LA Angels Thursday News Crash – Crashing the Pearly Gates

Legend

1 month ago

With football teams like “San Francisco” that actually plays 50 miles and two entire counties away in Santa Clara or two other teams that are named “New York” but actually play in New Jersey, I could care less about our team’s name. To me, it makes us sound bigger and more important and I don’t think 90% of the country has any idea about the geographical nuance. I want whatever name allows our owner to make the most money, which he can then pour back into the team to make it a winner.

Last edited 1 month ago by MarineLayer

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Texan44

1 month ago

My brain is never normal but I was thinking, what if the Angels (or any team) signed a bunch of FAs to minor league contracts with a guarantee to go to ST – if and when it happens. Then they could actually start working of some swing or pitch deficiencies early. Is there a limit to how much you can pay a minor leaguer?

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Texan44

1 month ago

Nimmala cracked one to opposite field tonight.

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RexFregosi

1 month ago

this is from last night from Fletch. It seems like I’ve heard this post game at least four times a week for the last five months. I think it’ll be less than 20 days now until he’s gone.

“Still, Angels manager Kurt Suzuki was pleased with the focus and effort the team showed on the day. “They were prepared, they were ready and we were right in it until the end,” Suzuki said. “I loved the energy from the guys. I loved the intent and everything they were doing. The dugout was great, so a lot of good stuff.””

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Texan44

1 month ago

Reply to RexFregosi

Remember the toy that you pulled a string and it spun around and talked the same thing every time the picture came up. Yep, just pull the string.

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Texan44

1 month ago

One thing on the sale, Manfred is still Commish. Don’t be surprised for him to let the sale go through, if he can move the Angels to the NL West to join Dodgers, Padres, Giants & Diamondbacks to save travel time – “to help the players” or some such other crazy idea.

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Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Thinking on Meckler….

see, I want to like him long term. But man, that BABIP…. I think I’d be OK with him even if he just hit .250-60 as a 4th OF.

Is there any chance his BABIP being so high, though it isn’t sustainable, may not crash as much long term because he has no power at all? He’s not swinging for the fences, gets more groundball and squib singles. Ads up over the year, naturally inflates his BABIP? Does that actually happen to the extent that he’s not a worthless player once his BABIP returns from its dream? Can he hustle into a BABIP that is high enough on average long term?

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Super Member

Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

What he’s doing is certainly consistent with his minor league performance. He’s a contact guy and speedy. So very possibly. He’s also a very solid defensive player.

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Legend

Pineapple12

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

One thing that stands out about him is his speed is legit elite. He’s in the 87th percentile with 28.8 average ft/sec. Pretty sure he topped out in a game around 31 ft/sec.

Speeds kills and helps him turn close outs into infield singles with decent regularity

Last edited 1 month ago by Pineapple12

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Legend

FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

I don’t know Wade Meckler, and I like Wade Meckler but I’d sure like to do better than Wade Meckler as my starting LF or RF.

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Texan44

1 month ago

Reply to FungoAle

It wouldn’t bother me if he played left next year and he was our 3rd best outfielder.

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AnAngelsFan

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

There are plenty of guys who had long careers with a BABIP .340 – .350. If Meckler can hover around there, he’s a ~.270 hitter.

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Legend

Pineapple12

1 month ago

Zeferjahn as a Cub
10 innings
7.20 ERA
1.70 WHIP
😂😂😂

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Super Member

TrojanBoiler

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

Looks like this was a fair trade then because yuck on both sides.

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Legend

Pineapple12

1 month ago

Reply to TrojanBoiler

Mo Baller is a 22 year old rookie. Best of luck to Zef but we sold Chicago a 🍋

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Super Member

HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

They should have bought through Toyota of Orange. LOL (Haven’t lived there in so – long. Do they still run those ads?)

Last edited 1 month ago by HalosFanForLife

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Super Member

Angelz4ever

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

Yes, sometimes that annoying jingle is played…

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Legend

MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

I love Mo Baller!

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Legend

WallyChuckChili

1 month ago

Angels are not going to lose today.

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milehigh

1 month ago

An Athletic article questioned team beat writers of KSE’s teams that they own. Covered the Rams, Avalanche, Nuggets, Arsenal. The last question was about what Angel fans could expect after the purchase is approved. Here is that response (I replaced the writer’s name with the team name they covered):

Rams I am curious about the “spending” element of Kroenke’s foray into baseball, because while the Rams are highly successful, they are not among the higher cash-spenders in the NFL. However, Kroenke has also shown a willingness to invest in certain edges that matter in football, such as coaching and allocating team capital like draft picks to secure elite talent. Kroenke was also willing to take on a massive amount of dead money in 2023 while the Rams underwent a sprint-rebuild; it paid off to the tune of the super-team they currently have. Short-term discomfort does not seem to be an issue for this owner.

Arsenal: “In for the long haul” was a catchphrase in Arsenal’s difficult early days. The Kroenkes have shown themselves to be committed and carefully ambitious.

Avalanche: The Kroenkes have financial might — the sheer number of teams they own shows that — but are selective when they use it. Their history with the Avalanche suggests a willingness to spend when in a championship window, though perhaps more with personnel than in other areas like facilities.

Nuggets: If the Nuggets’ stewardship, as well as the success of all the other Kroenke teams this decade, is any indication, there’s a reasonable chance the Angels may finally break their playoff drought and maybe even contend for a championship. But don’t expect the team to break the bank with payroll.

Regarding the Nuggets, the beat writer mentioned specifically that the team never has spent into the luxury tax numbers and there are rumblings that the Nuggets are not making the most of Jokic’s prime years. My takeaway from the article, the Angels will still need to make their own money. KSE isn’t just going to write multi-million dollar checks at a whim.

Last edited 1 month ago by milehigh

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Legend

Pineapple12

1 month ago

Reply to milehigh

The Nuggets did pay the luxury tax in their championship-winning season of 2022-23, and for the following two seasons as well

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nuggets-may-lose-peyton-watson-113000607.html

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Legend

FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to Pineapple12

I believe they do not want to bust the 2nd apron and had tough decisions with Watson. Going over 2nd apron is negatively impactful to any franchise and I get it. However, I do think they had a bad off-season and have failed to beef up reinforcements for Joker over the past few seasons. So not ready to give KSE a high-grade with this franchise.

On the Nuggets Blogs, they were not too happy with the Angel acquisition as they believe the shiny new toy will get the focus $$$.

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cookmeister

1 month ago

Reply to milehigh

The Rams guy cracks me up, because the Rams have the 8th most allocated $$ on the books and the 2nd most $$ in the league allocated to active players.

For the Nuggets, the NBA cap apron’s are very very harsh, so it’s understandable why they aren’t going past it.

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Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to milehigh

Sooooo…. all I see here is that he’s gonna buy us all the best of everything. Right?

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Legend

RexFregosi

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

He is what his record says he is.

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milehigh

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

We’ll be farting rainbows in no time.

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Legend

DowningDude

1 month ago

Reply to milehigh

I also worry that there is much more difficult structure to baseball organizations. Minor leagues, development, drafting, etc. I don’t see Kroenke getting us to the playoffs in the 2nd year like he did with the Rams.

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Texan44

1 month ago

Reply to DowningDude

I believe in the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, and the Angels can get to .500 ball next season. I just think they need to cut a bunch of players to include a bunch of 35 year old minor leaguers and concentrate on improving each position.

Last edited 1 month ago by Texan44

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Legend

MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to Texan44

I am basking in the glory of Arturo and Minasian being gone. Anything extra is gravy.

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Super Member

AnAngelsFan

1 month ago

The Angels only have 3 more games against a team above .500. Even with the recent results, I think the Angels have a good shot at avoiding 100 losses.

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Editor

Legend

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Tarik Skubal predicts Anaheim will be the new desirable hot spot for MLB free agents:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2026-09-03/tarik-skubal-stan-kroenke-angels-destination-free-agents

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AnAngelsFan

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

He should walk the walk in the off season instead of just talking the talk.

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Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

Signing Skull to pair with Reid and Walbert would be a big step.

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Editor

Legend

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

Due to the mid-season trade, he’s an unrestricted free agent this off-season, so no QO. What a time to hit the market, though….

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Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

Stupid spell check for me. If we could sign one guy, he might have the biggest impact, and he, Detmers, and Urena could lead our rotation for years. I think it might be worth it. It’s a little early for us, but it would certainly set us up going forward. The Dodgers will probably offer him 800M though.

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Legend

MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

As much as I like Tarik, it makes no sense to sign him to a 100 loss team.

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Legend

RexFregosi

1 month ago

Giffy goes down and then the Pads lose their playoff spot.

Coincidence?

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Legend

FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to RexFregosi

Not sure about the Pads but the Brewers missed a step w/o the great Heefo. A 623 winning percentage (48–29) while Luis Rengifo was on the team in 2026, and a .619 winning percentage (39–24) after he was release

FREE HEEFO

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Legend

RexFregosi

1 month ago

Reply to FungoAle

Angels too are worse without him this year.

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TapatioMan

1 month ago

Not sure what the right move is for 2027, but seeing the AL West in its current state makes me believe contention isn’t impossible.

With the new owner, I’d be more optimistic about a rebuild + soft contention attempt than under whatever Arte’s “plan” might’ve been.

I know many might disagree with me on this – but I might be interested in adding more SP in FA. Freddy Peralta and Dustin May, specifically, are non-QO players who don’t seem to be in line for huge paydays, and also have the main attraction of being flippable at the deadline because of their stuff and flashes of dominance. Teams always want to add those types at the deadline.

This idea would interest me because, I see it as a sort of way of “buying” prospects. After Reid (who we may want to keep) and Neto, there aren’t many trade assets we have that can continue to build depth and upside on the farm.

Some may argue that this will push Klassen and or Johnson out of the rotation, but that’s not entirely true. Injuries and underperformance happen all the time, meaning those two would almost certainly still see the big league rotation at one point or another – and especially after the trade deadline should Peralta/May be shipped off.

I’d also shore up the bullpen. Look at last night against the Yankees, we were right there with them, with the likely AL Cy Young winner on the mound for them. It’s all about pitching to keep it close. Clean defense. Situational hitting.

These eyes have seen over 4,000 games.

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Super Member

AnAngelsFan

1 month ago

Reply to TapatioMan

I don’t think the team has a serious shot next year, but I’m more optimistic now then I was at the start of the season, and not just because of the new owner.

Being generous, Trout, Meckler, Schanuel, Neto and Grissom are fine as starters. Heineman, Siri and Peraza can be backups. That’s 4 bats to sign and at least two of them need to slot in the heart of the lineup.

Even though the rotation looks to be shaping up nicely, I agree adding SP is a good idea. Johnson and Klassen both have options and there is no depth if they are slotted in as permanent starters.

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Legend

DowningDude

1 month ago

Reply to TapatioMan

More games than Lyle Spencer?????

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Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to TapatioMan

The problem is that winning the current AL West isn’t really contention is it? It’s Temu Contention and your team may look legit but it’s made of melted hair and children tears.

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Marcotor

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

But good for “we fly flags” dick-swinging. (and cleverly avoiding the inevitable “then bend over for Boston”)

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Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to TapatioMan

The sign and flip thing is interesting. Thing is, when Peralta is Peralta again everyone will start crying about trading him and want to over pay him too early.

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Editor

Legend

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

With the ownership change, I now see little reason to trade Detmers. In the Moreno era, with his aversion to pitching investment, the only avenue toward systemic improvement was trading MLB assets, but I don’t see anything on the coming free agent market that is as good or cost-effective as Reid. Better to work toward a 3-4 year extension and keep stability in the rotation.

Still down with a Neto trade though, if the return is right.

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Legend

FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

100% in alignment on that. Good pitching is a premium.

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Editor

Legend

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Just reposting Eric Longenhagen’s scouting session of Jared Grindlinger here in case folks missed Charles’ oblique pointer above. Suffice to say, Eric is a Grindlinger superfan at this point:

My main target for this game was Angels 2026 first rounder Jared Grindlinger. I have now amassed five games worth of looks at Grindlinger since he signed, and he’s been impressive every time. He rotates really well, takes high-quality at-bats without much chase, and makes a ton of flush contact. Even more amazing, he doesn’t turn 18 until April. It was instructive to see the 2027 draft high school showcase stuff earlier this month and then, in the weeks after, to see a ton of Grindlinger, who was originally going to be part of that graduating class. I like him more than any of the prep players I saw in August. Grindlinger may have actually cost himself money by reclassifying as a 2026 draftee, because he sure looks like he would go higher than 12th overall (where he was just picked) in next year’s draft. Hopefully he recoups that by hitting free agency a year sooner than he would have had he stood pat in the 2027 class.

Because Brendan Gawlowski spearheads the Angels’ system here at the site, I’m excitedly waiting for him to get back from vacation so I can make a case to elevate Grindlinger into the Top 100. Grindlinger is currently a 45+ FV prospect on The Board, just outside the hundo, and he’ll either move onto it this month or be a 2028 Pick to Click for me this offseason. It might be too bold to make the move already because this guy has generated zero relevant data. He only participated in underclass showcase activity before he reclassified, and didn’t get into Complex-level games after the draft. There isn’t data tracking for Bridge League or Instructs. Until May/June of next year, nobody but the Angels will have learned anything meaningful about Grindlinger’s chase and contact rates. But he looks awesome, certainly like a good first pick for the post-Minasian Era in Anaheim. As soon as I feel confident that I’ve seen my last Grindlinger at-bat for the year, I’ll cut together video of him and upload it to our YouTube channel.

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grichmanpoorman

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

Fun read. I wonder if they have him throw from time to time to keep the two-way dream alive.

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Legend

FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

I like Eric and feels good when Eric is on board with the selection. He was big on Hayden before the year started.

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Editor

Legend

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Reply to FungoAle

Among the prep kids, I was higher on Condon (who has been showing well in his low-A debut), but that was entirely because Grindlinger was a two way player, and that’s a challenging project for a weak and underresourced developmental org like the Angels. But Grindlinger under a Kroenke regime is a different story.

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milehigh

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

I had not thought that way before. We have focused on the big league club since Stan’s purchasing was announced. I wonder what the MiLB kids think now.

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Legend

MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

I loved the pick at the time, and I love it more upon reflection and this new data.

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Super Member

Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

We have 6-7 players who ripped it up at Salt Lake City with high 900s to 1000 OPSs and none of them have been able to hit major league pitching. The only ones left in AAA are recently promoted Raudi and Nelson Rada. All of our hope is down in AA or below. Some guys are young. Rada is 20, and Raudi and Guzman are only 22, Moore is 23, Paris is 24, Meckler is 26, and Lowe is 28. As noted above, Meckler is living off of a .400 BABIP. And, the FA market does not look promising the next few years. Money or not, and starting pitching or not, It’s going to be a very challenging uphill climb.

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Texan44

1 month ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

Surely someone on this list wants to live in SoCal.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/2026-27-mlb-free-agents.html

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/free-agents/available/_/year/2027

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Super Member

HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to Texan44

Looks to me Rengifo getting $1.5 million in the off season.

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Super Member

Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

Reply to Texan44

The question is, do we want anyone on this list.

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Texan44

1 month ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

Due to age, we can eliminate 70-80%. Then you can eliminate others due to their position. But if you narrow it down, my opinion, you are only looking for someone better than what you had in 2025. Not looking for all stars and certainly each would be a one year contract. And then cut off those that are making $10 million or some other number.

I would have my scouts looking at maybe 10-15. You would be lucky to sign 2 or 3 but where else can you look. The only other place that I know would be at the end of ST when other teams have a roster crunch.

Again, this is if you want a “competitive team” next year. Another 100 loss season gets a better draft and waiver wire. And one doesn’t help for 2-3 more years and in my opinion, the other only gets you discards, similar to what you already have.

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Super Member

Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

Reply to Texan44

I want to be optimistic and would be all for spending money if there were things to buy but I just don’t see a realistic path forward for competitiveness before 2029 or 2030 and even that requires significant optimism and trading any current assets of value.

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Trusted Member

Biggiswrth

1 month ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

That list is pretty weak. Position wise the only one I’m kinda interested in is JP Crawford as he can move Neto off SS and also play 3B if needed.
Pitching: Honestly I don’t think we need any SP
RP: Maybe Fairbanks or Treinen? It’s such a week class.

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Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to Biggiswrth

I’d sign Crawford for a couple years AND trade Neto to the Mariners for a package like:

Johnny Farmelo
Felnin Celesten
Yorger Bautista
Luke Stevenson
Chia Shi-Chen

Mariners farm is stacked. That’s leaving their top prospects alone. Neto can take some pressure off Emerson and then move Neto off SS but continue to have a less pathetic offense.

For us, that’s Crawford, not on a long contract, and four 50+ grade position prospects (OF, SS, OF, C) and a solid back of the rotation prospect. For Neto and Crawford’s salary.

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Trusted Member

cookmeister

1 month ago

Reply to Biggiswrth

have you seen JP Crawford play SS?

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Legend

FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

Same ol’ list of regurgitated players. Free Agency is dead with the top talent opting for extensions and or have signed long term deals.

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Super Member

Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

Reply to Texan44

I would tank again one more year. You still get the high pick after the 1st round and might have pick 11 in 1st round. I would only acquire a player that I wanted for 3-5 years. Otherwise, I would go with what we have for now and give the youth another year to develop. I wanted to extend Detmers but I’m wondering if it would be better to trade Detmers, Neto and Schanuel and start over completely. We just need so much right now there aren’t much in the way of near term solutions.

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Super Member

YOUknowulovetheIE

1 month ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

Hayden Alvarez is the future

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Super Member

Roy Hobbs

1 month ago

Reply to YOUknowulovetheIE

I believe you and he’s 19. The question is what the club does for the next 3-4 years.

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Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

I love the PCL…. but I also kind of hate the PCL. There is a reason the Doyers kept their teams in places like Jacksonville and Oklahoma City

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Super Member

ErSTAN

1 month ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

The dreaded AAAA players.

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Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

An over all great week. In total the Angels bare bones squad gave the Yankees a pretty squirrely fight. I gained a new personal enemy that doesn’t give a shit about me in Cam Schlittler who I feel looks like an asshole, acts like an asshole, and has an ass face. The Rays new owner is saying he’ll eventually raise the payroll now that the Rays will get a new stadium. I know that may take years, but I have dreamed of the majestic sea flappy flaps having even a middling payroll for a long time and now it’s gonna happen… maybe. Fk you AL East.

And the Angels are finally going to be unencumbered by Arte. The only man who could do anything about this problem finally did something about it. We “beat” him and he took his 4 billion dollars and is going away. He was not a very good owner. Not the worst, but bad. He was still a successful enough business guy to earn the money to buy the team, he made the team a bigger deal than they ever were before and profitable to boot. He tried with his big splash free agent signings. He was the first Latino owner of a team. He gave a lot to charity and was the first owner we’ve had willing to lock up a Hall of Famer for his career in Trout. He really fell apart over time.

Good for you Arte. Would have been nice if you’d have sold in say 2020, but better late than never. What’s really incredible is we ACTUALLY GOT UNICORN OWNER. Not a large “group” but a very rich guy and his equally engaged son. That is a REAL stroke of good luck…. or at least it could be. I’m just gonna decide that it is. Stan, by the way, has twice as much money as the Dodgers owners. Noys.

Can we please change the uniforms now?

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Legend

FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

I’ve been snapping up Nolan Ryan baseball cards lately and came across the 1972 card yesterday, His first card as an Angel. I like that uniform. If we adopt the California name, 1995 is pretty cool.

Ditch the all red look.

Last edited 1 month ago by FungoAle

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Legend

gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to FungoAle

Even if they did that 1995 uniform but for Anaheim or Los Angeles I’d be really happy. Harkens back to old LA Angels

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Trusted Member

Marcotor

1 month ago

Reply to FungoAle

The small a was cool, but only lasted 2 seasons. Let’s see if the SK imaging team comes along with something we can stomach. I do love the Rams white 60’s vintage they brought back.

It’s really unlikely MLB would allow “California”, no matter the “It was the name before!!” argument, given there are so many teams in the state. But, ditching the red would be great for some combination of navy/gold/red/white of the olden days.

I don’t give a twat what they call themselves, as I have no need to feel like I am “big-league” because of the city my team plays in, but the colors for a new era of hopeful exuberance would be a winner.

Last edited 1 month ago by Marcotor

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Super Member

TrojanBoiler

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

I have added “majestic sea flappy flaps” to my vocabulary going forward

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

We are winning the tank. Sure, we can’t win any better draft spot odds than we already have, but we will may be first in line for the dumpster buffet when good teams cut guys from the 40 man to protect new kids from the rule 5 draft. Who do I hope ends up in the dumpster that may end up there? Some possible delights include:

Colton Ledbetter. Outfielder from the St Louis system. They also have reliever Hancel Rincon on the bubble. The Padres have Quad A reliever Alek Jacob who may be of use. The Red Sox will almost certainly cut Brett Harris, who is another Peraza type. Less likely, but the Pirates have a lot of Utes to protect and maybe they will let Hunter Barco drop off the tree since he has not pitched well in AAA. They may also give up on Termarr Johnson, who is talented but may need someone to fix him like in a Cold Play song.

These are just some of the delights that may be cast aside by other teams. Of course we also need to look closely for anyone cast off by the Dodgers, Rays and Brewers but it’s hard to tell who they may cut. We could REALLY stand to luck out on some more delicious trash like Wade Meckler.

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Legend

FungoAle

1 month ago

Thank you Stan Kronke!

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Super Member

YOUknowulovetheIE

1 month ago

Good ol jose suarez dfa again, not surprised.

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