest of hopium scenarios is that Dana is pitching so well we are excited to trade Tyler Anderson and promote Caden.

I’d also like Detmers to earn Hendricks rotation spot by the end of the year.

Trusted Member

grichmanpoorman

2 hours ago

Reply to FungoAle

Re: Dana. That’s circular logic, broham. There’s no way for Dana to “show he knows how to get big leagues out” until you give him big league innings. And he seemingly has little left to prove in AAA. Teams are batting .207 off him.

Editor

Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 hour ago

Reply to grichmanpoorman

Well…he’s pitched 16 innings total in AAA, at a time when pitchers are a little ahead of hitters.

I’d still give him 60+ IP in AAA before making too many categorical statements, given an otherwise tough spring and first cup of coffee for a guy in his age 21 season.

Trusted Member

grichmanpoorman

1 hour ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

True enough… but the season thus far could hardly be going better for him.

Editor

Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 hour ago

Reply to FungoAle

Aldegheri has also been pitching better than his ERA suggests.

He was carrying a one-run ballgame into the sixth over the weekend, and things unraveled with some uneven defense and a patchy strikezone, and the bullpen didn’t help matters when he left. Half of the runs he’s given up in the first three games came in that one inning – he went from a sub-2 ERA to a 5 ERA in five min flat.

Trusted Member

toad2065

2 hours ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Really important to stay the course with these young pitchers. Give them the time and the rope to fully develop, lest we end up with more demoralized young guys like Detmers, etc.

Editor

Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 hour ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

That video clip is actually from Thursday last week. Caden pitches later tonight for the Bees.

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

1 hour ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

Dang it. The kid is on fire early this season.

Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

3 hours ago

I love the Sneks and their twenty different hats and uniforms. Swimming pool in the stadium. Cougars. Great fun to watch roster. Most of their uniforms look stupid to me but at least they try stuff out. Those Serpentes unis from a while ago are great. But they just don’t understand how rad it is having the same boring ass uniforms for 25 years.

In Portland. That spot they are talking about? Is it by the Life Sciences building, by the Ross Bridge? or on the other side of the bridge by the train thing? Or they will tear down shit like that TRD motors place or something? None of it really looks big enough for a stadium to me? Does it matter? If they declare they will tax jocks then those fkin hippies will demand the money go to fund statues of gay dolphins or something…. likely not realizing that they jocks actually have to play there to get taxed.

I think it would be great for Portland to get a team. I just don’t think the population of the place will ever really go for it.

I’m bored. I wish Arte would sell the team today. That would be fun. Might get new uniforms.

Super Member

Angelz4ever

3 hours ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

The Snakes dark grey unis are the bomb.com. I watched their first game with them and the Dodgers announcers were just so obsessed all d@mn game with how ugly they thought they were.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

2 hours ago

Reply to Angelz4ever

Yep. The gray ones aren’t bad. None of them are BAD… they just have a team brand that’s a little out there.

Super Member

Angelz4ever

3 hours ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

I disagree with Portland as a baseball city-After they lost a home game, all the millennials would hang at the park after the game saying, “No, we didn’t lose, explain this to me!”

Legend

Eric_in_Portland

2 hours ago

Reply to Angelz4ever

I know of only one group of people who are still whining that they didn’t lose, and this is from a contest years ago, and those people aren’t millennials

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Eric_in_Portland

2 hours ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

The proposed Portland site is near the Ross Island Bridge but before that it was a few miles north and before that it was the Lloyd Center mall and before that it was slightly out of town where there’s a golf course. That these people have actually bought a piece of property is a big “so what?”

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Eric_in_Portland

3 hours ago

Enthusiasm is low in Portland because there’s no visible big money backer. Some fairly anonymous people have purchased a lot and hired an architectural firm to come up with drawings.

It’s not taken too seriously by the general public

Member

Kevin

3 hours ago

Reply to Eric_in_Portland

They’ll need a retractable roof also.

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Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 hour ago

Reply to Kevin

The proposal and renderings all include a retractable roof, yes.

Editor

Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 hour ago

Reply to Eric_in_Portland

But is the “not taken seriously” largely due to years of failed or (very) hypothetical efforts? The fact that the mayor, governor and all major state-level electeds are behind the project feels like more momentum than I’ve personally seen in Portland in a couple decades. You rarely see bipartisan support for a stadium project, let alone 800M in bonds authorized through the legislature in a matter of weeks.

That’s quite a departure from previous proposals, where there was no obvious funding mechanism, and the proposed sites didn’t even have a settled ownership group.