John Mozeliak shares the status of the Angels GM and Manager roles. Here is the list of Angels players who will not return for 2027.
Is Luis Arraez the answer for the Angels at second base?
Former Angel Tyler Wade retired at the age of 31.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Woke up Sunday morning. It was SOOOOO HOT! I’d been out the night before watchin bands. I was a sweaty mess. Then a cold chill of fear hit me? Is it gone? did I sweat it all out in my whiskey puddle?
Oh. No. It’s fine. I’m still full of hate for the Doyers. Come on Blew Crew. Stay cold at the plate and lose you series to a bench of journeyman pen arms. YOU CAN DO IT!
As a “Never Was MLB player”. I don’t want to be dismissive of the talent on the Angels. So my reference is to “a good playoff team.” So if the current roster were in a “good playoff team” I see Neto batting 5th or 6th. I see Trout at 2 or 3. I see Meckler at 1st or 9th. I see Schanual 7th or 8th. So realistically, the Angels could use a 1 hole leadoff man, a 2 or 3 hitter, a 4 and a 5 hole. The team can be competitive by adding 2 or 3 of these. But to “win it all” the roster needs a 50-60-70% rebuild. I just see so many not ready for prime time MLBers on the roster. Maybe they can catch fire, but it doesn’t look like it to me.
I’ll give you Neto at 6th. I don’t see current Trout at #2 – maybe 7th.
Meckler has more to prove before I see him as a long term option on a playoff roster.
Schaunel – 8th is fine.
I see this team in need of #1-#5
I agree with both of you mostly. We are definitely missing 3 middle of the order hitters, but For now I find Trout and Meckler as a perfectly acceptable 1-2. Trout’s base running, base stealing, and OBA justify him hitting lead off and Meckler’s LH BA and OBA fit nicely in the 2 hole right behind him. We would have a deep line up if Neto, Schanuel and Ballesteros were hitting 6-8. We desperately need 3-5.
Mecks a great find. Meck will never bat lead off on a contending team.
Yes, but I’d let him lead off for the next couple of seasons assuming we don’t sign an FA that could lead off. Then keep him on the bench for platooning and such afterwards. I think he has a winning attitude that can be contagious.
The Meck
Please adhere to proper nomenclature.
Jeff – Regarding roster holes, we could definitely use an upgrade at 2B as you stated in your article, along with a CF if Trout is going to play LF and Meckler RF, and a catcher until Cozart is ready. Really a question of when Cozart, Munroe, Raudi, and Nimmala are ready.
When and more importantly IF they are able to play at the major league level
Bon Fontaine, the scout who signed Abbot, GA, Salmon, and most of the guys from the glory years passed away yesterday.
I interviewed him here a few years ago when TBW wrote a book on him.
Very sorry to hear that.
#31 pick in 2017 MLB Draft……WE TOOK GRIFFIN CANNING 😡 😩 💩
Uh. We took Canning with a pick in the 40s if I remember right… he was just a strait 2nd rounder right? So I guess we could have had Trevor Rogers too? Hell, Hunter Greene? Jake Burger?
Yes, Canning was pick 47 that season which is why he wore 47 on his uniform.
Who is this? I don’t know every face MLB, please post names along with stats.
Rasmussen I think. Who Tootie would have shit all over all those months he’s been hurt. He’s also ignoring that the Rays didn’t sign Rassmusen in 2017, the Brewers took him in 2018 and the Rays traded for him and gave up Willy Adames to get him.
But fk the facts if they don’t fit your bitch…. the CtPG Guy way.
Don’t you like his canines?
😂 😂 …..Was 16-5 for the Rays in 2026
Drew Rasmassen probable AL Cy Young in 2026, still rather have Skubal.
we took griffin canning….
ya, after this guy was already gone
He wasn’t only gone – he refused to sign with the Rays that draft, and returned to the draft the next year and fell to the sixth round.
I have no idea where you get your erroneous information.
Drew Rasmussen, pictured here, didn’t even sign when the Rays drafted him at #31…in the first round. Not only was he unavailable…he was unsignable!
Even today, Canning was an incredible pick at #47. He was viewed as an early first rounder through most of the spring leading up to the draft. He’s accumulated the second most WAR of any second round selection in that draft.
This may be the single dumbest post I’ve read on CtPG in a year, and I’m rare to make caustic criticism like that.
that’s right, he had injury concerns at OSU. Good call.
Wikepedia was wrong then.
I don’t have Billy Eppler’s # on speed dial, but yes Willy Adames at the time was one of the better SS’s in MLB.
Count me as a hard YES on Arraez.
.300 hitters are incredibly rare birds in this era. Sign him up. ASAP.
1B ? 2B? I don’t care all that much, though 2B seems to be a better fit for the Angels as Christian Moore clearly isn’t ready.
Are hitters worse or pitchers getting better?
Pitchers have gotten better which is why batters have adjusted. With velocities being at all time highs it is more difficult to have sustained rallies so teams value the long ball more than ever.
I believe a focus on contact is coming back. At least I hope so.
I would presume the pitchers.
Whatever the case, it makes .300 hitters even more valuable IMO.
My answer is BOTH. And something has to give. Some smart guys long ago saw things getting out of whack in the hitter vs. pitcher confrontation and decided to address it. They lowered the mound and later added the DH. Something equally radical needs to be done now.
Some good math guys figured out that pitchers are throwing so much harder on average now that moving the pitching mound back a couple of feet would give hitters the same reaction time they had 30 years ago.
I have been that bored before.
I guess that counts me OUT!!
NOT A SMART GUY…….
Nice player but is his defensive improvement a product of working with Wash and will he sustain it? He’s not old but seems to have been around forever and will need to hit to be of value since he doesn’t walk much. It would depend on the ask but I wouldn’t be inclined to overpay him after a career year.
I want to bring Washington back.
Career year? Do you mean defensively? Perhaps that’s correct, but dude has been a HITTER his entire career:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arraelu01.shtml
.316 career batting average. Bat this cat 2nd and let’s rock.
Yah. He meant defensively. He’s a defensive hobo… pretty bad. But this last year he was actually pretty darn solid. Big upgrade for his value.
Not a good player
.276 7hrs 49 RBIs 😡 💩 👎
Not GOOD, but slightly above average. 112 OS+ and 2.1 WAR in 400 ABs. We’ve said over and over we’d be happy if he is prime James Loney. Well, technically, he’s already better than Loney over a full season.
Plus he’s one of the only angels to show a little piss when he plays.
I know he’s one of your favorite pillows to hump, but he’s really not a problem.
Back to your boring old tricks, I see. You need a new act.
If you could draft someone better than cool. But I would not spend money on a replacement. Put that towards a bullpen.
Not a bullpen guy either (WTF do MLB GMs keep paying these damm guys to lose games in the 9th inning?) Like Edwin Diaz across town?
If Andrew Friedman and Dave Roberts keep running Diaz out there, then this thread will have one gigantic org*sm. Rather have Yamamoto or Skubal lock down the save. BULLPENS SUCK!!
With the benefit of hindsight, it would have been great to have drafted McGonigle that year, but out of the 2023 draft, Nolan is the only 1B to make it to the major so far, and his career WAR has outproduced all but three players that draft (Skenes, Langford and McGonigle) to date. I’m sure the team would like more production from that position, but who are they going to put there? I don’t see many 2 WAR 1B options in the minors or expected free agents. Schanuel matches up well with a young Chris Chambliss, and if he can continue to improve his fielding to that level, he’d be perfectly acceptable at 1B.
I’m sure his Mom loves him, but I don’t like him and his less than underwhelming power numbers, he’s only good at walking thus far.
Sounds like not a lot is going to be happening until the sale is complete. I believe they’ll want their own people although Molly may be kept.
I don’t know about everyone else but when I watch the playoffs it sure seems like high velocity is almost a requirement to pitch.
It’s probably not a coincidence. Velo matters
I am so hoping under the Kroenke regime we will craft an organization like most of the remaining playoff teams. It’s crazy because they all have this team identity. The White Sox are the newest team in the mix – and I’m not sure with them that it’s more at the manager’s level and not an organization culture. But the rest do seem to be the same teams there all the time and do seem to have the “Team Way” that bleeds through the organization. Our organization was – winning doesn’t matter – sell good hot dogs – have good parking. It’s the same teams over and over again – and it’s not all about spending, right Mets fans?
Picking the right GM and management team is a huge opportunity. Let’s get this right.
The White Sox and Rays = Pitching Chaos = 😍
Need to raid and plunder the Brewers, Rays and top NCAA baseball programs and get some NEW COMPETENT PEOPLE IN CHARGE. CLEAN AND PURGE THE ORANIZATION OF THE FORMER OWNER’S PEOPLE.
Heck yeah. Brewers, Rays, Doyers…. maybe some hitting instruction from the Astros and Cardinals. Raid all day!
I think Arraez is a great fit here but they have to announce his role. 1B against LHP and Nolan 1B against RHP, 2B against RHP and C-Mo vs LHP. I think we need to set the precedence that players play based on results which I can’t even remember the last time that happened here. Guys like Lowe are counted on and then play the entire season despite horrible results and are continually given abs even when guys like Meckler are performing. Can Nolan and C-Mo earn abs against lefties and righties respectively? Of course but they’ve done nothing recently to show they should be getting those abs right now. Jo Adell would have been a solid player on the Angels if they just would have treated him like a platoon bat like he is. Angels need a change in philosophy and it’s that people besides rookies are going to ride pine when production is down.
We need a manager with some balls, not a pushover like Suzuki who wants to be buddies with the players.
Crazy that we can’t seem to get a coaching staff that is willing to do what is best for the team. Everything you are saying should be basic sensible coaching decisions.
We’re not going to turn this disaster around overnite.
True the Chicago WS offer a lot of unrealistic hope for us, however the WS had a lot of talent in their farm system to begin with and we don’t…..
Exactly! The White Sox “overnight” was actually about 3.5 years of trading away everyone they had and signing no one while kids developed in the minors.
And that followed a mostly failed rebuild from the Sale trade era.
Yeah if we anted to do it right we would trade both Neto and Detmers for AA players.
Yes please.
Let’s not fall into the idea of “we only need a couple more pieces added to our ‘young core’ to get this team into contention”.
That’s the nonsense Arte has been locked into for a decade! No more please.
I love Wade Meckler. Just sayin. Also just sayin the guy hit for a .554 OPS against lefties.
Perhaps Raudi could platoon with him.
Don’t crush my Tyrone Taylor dream like that, ha ha.
Not sure why one would platoon Arraez. He hits .300+ against RH and LH. I’m not sure Moore will ever hit MLB pitching. I don’t think he is one I would protect on the 40 man. I would see if he clears waivers.
Too many warning signs on Marte – not the guy I want in a rebuild – although a stud player. The right fit is very important – the White Sox lost 110 games 2 years ago. They bring in new energy and philosophy and look at them now.
Arraez – I’m a huge fan and he’s definitely my style of player – but I think we need the GM move first to know the identity we are seeking. A guy that battles is a good start from my perspective – and I think the game is going to shift back to see more of these type of guys – but this needs to be post new GM.
Same. Marte has quit on his team twice. And he is on the older side.
But the acquisition cost will be low enough that I had to put it in the article as a possibility.
Neither Marte or Arraez are good fits for the Angels. Too old and expensive. More Yuts!
.300 hitters are a dying breed. I would take a flyer on him for a couple years at least.
Go Braves !!!!
