2016 Left Field

[ten ocho recon scout]

Here's a question though.

We all know that Trout didn't run much in 2015.

But why did he only have a 61% success rate when he did? He was routinely at least at 82.5% the previous 3 seasons.

wondering the same thing. If hes not running now for whatever reason (to save his legs, avoid injury, whatever), ok fine. But he susddenly wasnt good at stealing anymore last year either. Wondering why

[nando714]

Want: Upton

Also want: Cargo - but don't think we have the prospects to make it happen

Probable: Gordon

Cargo at 2 yrs 38m is a steal. Depending on what they give up though

[bloodbrother]

Gordon's one of the most consistent hitters in baseball with RISP, so I could see his overall batting average being around .300.  If hes batting behind Trout, he will get plenty of RBI opportunities.  My numbers might be off but im thinking somewhere around 5/110 would be realistic, but then again im not sure how much other teams value him.  Hes a lefty bat and for the next 3 years should post a solid OBP of around .350 or better.  Seems like the perfect candidate for the Angels to sign.  Escobar/Trout/Gordon/Pujols/Calhoun would be a very nice L/R combination.

 

 

 

I like the looks of that lineup but I'm having a hard time seeing Sosh bat Pujols anywhere except next to Trout

[Hollyw00d]

Nava/gentry/murphy

Yes, a 3 man platoon

[floplag]

OK... well, for me there are a lot of things i like, but it comes down to years, dollars, age, and impact.
 

We all know we NEED more OBP and LH presence...  The really impact guys that give that are no longer there, assuming they ever were.. no secret i wasn't big on Heyward.  so it comes down to do we go after the best we can that fits that need, or do we just go for the most impact we can get.

 

If they truly feel we must go in the OBP/LH area then i suspect Gordon looks good to them but i hope to god he doesn't look 4-5 years good.   I would rather go back to the Dogs on the Wilson/Ethier thing or some other trade option like CarGo than pay 4-5 years for Gordon.

Impact wise, we all know what Cespedes can do, literally put the Mets in the playoffs last season and carried them on his back for a month... most of the other guys on this list dont really have that ability.   But im not wild about any kind of long term deal there either and he doesnt fit the whole LH.OBP model by any stretch.

 

I do no like Upton at all... any player at this level that needs to be babied and coddled to find motivation is not on my list. 

Truth be told right now im not in favor of almost any long term deals. I dont feel like i  see anyone out there that really merits one.   Id rather make a trade using one of the arms to fill the void for maybe 2 years or so and then play this game after that contract is done. 
 

[Stradling]

Nava/gentry/murphy

Yes, a 3 man platoon

You are the new Eeyore.

[Stradling]

OK... well, for me there are a lot of things i like, but it comes down to years, dollars, age, and impact.

We all know we NEED more OBP and LH presence... The really impact guys that give that are no longer there, assuming they ever were.. no secret i wasn't big on Heyward. so it comes down to do we go after the best we can that fits that need, or do we just go for the most impact we can get.

If they truly feel we must go in the OBP/LH area then i suspect Gordon looks good to them but i hope to god he doesn't look 4-5 years good. I would rather go back to the Dogs on the Wilson/Ethier thing or some other trade option like CarGo than pay 4-5 years for Gordon.

Impact wise, we all know what Cespedes can do, literally put the Mets in the playoffs last season and carried them on his back for a month... most of the other guys on this list dont really have that ability. But im not wild about any kind of long term deal there either and he doesnt fit the whole LH.OBP model by any stretch.

I do no like Upton at all... any player at this level that needs to be babied and coddled to find motivation is not on my list.

Truth be told right now im not in favor of almost any long term deals. I dont feel like i see anyone out there that really merits one. Id rather make a trade using one of the arms to fill the void for maybe 2 years or so and then play this game after that contract is done.

Guys like Cespedes and Upton have always gotten long term deals. I kind of put Gordon in the same category as I put Hunter Pence in, which means he will get paid. If you are looking for the guy that needs to least amount of accountability and probably the best team mate it will be Gordon. If you are looking for the guy that has the most upside it is Upton, if you are looking for the most dynamic, but probably the most stubborn it will end up being Cespedes. My vote hasn't changed, I want Upton, followed by Gordon.

[floplag]

Guys like Cespedes and Upton have always gotten long term deals. I kind of put Gordon in the same category as I put Hunter Pence in, which means he will get paid. If you are looking for the guy that needs to least amount of accountability and probably the best team mate it will be Gordon. If you are looking for the guy that has the most upside it is Upton, if you are looking for the most dynamic, but probably the most stubborn it will end up being Cespedes. My vote hasn't changed, I want Upton, followed by Gordon.

 

Fair enough but at this point in his career what upside does Upton really have?  or at least any reasonable expectation that he may find it?  Far as i can see he pretty much is what he has been. 

Thats not to say he has been bad or anything just that to expect him to be better seems unlikely.  

[Stradling]

Fair enough but at this point in his career what upside does Upton really have? or at least any reasonable expectation that he may find it? Far as i can see he pretty much is what he has been.

Thats not to say he has been bad or anything just that to expect him to be better seems unlikely.

He's 28 years old. So how bout the upside would be similar performance with less chance of drop off for the next 3 or 4 years. Maybe upside is not the perfect term, maybe prime years is better.

[Hollyw00d]

You are the new Eeyore.

If something was going to happen, it would have already.

There's no other team that has a bigger LF need than the angels

[Stradling]

If something was going to happen, it would have already.

There's no other team that has a bigger LF need than the angels

Ok, how many of the big four outfielders are left? Three. So are you saying that since we weren't the first to sign one that we aren't going to sign one? Or are you saying those three are going to sit out the entire year? Here is one more question for you, do you think the price is going up for these guys or down? The answer is clearly down. Remember everyone thought Heyward was going to get 10 years and well over $200 million. What if the Angels went off of that and signed Cespedes to a bargain at 6 years and $150 million. I am guessing the price is coming down on all of these guys. You just want instant gratification.

[Hollyw00d]

You dont understand supply and demand.

As these guys get signed, which they will because the angels aren't the only interested team, the prices on the remaining players go up

Because we didn't sign heyward, we will have to pay market value or even overpay for the remaining inferior options.

I don't see how you don't get this

[Hollyw00d]

Cespedes at 6 years 150 million is not a bargain or discount by any stretch of reality

[floplag]

Cespedes at 6 years 150 million is not a bargain or discount by any stretch of reality

 

im a fan, but i dont do that... no way no how. 

[Stradling]

Ok, but what you don't understand is the demand is going down.

[Stradling]

Cespedes at 6 years 150 million is not a bargain or discount by any stretch of reality

That is my point, if they would have used the Educated Guess of what the Heyward deal would have been and we jumped the gun and offered that contract to Cespedes it would have been an overpay.

[Hollyw00d]

Why would we offer a contract to cespedes while heyward was still on the market?

[Hollyw00d]

Ok, but what you don't understand is the demand is going down.

No, it isn't. The angels still have a huge need. Other teams will jump in and sign these guys if our FO sits on their asses

[ettin]

You dont understand supply and demand.

As these guys get signed, which they will because the angels aren't the only interested team, the prices on the remaining players go up

Because we didn't sign heyward, we will have to pay market value or even overpay for the remaining inferior options.

I don't see how you don't get this

 

With all due respect to both of you Hollywood you're looking at it strictly from a supply side view while Stradling is looking at it more from a demand point of view.

 

Both of those combined determine need and want. In an isolated world with unlimited demand when the supply dwindles prices will rise. In an isolated world where unlimited supply with dwindling demand prices will fall.

 

Upton will still get what he was going to get paid because he is a young star still. However after him I'd expect prices to begin fall ever so slightly because the demand is lessening and you still have a plethora of mid and lower tier OF's available. It won't be a landslide until you get into the lower tier market.

 

On the flip side the 3B market is probably pretty supply side.

[Stradling]

No, it isn't. The angels still have a huge need. Other teams will jump in and sign these guys if our FO sits on their asses

So why haven't the other teams jumped on it yet? Why are we the idiots? Wouldn't that mean any team with a need in the outfield or at DH are idiots? One of the big four is gone, that's it. That guy more than likely wasn't coming here anyway considering he turned down at least one $200 million contract.

[TroutField]

I'm on the Upton train, I'm a firm believer we need a feared bat because we just can't rely on Pujols anymore with all of his injuries and his startling decline. Gordon and Cespedes are complimentary players in my eyes and we need to give Trout help. Gordon would be my second choice due to the OBP, he would be an ideal option to hit 2nd and move Calhoun down to 5th or 6th. If we are trying to stay under the tax I am so down with signing Kim because all of his numbers seem like they will translate well. I also saw an idea about getting a big name outfielder and signing Kim anyways, give Kim can be your 4th outfielder, in that case a trade of Calhoun would make sense although I don't want to see him traded.

[Angel Oracle]

Hasn't Justin Upton been a little too up and down in his career?

He's not nearly as bad as Melvin Upton at that, but still leery of it.

[Turd Ferguson]

Give me Gordon at 5/$90M. Good defense, on-base skills, and LH. His age is a concern but his defense/on-base should hold value. That contract is not exorbitant and would, I think, give us some wiggle room at RP/2b. Not to mention we still would have some SP trade chips (CJ/Santiago) to fill holes/free up payroll. An Upton or even Cespedes I think would give us no financial flexibility and would require a trade. Not the best situation to be in from a leverage standpoint. 

[Hollyw00d]

Hasn't Justin Upton been a little too up and down in his career?

He's not nearly as bad as Melvin Upton at that, but still leery of it.

Depends on the sample size.

He's extremely bipolar over the course of a single season. But by the end of the year, the totals are usually consistent

[Hollyw00d]

He is consistently an extremely fast starter. His Aprils are usually monstrous

Could help with the angels annual slow starts