Free agency

[Guest]

Cespedes and Howie. A good SP and some BP help would be killer as well. 

[Guest]

How often do the Angels go back to the well for players who were here before? I think that and Greinke's desire to stay in the NL (not to mention he'$ coming off probably his be$t $ea$on) probably ensures he won't be coming here.

He'll go to the team offering the most money. 

[AngelArcher]

I think the Angels need to focus on 2nd tier FAs and look for bargains. Top FAs are almost always overpays that rarely work out.  

[Docwaukee]

Cespedes, Zobrist, Cueto, Clippard and Uribe.  That's it.  Just those 5 guys and about 70mil in payroll added for next year.  

[ten ocho recon scout]

No ones really high on upton, huh? What about jaso to split with perez, hes a FA isnt he?

[Angel Oracle]

Span would be much cheaper than Heyward.

Where does Span's defense rank?

Will Scioscia let him run often enough?

Was the injury this past season one that will affect him going into 2016?

 

Really, the perfect scenario was signing Vlad after 2003 after he played in just 2/3 of the Expos' games due to the back issue.

That scared enough teams off so that he could be signed for 5 years/$70 million plus the option year.

A 28 year-old who proved to still have 6 good to great seasons in him when signing.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Angel Oracle

[Hubs]

The Angels need a lot of help in a lot of different areas. I'd try not to give up your first round pick, and there are a lot of names out there that wouldn't require that.

 

I'd like to see Darren O'Day and Ben Zobrist. I like Chris Davis but the draft pick attached and the 208 k's scare me. I'd love to get Adam Lind but think the Brewers will exercise his option. Denard Span is intriguing, as they do need a true leadoff hitter. I like the Mets version of Cespedes and that arm in left is worth a lot. However, I remember the A's version and he's not a superstar bat. But he will be paid like it.

 

Via Trade I'd like to see Carlos Gonzalez or as mentioned above Lind.

 

I'd also be interested in Jarrod Saltalamacchia but am not certain if the D'Backs own his rights as he was cut in May by the Marlins but then finished the year with the D'Backs. I'd not expect him to catch more than say 50 games, but offensively he could be a boost at very little dollar value. He'd also be insurance at first in case the Angels have to move Cron to get a bat in left. As a C/1B/DH, is he so terrible an option? Remember he'd be playing for the league minimum (to the Angels anyway).

[disarcina]

I don't see Kendrick coming back to the Angels -- I would think the Dodgers would want to re-sign him based on the season he had -- even if he was on the DL there at the end.

 

I think getting a player like Cespedes would be a good addition. He sure propelled the A's that first half what? two years ago and this year he certainly helped spark the Mets down the stretch.

 

He's a guy who when he's in the line up , for whatever reason, the whole team seems to play better and the team wins.

 

I don't see Freese coming back to Anaheim.....he's not that great on D down there.

Now, I have a real question for Halos posters here -- what do we do with Featherston -- is he the new Mathis or something -- we essentially wasted a roster spot ALL SEASON on Featherston just because he was a Rule V guy and he's proven he can't hit which makes one think he's a good on D MIF guy and then he's inserted in the line up and makes errors in the field that costs ballgames.

We kept him on the MLB roster ALL SEASON so that we wouldn't have to send him back to Colorado -- so does that mean we waste another roster spot on him next year?? Or did we keep him to provide SLC with a starting infielder???  That roster decision puzzled me out of ST and continued on all season.

 

Meanwhile the LA Dodgers had an abundance of MIF in camp during ST including a guy he started for the Chicago Cubs a few years back and perhaps even won a gold glove -- Darwin Barney --- he was/is a better fielding MIF than any of our candidates we had in camp competing for the starting 2B job that Johnny G won -- I said 'watch to see what LA Dogs' do with Barney' - they kept him on the roster, then sent him to AAA and somewhere along the way -- I see he's now on the Toronto Blue Jays' roster and we will likely see him in the late innings of the playoff games as a Pinch Runner/ defensive replacement..........and we kept / will be keeping Featherston???

[WallyWorld]

Who's this Mike Napoli kid? Sounds intriguing.

[disarcina]

yeah -- I'm sure Scioscia will get right on that signing Napoli deal........

 

wasn't it just great to see Hamilton and Napoli at the plate over the weekend with that little extra incentive to just bash the heck out of the Halos.

 

Hamilton should have worn a sign " Thanks for the paycheck, Arte!"

 

oh well.

[Mark68]

He'll go to the team offering the most money. 

And that won't be the Angels.

[KevinJ14]

Wei-Yin Chen? Austin Jackson?

[Hubs]

Featherston is likely Aybars replacement in 2017. Baldoquin is likely to be a second baseman

[Make Angels Great Again]

Sherman Johnson will be replacing Aybar.

 

I'm pretty sure of that one.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Sherman Johnson will be replacing Aybar.

I'm pretty sure of that one.

reading "johnson" and "aybar" in one sentance reminds me of the minor league stories

[Angels Never Die]

Is anyone else interested in Heyward?

[ten ocho recon scout]

A lot of guys are. Im not really...but ive seen you and another few of rhe smarter guys on here mention him, so im open to it. I just think hes gonna cost our whole piggy bank and be a decent bat upgrade at best.

[AngelsLakersFan]

Depends on what we can get him for. I think he is the single biggest upgrade available to this team through the FA market. He's still just 26 so I can't imagine him falling off a cliff like these other guys have. Also we could give him an opt out claus after 4 years which will turn this into just a 4 year deal and provide him the motivation to produce for a second big FA contract at 30.

[Second Base]

Personally, I want to preach fiscal responsibility. Just because you CAN purchase somebody, doesn't mean you should. There isn't ONE player that can fix everything. The Angels need someone to get on base in front of Trout, and a another to hit behind him and knock him in.

1. Trade Santiago for a RH platoon bat in RF. Looking at Calhoun's splits hurts. This would be a cost effective way to improve the offense. Move Calhoun down in the order.

2. Re-up Murphy, but in a 4th OF role. We need a bat off the bench to provide depth.

3. Sign Span for LF. He improves the defense and gets on base for Trout.

4. Trade Giavotella for a middle relief pitcher to slot in the 6th or 7th inning.

5. Sign Kendrick. This improves the Angels defensively, and puts another run producer in the middle of the lineup.

6. Let Bandy and Kubitza take over platoon catcher and third base. It puts another LHB in the lineup as well as increased OBP, power and defense at key positions.

7. Sign Willie Bloomquist as UTIF.

Build a lineup of LF Span CF Trout 2B Kendrick DH Pujols RF Calhoun 1B Cron SS Aybar C Perez/Bandy 3B Kubitza.

For a team that should cost nothing more than the luxury tax, we'll have improved defense, created a deeper bullpen, improved the clubhouse, and most importantly, build a STEADY offense by sandwiching Trout with Span and Kendrick, and Pujols with Kendrick and Calhoun, Calhoun with Pujols and Cron. When you build something like that, you have someone stepping up every night.

[ten ocho recon scout]

As far as a RF platooning with calhoun...and im gonna get flamed for this...but sesttle might want to move trumbo instead of giving him more in arb. His numbers against lefties were pretty good this year. Very good actually.

Or im just nostalgic.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Trumbo and murphy would actually be a decent bench. Trumbo could split time with calhoun and pujols, allow to you to package cron with santiago/tropeano...

Or again im being nostalgic

[stormngt]

Wasn't it just a year ago that this board was yelling for Scioscia's job because he had the audacity of platooning Calhoun?

Personally, I want to preach fiscal responsibility. Just because you CAN purchase somebody, doesn't mean you should. There isn't ONE player that can fix everything. The Angels need someone to get on base in front of Trout, and a another to hit behind him and knock him in.

1. Trade Santiago for a RH platoon bat in RF. Looking at Calhoun's splits hurts. This would be a cost effective way to improve the offense. Move Calhoun down in the order.

2. Re-up Murphy, but in a 4th OF role. We need a bat off the bench to provide depth.

3. Sign Span for LF. He improves the defense and gets on base for Trout.

4. Trade Giavotella for a middle relief pitcher to slot in the 6th or 7th inning.

5. Sign Kendrick. This improves the Angels defensively, and puts another run producer in the middle of the lineup.

6. Let Bandy and Kubitza take over platoon catcher and third base. It puts another LHB in the lineup as well as increased OBP, power and defense at key positions.

7. Sign Willie Bloomquist as UTIF.

Build a lineup of LF Span CF Trout 2B Kendrick DH Pujols RF Calhoun 1B Cron SS Aybar C Perez/Bandy 3B Kubitza.

For a team that should cost nothing more than the luxury tax, we'll have improved defense, created a deeper bullpen, improved the clubhouse, and most importantly, build a STEADY offense by sandwiching Trout with Span and Kendrick, and Pujols with Kendrick and Calhoun, Calhoun with Pujols and Cron. When you build something like that, you have someone stepping up every night.

[Blarg]

I think Halomatt put it perfectly, Cespedes is fools gold. I am going to lump David Price in that catagorey simply because of mileage on his arm. I can see him straining a forearm just signing a contract and a year and a half later returning with a 87 mph fastball.

Zero over 30 guys, I don't care what they did someplace else, Anaheim seems to have the Leasure World effect and strips them of their last minutes of baseball life. See ghost Pujols for an example.

[Blarg]

ScottyA_MWAH, Calhoun hit 26 home runs and produced 83 rbi's while being shuffled through the lineup. He also cut down 11 runners and suppressed more from taking an extra base in respect for his arm.

No to your idea of a platoon, it would not reap any rewards over the season.

Edited October 6, 2015 by notti

[Glen]

As you'll see in an upcoming PCP, Heyward is the answer. Speedy OBP LF for the leadoff spot. Fills two holes at once.