How do you fix this team?

[SigBaby]

1st of all, this team is only "broken" if we lose the series against th Astros and Twins. If that happens, we are in very bad shape. Personally, if it comes down to making some drastic changes ( NO, WE ARE NOT FIRING SOSCIA), i'd like to see this lineup.

1. Ianetta C

2. Hamilton RF

3. Trout LF

4. Pujols 1b

5. Trumbo DH

6. Callaspo 3b

7. Howie 2b

8. Aybar SS

9. Bourjos CF

Another thing that i suggested we do last year was closer by committee. What is the point of having your best reliever in Frieri never pitch because the rest of the BP has blown it. Im all for bringing in a reliever based on situation, not on roles. Im curious to hear some other ideas outside of fire sosh and butcher

[bloodbrother]

Start drafting better within these next few years, actually get involved in the international market and sign guys from there. Replenish this farm system, stop overspending for players on the wrong side of 30, build around Trout

[moccasin]

Fire Scioscia instead of Soscia, and bring in a manager that might fill up a lineup card like yours.

[jshep]

The 2013 team?

 

I don't think there's much to do to "fix it". You can cycle through bullpen arms I suppose, but none of the ones that are close at the moment inspire confidence.

 

And it's not like there's much to do on the trade market with this farm system.

 

Any improvement here is going to have to pretty much come through the guys already on the team playing better.

 

Beyond that?

 

Like bb said, drafting better, not overspending on contracts you'll really regret later. Actually address needs instead of going for the sexiest names.  Build the farm system up.

[bdavis621]

Getting rid of Scioscia and Butcher first, then hiring a coach who knows how to handle this team.

[Angel Oracle]

What BB and BDavis said.

[Oz27]

Pay scientists as much money as possible to develop talent transplants, which we can then use on all of our pitchers, bench players and everyone in the minor league system.

[Ray McKigney]

They've played three really good teams so far. This A's team looks incredible. They should do better against the lesser teams. Pitching is going to be the main/ongoing problem.

[jshep]

Pay scientists as much money as possible to develop talent transplants, which we can then use on all of our pitchers, bench players and everyone in the minor league system.

 

Or shoot everyone up with a bunch of steroids and win some games 30-20

[disarcina]

Need rotation help and some pen depth NOW.

[robblin17]

Scioscia has to go. Been saying it for years. 

[bdavis621]

I agree, I think they should start doing steroids. The other teams appear to be and are getting away with it.

[FabulousFabregas]

Trade Scioscia to Oakland for herpes.

[WestistheBest]

How is this beyond ridiculously bad pitching staff Scioscia's fault?

No line-up change is going to help.

I don't know how you save the season from being a utter disaster. Drastic painful measures that may not work (trades, Trumbo)?Make no mistake it's the pitching, the offense will come around, but they can't compensate for this mess. And you aren't going to build enough in the farm for next season either, unless Dipito goes after some top international scouts and money whips them...building a farm takes some time.

This season? Try and buy AA bullpen arms from other teams...look at long relief. Bring up ANY, and I do mean ANY SP/BP arms that have potential to get some outs. They couldn't be much worse, don't care if they are ready or not. Get Lowe and someone else off the Roster to make room.

Or. you just ride it out, and start thinking about next year.

I don't want to be 'that' guy. But I'm not sure currently, this team could win a Series against Houston, KC or the Twins. I wish I were kidding.

if Dipito wants to try and save the season, he's gotta move fast before this team is so far out, I can't even put a number on it.

[Bombsauce]

Pay scientists as much money as possible to develop talent transplants, which we can then use on all of our pitchers, bench players and everyone in the minor league system.

This

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Start drafting better within these next few years, actually get involved in the international market and sign guys from there. Replenish this farm system, stop overspending for players on the wrong side of 30, build around Trout

 

I hate to use the Yankees as an example, but I believe that it applies here. When the Yankees were at their best, the bulk of their lineup was players from their own farm system and they added complimentary pieces through free agency and shrewd trades. Examples are Scott Brosius and Paul O'Neill, not great players but certainly good ones, who knew their roles and executed them well. They started to go astray when they decided to sign multiple stars, make the "big splash". The pieces didn't fit, and they got old and expensive very quickly. This year's Yankees are the end result of that approach. Unfortunately, it appears to me that the Angels have gone down that same road. I appreciate the effort by Arte Moreno, but I'm not sure about some of the signing decisions that have been made over the past couple of seasons.

[WestistheBest]

Need rotation help and some pen depth NOW.

That's it, and it has to be now.

[Troll Daddy]

You don't do anything right now. Sure you can screw with the lineup but 'it is what it is'. The bullpen is really the main problem at the moment. Starting pitching is not going to change much right now.

 

This was never a championship team from the get go this season. Nine games against the top teams in their respective divisions is a tough way to start the season.

 

I think everyone here still believes this team can make the playoffs.

[Docwaukee]

While I am all for getting creative, I don't know how shuffling the lineup does much.  This team will hit at some point.  If they don't, we will lose 90 games.  It's as simple as that.  They have to hit to be even remotely competitive and batting Ianetta first isn't going to magically make that happen. 

 

Second, the starting pitching is mediocre and they have been so far and they will be all season.  Mediocre is ok contingent upon other things like offense, defense and bullpen.  They sucked last year so performing as they have isn't going to kill this team.

 

Third, the defense has to be one of the best in the league and so far it hasn't.  It will be fine, but that hasn't helped.

 

Fourth, and to me most important is the success of the pen.  JD did what he could to tweak, but he had to do so with limited resources.  They weren't going to commit large sums of money to the pen because we know that ends up not working out nine times out of ten.  So he went dumpster diving trying to catch lightning with a couple of guys.  So far, it's not working.  On top of that, the guys that need to be reliable have pretty much sucked.  Downs and Jep in particular.  Even worse, he has no one to draw from on the farm system.

 

Arte want Pujols.  He got him.  He wanted Hamilton and he got him.  Those are fun and helpful signings, but they don't leave a lot of room for doing other stuff.  Yes, they have some payroll flexibility but there are always limits.  You sign hamilton? You don't have much to spend on pitching.

 

Last year, the offense kept us in games.  The starting pitching was unspectacular and the bullpen turned close games into blowouts in the wrong direction.

 

Even if you keep Ervin and Haren and maybe pickup one of Hanson, Vargas or Blanton you are in the same spot. 

 

This team will live and die by the bullpen. 

[sneaky_flute]

i know moreno is the one with the money, but isn't dipoto the gm?

[Tyler]

The bullpen is fine if they didn't have to pitch 4 innings a game.

[Reveille1984]

The Yankees?  Give me a break.  Our lineup is pretty much all homegrown talent under 30.  Aybar, Trout, Trumbo, Kendrick, Callaspo, Bourjos, Conger, etc. all developed in the Angels system.  We aren't becoming the Yankees because we signed Pujols and Hamilton.  The only potential albatross really is Pujols; even if Hamilton takes a s*#^& this season he's only around for four years past that, not nine or ten.

 

The problem is pitching.  We don't really have an urgent need for position players in the coming years so I'm not worried about restocking that.  Howie and Erick are around for 3 more years, Trumbo and Bourjos for 4, Trout and Conger for 5, and etc. Cowart should be ready to supplant Callaspo in a year or two.  But our system is barren concerning both starters and relievers.  I can't even think of one arm in our system that I'm even halfway confident about making an above-average contribution on the major league club in the next few years.  It's like this 3-4 year cycle where we either have great pitching and a mediocre lineup or vice-versa.  With Weaver being a question mark now concerning his velocity and slow start as well, its hard to be optimistic.

[Mark68]

Start drafting better within these next few years, actually get involved in the international market and sign guys from there. Replenish this farm system, stop overspending for players on the wrong side of 30, build around Trout

Don't worry. We'll have a few finishes in the second division to get us those high draft picks.

[Charlie B Barkin]

Not a quick fix. You have to build up the farm to be able to make trades and that's hard to do when you lose your first round pick every year. It's pretty obvious that they should of resigned Greinke instead of getting Hamilton. Would of given the staff more stability and would have a nice first round pick. I dont think Hamilton is a bad contract, just didnt make much sense going after him instead of keeping Greinke. The CJ Wilson signing will haunt the front office and fan base...

[SoCALkid]

Lol@ fixing the team without getting rid of sosh.