Dipoto comments on the rotation situation (because this board needs a good 10 page thread)

[jshep]

http://www.mlb.com/news/article/ana/los-angeles-angels-look-to-fill-rotation-spots-with-young-arms?ymd=20140211&content_id=67664174&vkey=news_ana

 

Some high/low lights:

 

You can pretty much forget about the Angels signing a starting pitcher on a Major League contract by now. Any rotation help they add prior to Opening Day figures to come via Minor League deals, moves that would add depth without dramatically altering the Major League landscape.

And so, despite efforts to sign Matt Garza and faint hopes that an established veteran would come at a bargain rate, it'll be up to the young, cost-controlled trio of Garrett Richards, Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs to support Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, fortify the rotation and help get the Angels back to the playoffs.

 

Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto, speaking three days before pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, sounds comfortable with that.

 

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Richards, Santiago and Skaggs can all be optioned, but the Angels were hesitant to give guaranteed money to a free agent they weren't certain would be an upgrade over any of them, especially with Joe Blanton owed $8.5 million despite currently having no spot in the rotation.

 

Garza -- signed to a four-year, $50 million deal by the Brewers -- was a prime target because he could slot in behind Weaver and Wilson and wouldn't cost a Draft pick. But he was the only one for whom they felt comfortable approaching the luxury-tax threshold. The rest were mostly arms they were only interested in if their prices plummeted.

Dipoto would still like to add a veteran or two on a Minor League contract, and there's a strong chance that a lot of starting pitching will come available via trade in-season -- an intriguing route with the Angels still having nearly $15 million in financial wiggle room.

 

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But if Skaggs needs some additional Minor League seasoning and Mulder can't complete an improbable comeback after being out of baseball for six years, the Angels may need Blanton -- at least at the outset.

"We have not prejudged," Dipoto said when asked where Blanton stands. "We're not in a position as an organization, nor is there enough pitching in the industry, to prejudge. Joe Blanton has had a solid Major League career; he's coming off a poor year. We have to be open-minded to how he can bounce back. If we find out that he can't, we'll make that judgment at the appropriate time."

 

[Blarg]

Ok, let's get this Spring Training started we are ready to go.

[Docwaukee]

Just as the Wells trade spelled the end of Tony Reagins, the Blanton deal may be the one does the same for JD

 

It's not that I have a huge aversion to letting Joe see if he can regain his form, it's that as things are currently constructed, they are relying on it.  

 

Because if they aren't relying on that then they are counting on Mulder which is a bad thing to do.  

 

Matt Shoemaker is our Obi-Wan.

[jshep]

I did find it kind of odd that Shoemaker didn't even get as much as a passing thought here.

 

And ya, "the Angels might need Blanton" is the stuff of nightmares.

[WallyWorld]

hahaha, oh man.  Can't wait for Chuck to put the Pollyanna spin on this, since there was "no way" Blanton was going to start games for the Angels in 2014.

We'll see what Dipoto is able to pull off trade-wise in-season or even in spring, but right now IMO the rotation is in equal and maybe even worse shape than last year at this time, and we saw how 2013 went.

[stevestevens]

If we are not going to sign anyone else, the one big mistake this offseason was not retaining Jerome Williams.

[Stradling]

Where does it say Blanton would be the regular #5 this season? It says he will get a look and be a fallback if Skaggs needs more seasoning. I get that this sucks but this is a nothing article.

[Angel Oracle]

Just go away Blanton, just go away!    And take Butcher wth you!

Edited February 11, 2014 by Angel Oracle

[WallyWorld]

If we are not going to sign anyone else, the one big mistake this offseason was not retaining Jerome Williams.

 

agreed, and the other big blow was not being able to re-sign Vargas (stupid KC), which I imagine was in the plans at one point.

[mtangelsfan]

Blanton being the number six starter is basically a guarantee he will start at least 5 to 10 games this year.  IMO that is unacceptable. 

[xboom28x]

I wish there was a way to "like" the thread title because this one deserved it.

[LAAMike]

Doc Halo, Isn't the Blanton deal on a much lower scale financially then the Wells deal?  I view the Blanton deal as a small gamble that did not pay off as opposed to a big gamble on Wells.

[wopphil]

It shocks me that if the team could sign Capuano on a deal guaranteeing 3 or 4 mil (with potential to earn another couple in incentives), that they would pass on doing so. 

[mtangelsfan]

17 million is not small.

[WallyWorld]

It shocks me that if the team could sign Capuano on a deal guaranteeing 3 or 4 mil (with potential to earn another couple in incentives), that they would pass on doing so. 

 

yeah, I truly do not get that. Even if, according to Dipoto's logic in that article, he wasn't sure Capuano would be better than any of the 3 young guys, isn't it necessary to have depth?  Scioscia himself has said a chamipnship caliber club needs to be 8-9 deep in SP - would love to know how he feels about the current rotation.

[Scott34]

Everything has to break right for the rotation to work.

I don't like this.

[Jay]

"A little birdie told me..."

 

 

that we'll likely see Blanton this season.

[tdawg87]

This puts a ton of pressure on Weaver and Wilson. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

[WallyWorld]

This puts a ton of pressure on Weaver and Wilson. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

 

most likely a good thing for Weaver.  For Wilson, it equals 4IP 11H 7BB 2K 6ER.

[tdawg87]

Watch Joe Blanton get 10 starts and put up a 3.25 ERA

[NrM]

Where does it say Blanton would be the regular #5 this season? It says he will get a look and be a fallback if Skaggs needs more seasoning. I get that this sucks but this is a nothing article.

 

From what I understand, he was pretty much saying they can't send him down to the minors? 

So blanton has to take up a spot on the roster. This is probably the reason the Angels haven't gone after a veteran pitcher.

Edited February 12, 2014 by Poozy

[xboom28x]

It's the money you are paying Blanton PLUS the money you would spend on Cap or Maholm or anyone else on a deal. That is why the Angels aren't signing any of these guys to major league contracts. In essence, you would be paying them more than 8.5M

[Docwaukee]

Doc Halo, Isn't the Blanton deal on a much lower scale financially then the Wells deal?  I view the Blanton deal as a small gamble that did not pay off as opposed to a big gamble on Wells.

 

to me it's more about the impact (or lack thereof) that these guys had.  Granted, it's really not just one thing with either, but if the halos sign someone else besides Blanton or they trade for a guy that stabilized the back end of the rotation that would be in place and ready to go again this year.  Changes the whole dynamic of the team.  

 

Problem is that looking back I am not sure who that would have been, but it would have at least costed a lot less.  There are trades that could have been considered that we wouldn't have.  Suffice to say, that signing has had significant impact on both last year and now this off season.  

 

It's also the main sore thumb that seems to be attributable to JD.  

[Docwaukee]

JD is essentially banking on the fact that Blanton won't be nearly as bad as he was last year and in doing so is essentially equivalent to whoever they would sign at this point anyway.  

 

I give JD some credit for sticking to his guns, but that is a pretty risky proposition.  It's not what I would choose.  

[VariousCrap]

It sure seems to me that Weaver, Wilson, Richards, Santiago and Skaggs is the set rotation for this team.  Of those five, I think only Skaggs is questionable at this time.  The other four will be fine.  If Skaggs has a good Spring Training, then he'll be ready.  It seems like the Angels are putting a lot of pressure on the kid.

 

That said, I don't think we should be shocked if a trade is done before the season starts or if the Angels sign Capuano if his price gets cheaper.

 

As for Blanton, not only should he never see the mound again in an Angels uniform, he shouldn't be allowed in the team photo.