The Yankees declined their club option on right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga. Kona Takahashi will be posted this off season by the Seibu Lions. He had a pretty good earned run average in NPB this year but his strikeout numbers are nothing special.
The Reds just declined options on Brent Suter, Austin Hays, and Scott Barlow.
The Texas Rangers just claimed Willie MacIver and Michel Otanez off waivers from the Athletics. The Mariners acquired Cole Wilcox from the Rays for cash. The Orioles just claimed George Soriano off waivers from the Marlins and DFAd outfielder Daniel Johnson. Johnson is a speed and defense depth outfielder with a horrible bat. Also from the Marlins, Colorado just claimed Troy Johnston off waivers.
Coaches
The Braves hired Antoan Richardson and Jeremy Hefner as their first base coach and pitching coach respectively. The Astros hired Victor Rodriguez as their hitting coach.
Here are salary projections courtesy of Baseball America.
Cover photo credit: Rex Fregosi
On the above numbers., I don’t want many players. How do they have Moncada at $15 million for one year. Who signs him to that?
I might consider Eugenio Suarez for 3 at his assigned practice. Who signs Bo Bichette?
On the pitching, I’d take Kenley back. Maybe think of King from the Padres if you think he’s healthy.
Not sure if mentioned below but Yanks gave Trent Grisham a QO? A bit queasy to me. Good news he won’t be an Angel next year. Right, Perry?
He doesn’t have time to reply to you, because he’s too busy trying to sign Michael Conforto / DJ LaMahieu / Nick Castellanos.
The Colorado Rockies are finalizing a deal to hire Paul DePodesta to run their baseball operations department, sources told ESPN, turning to the longtime executive to overhaul a stagnant organization coming off a 119-loss season.
DePodesta, 52, will leave the Cleveland Browns, where he has spent the past decade as chief strategy officer, and return to baseball, where he was a key figure in the “Moneyball”-era Oakland A’s and later ran the Los Angeles Dodgers.
makes us the worsted of the worst-run clubs in baseball. yay.
Ivy League Big Brain…that’s a bad hire
What’s wrong with the Ivy League and having a big brain?
They think they are smarter than me and that makes me mad…. which makes me sad… which then makes me mad…
Moneyball, which celebrates the season where the Angels won it all
I smile every time I hear the term moneyball. “The Anaheim Angels are the Champions of baseball”!!!
I’d leave the decade with the browns off my resume. Oof
Johnny Manzel new Rockies 2nd baseman. Johnny Baseball!!!
C Juan Flores and OF Raudi Rodriguez have each made the AFL All Stars (or “Fall Stars”) team. Both have been performing strongly across their stretch of 16 appearances in Arizona.
None of the Angels pitchers made it – they’ve been uniformly terrible (rather predictably given recent regular season performance), and Arizona’s desert parks have not helped.
Go Rafters!
haven’t caught a game yet this year but plan to. All Star game is Sunday night on mlbtv I think but I will be catching the Rockettes in NYC at RCMH.
I am extremely unrealistically anti-spending right now. But I figure we’re gonna spend some money. So who on that list do I think would be of at least some meaningful value beyond “someone has to hit better” and “someone gotta pitch better” so we can spend 200+ million on a fourth place team.
I’d spend 2/32 on Harrison Bader. Hell, give him a three year deal if it gets him in the fold. He’s a good OF. He can play CF. He’s not a total black hole at the plate. He’d be a solid roster spot as we maybe transition in possible OF like Rada, Paris, Moore, Raudi etc into the fold. I’d sign him and trade Ward for prospects. He’s just more useful to us right now than Ward.
I’d sign Luke Weaver for three years as well. I’d tell him he’s gonna work with Maddox and become a starter. If he bombs at that, we know he can be good in the pen and we’d have a use for him over the next couple years no matter how the rebuild goes.
let Rada and Teo run free in CF now. Use whatever money Arte gives for pitching and more pitching.
we had gems in the OF with Upton and Kole before with Mike.
it fails without pitching.
I’m with you on Bader and the Ward trade. The difference in salary between Ward and Bader will likely be pretty minimal for 2026 (Ward is projected for about $14 million). I don’t want to push Rada too soon since he’s still just 20 and I worry that MLB pitchers will exploit the lack of power. If he forces his way onto the team, then great. This would give the team an OF of Bader, Adell, and Soler/Trout with Teo and Rada in the system as depth. The budget for 2025 would be mostly unaffected and we’d get some prospects for Ward. I don’t really want to see Adell in CF again (at least regularly) and I worry that would happen if the season opens with Ward, Trout, Soler, and Adell on the roster.
I believe Arte told Perry he needs more Lawyers and Perry claims Cody Laweryson
nice.
‘bring Lawyers ON!!’
Angels pick up a minor league journeyman for the ‘pen. Had his first taste of the MLB late last season after four serviceable seasons in the upper minors for the Twins.
David Fletcher available now too!
If the Halos knuckle down.
Pass. Angels would just SCREW him again. 😂
Perry continuing along his path of “All Your Relievers Are Belong To Us” strategy.
Good. Unless we gave him 2M….
Interesting to me that Pujols has not/didn’t get a managerial job. Inquiring minds want to know the inside story
Inquiring minds want to know.
‘Roids, experience or lack of, “Super-Stars” don’t make good managers maybe, money requested or asked for, cheating on his wife possibility, asking for a long contract to learn job, and finally not qualified. Take a pick.
Damn G-Pa that was a Rodney King fact beat down there. But, besides that does Pujols demand a zero gravity dugout?
He’s still owed millions from Arte; I’m sure he wouldn’t take “entry level” coaching rates. He’s just *45, time is on his side to get a managerial gig on his terms.
*depending on which birth certificate he uses….
my IIWPM is simply to give whatever budget is allocated to Starting Pitching (plus Jansen)….what is that amount?
im starting Rada in CF and Guzman at 3B.
Jeff expects to post up a template article within a day or so. Then we can get started.
Copy. Pretty straightforward, better than rolling with Moncada. How about CF, Teo’s to lose?
I’m planning to start Rada, and Teo is the 4th
ive seen enough Teo and definitely want him in CF as much as I can, the defense is worth it I’ve come to believe.
This off season is a tough boat to row in that it is a “Y” in the road. Does Perry to protect his employment spend money to improve the W-L record on free agents or pull back to the statis quo and re-arm for ’27 after Redone is off the books, lock out over, team possibly sold, and the yuts one year older and moved up, but with the caveat that the end of his run over. With both he and Suzuki both on one-year deals it is a tough decision to make. So, my guess is they are walking a short plank with Arturo sawing at the other end.
Just remember, when you come to a fork (“Y”) in the road, take it!
From the wisdom of Yogi.
Baseball America and their projections of years and $ seems outrageous for the most part. Paying players top dollar for playing into their late thirties makes no sense when their productivity is waning at best. As a GM would you pay Giolito 19/3? That is just careless. Bregman getting big money following an injury plagued season while in his thirties and in addition to being part of a cheating scandal in which a commissioner like Landis would have banned him for life. Tucker is one of my favorites, but coming off a season that seemed flat in the second half while surrounded by some very productive bats and made pitchers pitch to him, would seem rather more than generous. Obviously the money is available as each year the money cap so speak keeps raising so on the back end it would seem a deal.
Has gambling money replaced TV money, it would seem so even though gaming money is like holding a Tiger by the tail, just a matter of time until it kills you, but the excitement of money is a draw that for many that cannot turn their back on.
An inexpensive stadium in major league sports starts at a billion dollars plus, we’ve seen 700-million-dollar contracts for a player, we’ve seen more contracts bust than work out for the big money, and we’ve watched more than just Arturo as an owner grab the money and not care if he puts out an acceptable product.
I’m not naive enough to assume that any major or minor league sports should be nonprofit, but as it is now it still is shocking to some the amounts paid or charged to participate in playing, owning or being a fan of sports is all.
Paying players beyond age 35 big money is insane in my pov from a fan standpoint as it would seem counterproductive to assembling a winning team. Back to the start is it seems the BA is off on their estimates of both years and money amounts imho. A ceiling and floor of salaries per team, a hard cap should be negotiated with a cap of 3-5 % raise yearly of the cap.
Pink Floyd seems to have nailed it in a song.
Perry agrees with the age 35 cutoff.
that’s why his FA signings are all 33-34 yr olds.
😉
Thats an interesting take that teams will increasingly see more money from gambling sites than TV money. Yep.
Gambling sites and TV money are the same entities more and more. Fan Duel Sports Network carries the Angel games. ESPN and Draft Kings are getting married.
I’m afraid the gambling industry is here to stay and continues to be integral to professional sports now.
Talking about late thirties and then using Giolito for 3 years when he’s 31 is pretty funny.
The Arte money grab is also kinda funny, considering the Angels 1 of 9 teams whose payroll is over 50% of their revenue.
And that obviously doesn’t take into account all other expenses, contracts, etc.
BA salaries are a bit off I think. When mlbtraderumors comes out with projections, they tend to be similar to the actual contract listed. I have Jansen getting more in FA and Mullins getting less.
I don’t think any of the TOT squares are dark enough for the Halos to sign.
I’ll take Bellinger and Alonso for $294M Alex.
(I know, I know)
Me? I’d give Maddux an annual budget of $100 million and tell him to use his best judgment to sign 3-5 Starting Pitchers.
I’m tempted to take a shot on Dustin May. Maddox might be able to right the ship.
Yeah, I was pondering May myself.
Add a recently DFA’d Gonsolin, and the Angels “Dodgers 6th starter” rebuild project commences in force.
Gosh BA, if anyone deserves an increase from $5M/yr to $15M/yr, it certainly is Yoan Moncada.
We all saw his 2024 and are in agreement: his salary should be tripled 😅
Nice article Charles. It makes it plain, for simple minds like mine.
I get the sense that your mind is made up of 90% neurons constantly firing Angels thoughts (mostly unrealistic ones) 😂
I’m currently neuron challenged….
That would explain the Angels optimism 😎
Hopium addict.
Come on Perry! Give me a Waiver Caim or Minor League Contract signing!
Cody Laweryson do the trick?
I don’t feel all warn and fuzzy inside but it’s a start.
And he could help with the lawsuits, too!
Doh! I thought that was “LAWYERson”.