Trade Deadline Silver Linings

[ettin]

The Deadline has come and gone so here are the Silver Linings:

1. The Angels did not trade any of their pitching prospects (Heaney, Tropeano, Deloach, Ellis, Newcomb, Rasmus, Mahle et. al.). The end result of not moving them is that we have fantastic depth heading into the last part of the year. Starter gets injured? Got that covered! Need a reliever for the bullpen? Got that covered! NOTE: Before I pressed 'Post' saw the news about Wilson hitting the DL, so Rucinski will take his place for now.

2. Our bench depth improved with the additions of Victorino, Murphy, and DeJesus. Our part time bench includes RHH C.J. Cron, RHH Carlos Perez, RHH Taylor Featherston, RHH Shane Victorino, LHH David DeJesus, LHH David Murphy, and LHH Conor Gillaspie. Hypothetically that depth should prove useful as the team moves forward, particularly in platoon roles and late inning match ups.

3. The Angels still have an above average offensive team. Nothing has changed other than the bench depth (which should provide some incremental upgrade) improving but that still leaves the team that currently has a +50 Run Differential (tied for 7th in the Majors) with a probable positive Run Differential moving forward, i.e. they should continue to excel.

4. Our bullpen could have used another good late inning type reliever but the reality is that Cory Rasmus was just called back up and in a limited sample of innings pitched this year he has a wicked K%-BB% of 39% which bodes well for his potential contribution in the stretch. More importantly because we didn't trade away any of our pitching prospects ALL of them are available to do bullpen work if needed.

5. Team Defense, like the offense, didn't significantly improve except for the new platoon in left field. Victorino/DeJesus should provide a nice bump at the position. Gillaspie, why he's here, provides a very minor bump over Freese but it is almost so inconsequential that to mention it would not be worth typi....

So in conclusion we improved in minor ways but nothing close to the improvements that the Astros made (or Blue Jays for that matter). However our depth is pretty good at most positions (CF, RF, and 1B being the three exceptions)and our pitching depth is pretty darn good.

In a separate thread I talked about the Astros needing to improve by about 4-5 Wins to have a much better chance to catch us and they have done that with their deadline moves.

The Angels just need to step up here and perform. If they do that they'll be in the mix for the Division. If they don't quite do that there is still a good chance at a Wild Card spot. If they dive badly we're out.

I like our postseason chances.

Edited July 31, 2015 by ettin

[QuinlansMinion]

Heaney isnt a prospect anymore.  Hes an ace now please stop calling him a prospect.

[Stradling]

Too early to call him an ace but he is not a prospect.

[Chris]

I think Heaney is a #2 right now and a Rookie of the Year candidate.  He could grow into a dual #1 with Richards.

 

needed a positive thread - good OP!

[SoWhat]

Heaney isnt a prospect anymore. Hes an ace now please stop calling him a prospect.

Just like Shoemaker and Weaver after last season, huh

[mulwin444]

We got older, thus, wiser...

[QuinlansMinion]

Just like Shoemaker and Weaver after last season, huh

Ill give you Weaver.  Shoemaker is starting to pitch like an ace again, could just be adjusting to the adjustments hitters made in the 1st half this year.  

 

Heaney is younger and has better stuff than both of them though.  

[TroutCron]

I don't agree about the pen. Ramos and Alvarez are not effective and at least one should be replaced. There is still the problem with Salas and Gott maning the seventh inning, neither are the answer there. Inwould like to have seen a run at Benoit.

[seenoevil]

Angels getting a new GM after the season

[Stradling]

Angels getting a new GM after the season

Which virtually means nothing come the trade deadline until we have many more trade-able assets in the minor leagues.

[tomsred]

Which virtually means nothing come the trade deadline until we have many more trade-able assets in the minor leagues.

 

Exactly, until the farm is replenished and fixed, there will likely never be a satisfactory trade deadline.  I guess we could give up competing, and finish last for a few years, that would fix it if we drafted well.  In that case AngelsWin would become extinct, kind of like the earth taking a asteroid strike.

[gurn67]

I can make travel plans in October with the money I was planning to spend on playoff tickets.

[Jason]

"Step up and perform"

[fan_since79]

We didn't need "bench depth". We needed a LH hitting outfielder who could seriously hit. We didn't get one, but we did get three journeymen who can sorta hit, every now and then.

 

And Rasmus is hardly what the bullpen needs. He helps, but we needed much more.

 

The only good thing is we saved our supply of young pitching talent, and we can deal one or two of them in the offseason for some real offensive help.

[CanadianHalo]

2018 World Series Champs!

[floplag]

Ii truly feel we missed some chances and are likely wasting the best year we may get out of Pujols and another great one from Trout.  
I hate to be johnny negative, but right now i dont think we win the division unless we get some breaks. 
We may be better next year or the year after for not making moves, but... it looks like another year playing golf early

No, i wouldnt have overpayed for a Cespedes if it meant Trop or Newcomb... nor would i have overpayed for some of the others based on the rumors, i simply feel we may have missed a chance. 

[Stradling]

But if you weren't willing to give up those guys for a guy like Cespedes then how did we miss out? An opportunity has to arise in order to miss out on one.

[AngelStew43]

Because to get Cespedes it would have cost us Newcomb, Ellis or both.  We can take our chances after the season and sign him as a FA, if we'd like.

[floplag]

But if you weren't willing to give up those guys for a guy like Cespedes then how did we miss out? An opportunity has to arise in order to miss out on one.

 

Because i dont believe i had to give up either of them to get him... Ellis, and others could have gotten it.  Well never know, i could be wrong, but we always assume here that it would cost us our top prospects and yet almost noone ever pays the top guys... its always the guys just below that.

Now the Tigers may have preferred the mets package either way, might be moot... but i feel like we didnt really make a play or weren't patient enough to let it come to us.

It feels to me like Stoneman decided not to wait and moved effectively taking us out of the picture to trade for guys that i dont think anyone was beating down the doors on.   We could have gotten what we got yesterday as easily as 48 hours before... i think he was scared to get nothing and made a mistake. 

Just my 2 cents

[nando714]

I hope all these prospects pan out. Since we have no position players worth anything yet

2018 we will have a 7 man SP rotation

[Broad Street]

I like our trade deadline moves. We've got surplus pitching, and didn't squander anything of value on high priced rentals we can sign in the off season. I don't think we're a World Series contender this year with how strong the Royals, Blue Jays, and Astros got, but at least Stoneman will be turning over a decent team/farm to whoever the next GM will be.

Edited August 1, 2015 by Kody Mac

[Stradling]

So I guess we can put to rest the notion that Scioscia is running this organization and that Stoneman is a puppet. If Sosh was the guy running it he would have certainly wanted to strengthen the pen and line up.

[ettin]

Why does a K%-BB% of 39 sound so awful to me?

It shouldn't. It means he has a 42.4% K% rate and a 3.4% BB% rate in limited sample size. 39% is elite closer type numbers. Again small sample but it is a good portent if he is used in short relief. We already saw last year what he can do in 3-inning stretches so if he goes to 1-inning work it wouldn't surprise me to see him maintain 30%+ K%-BB%. Either way he will be important in the stretch.

[Homebrewer]

The minors should be restocked by 2019, the year that the team will finally need a new field general...

So things are pretty much on schedule..

(Unless Scioscia gets another idiotic contract extension)

[OregonLAA]

Watching Toronto and the Mets makes me a ljte jealous. Toronto went nuts at the deadline and injected life into that team. I haven't heard that stadium like that since Joe Carter walked off the World Series. Nothing pumps up a team like getting 2 of the best players in all of baseball.

The Mets are very similar except theirs was due to Flores NOT getting traded. Dude cries and the city loves the passion then comes back and walks it off the next night. And then they go and get Cespedes. Once again I haven't heard that stadium like that in a decade.

Hard to get excited about Murphy, Victorino and Dejesus. I know those guys are going to come through soon but it does nothing for me in the meantime