The non-tender deadline came and went and now there are some additional free agents. Here is the comprehensive list of the American League non-tenders. The Angels non-tendered Gustavo Campero and Sebastian Rivero.
Grayson Rodriguez says he is throwing and feeling good.
The Angels hired Brady Anderson as their hitting coach last Friday.
The Wei Chuan Dragons posted right-hander Jo Hsi Hsu.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
MLBTR asks whether the Mets should aggressively shop Jeff McNeil.
Any interest or intrigue in a McNeil for Soler swap?
They’re owed almost identical sums, and McNeil seems like a better positional fit for the Angels at the moment.
Just a note for all the “smarter than most GMs” twerps on here. The A’s FO is pretty smart. The A’s FO did something I wish we’d have done. They hired Mike McFarren a couple years ago. He ran Wake Forests vaunted pitching lab. The A’s have some good prospect arms too. But he has largely failed to get A’s prospects to pitch well in the MLB thus far.
Does that mean he sucks? Nope. It just means that most of the ideas we have that are so much better than most FOs have are not really all that much better when the ball hits the mit. Now McFarren is the Royals assistant PC. I still think he’s smart and he’ll get some solid arms in the MLB. It’s just not as slam dunk brilliant easy as hiring the best pitching coach in the NCAA.
Another IIWPM is published.
saw a report on Bluesky that the Halos are phasing out the road gray unis.
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qdownbhxcnqxezay37cojpbh/bafkreicyhlbm632kjhp6pj7mkvbobkjpe4bkt5trjrmgi2oiu7ll2j2z64@jpeg
I had some string cheese and peanuts for lunch. It was about as exciting as our uniforms. Wow… no more peanuts in the shell!?!? zomz news. New City Connects? To reflect the absolute cultural wasteland that Anaheim is other than Disney? The Cubs literally get new uniforms more often than we do….
I would hope the Halos would adopt that dark grey of the Diamondbacks for away unis. Truth be told, I’d just prefer more winning in the D@mn uniforms.
Another “Meh” pick up that could help the team and still leave us some payroll to go after an arm or Japanese 3B or something…. Mike Tauchman. Now before you poo poo this too much, realize this guy basically generates the same WAR as Ward. He just does it differently and it’s a different that may really work for us.
He’s a solid LF and a unhorrible RF/CF. He swings lefty. He has a career OBP over .340. His career SLG is only .380 though. The secret sauce? It’s weird. They barely play him against lefty pitching… but his career OBP and OPS are actually higher against them. I think he could start against a lefty sometimes. Not bad for a guy we can probably get for under 3M.
I kind of wanted him last off season, too, but we picked up Soler. We need guys who can get on base and turn the lineup over. Tauchman does that.
I like the idea too, but since Tauchman is yet another RF it seems like it wouldn’t be that helpful. Of course, he could be the 4th outfielder but then we’d have Teodosio in CF at least until Rada is ready to be called up.
He’s LF.
Over the past 3 years, Baseball-Ref shows he’s played more than 1000 innings in RF versus 129 in LF. I would say that makes him a RF.
The reality that Tauchman should produce the same value as Ward illustrates just how fortunate we were to get Rodriguez.
Andy Ibanez could be a low cost Rengifo replacement but with a steadier glove.
Yup. It’s a shame it doesn’t look like Veirling will be free to join us….
Do you think the Angels moved on from Heefo? I’ve yet to read anything and asking in case I missed it. I have one Venezuelan cigar left and it’s on-hold until I get confirmation he goes elsewhere.
Rengifo is a free agent but I can’t imagine he’s being highly sought after.
Ibanez rates quite a bit better with the glove. He’s never hit as well as Rengifo in 23/24 but he’s been more consistent.
None of the dumpster dives are going to move the needle a ton. The goal is to not watch Scott Kingery and Kevin Newman in the starting lineup.
If Sam Hentges is healthy, I’d love to add these exit velo’s to the bullpen.
Anderson? All I remember is a large quantity of meh. Seemed like the coaching staff was looking decent and then we get a giant helping of on-the-job training.
…looked good in orange though…
Brady Anderson was a steroid guy all the way. He had a chip on his shoulder exactly like Steve Sax, little guys lifting weights and ready to take on the world. (Steve Sax did not use ‘roids that I am aware of). Anderson being hired as hitting coach is def a head scratcher, where has he had success prior to this in working with major/minor league hitters. Is this really what PTP believes will improve the team and help him in coming up with his job next year? Makes very little sense.
Anderson has zero coaching experience of any kind in either the major or minor leagues.
…he will now…
#RESUMEFLUFF
I wonder what the dynamic will be. He comes with John Mabry attached I believe? Mabry actually makes sense. So how’s the FO/Anderson/Mabry workflow gonna work? Maybe Anderson is the passthrough for data and Mabry is the guy is the guy with a jersey on holding a bat? We’ll have to see….
But.. GRIT! He will scare Angel hitters into being good or facing his fiery wrath!
I have a feeling if they published the salaries of the entire scouting and player development guys like they do the players, we’d be near, or at, the very bottom. I remember when Washington got hired, he wanted Clint Hurdle, but they were too cheap – and it wasn’t outrageous money.
Welcome Brady Anderson… hasn’t been in affiliate baseball for 6 years. Perfect. Sums it all up. (I’m not saying he might not be great – but he was a front office guy with the Orioles.) Are we being punked?
Maybe he can help Mullins and other former Orioles when the Halos sign them this off-season?
Maybe he was an unstated part of the Ward trade, you know “we’ll give you Rodriguez, but you have to give Brady a job too.”