Aroldis Chapman

[stormngt]

3 hours ago, yamsi12 said:

A pricey closer is probably the last thing the Angels need to be spending money on.

Improving our bull pen is exactly what we need.  I am tired of the blowpen.it shouldn't take 6 years to produce a quality pen.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

What's the point in spending major money on a closer, if we're always behind?

[AngelsLakersFan]

3 minutes ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

Have you seen the upcoming free agent class? Last year was the time to spend, and we didn't.

That's my point. The only real strength of this FA class is the relief pitching. If we want to sit out this off season I'm not totally against that but there are two issues with that train of though.

1) Arte does not want another 2016 on his hands, he will tell Eppler to spend money.

2) We can't acquire all the pieces we need to improve this team in one offseason. It is going to take time, so if they are spending money with an eye towards the future, elite relievers are not a bad bet because they retain a ton of value on the trade market and don't require long term commitments.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

You must see something that I don't.

[AngelsLakersFan]

Improvement is improvement. Eppler is not just going to sit on his hands this offseason because we suck. We will spend some money. At least with relievers we won't be committing huge dollars long term and there will always be a team in contention that is willing to move significant value in a trade to acquire said relievers.

[Ohtaniland]

2 hours ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

Serious question though. If we aren't going to spend money on quality relievers this off season, who are we going to spend it on (we have the money off the books)? 

If we aren't going to spend money again this offseason, when are we planning on improving the club, 2020?

We don't even have an Ace on this staff. Why don't we start with that.

[stormngt]

44 minutes ago, CALZONE said:

We don't even has an Ace on this staff. Why don't we start with that.

Is there an ace available in this free agent class worth pursuing?  If so I agree with you.

Based on what's been posted there isn't anything in starting pitching that is worth pursuing.  If that's the case spend money on the bull pen and a mid level lf if one is available.  

 

Same the rest for 2017 FA class with Hamilton coming off the books we could have as much as 40 million to spend that year.

[Turd Ferguson]

While we clear Weaver and CJ, Albert gets a bump each season from here on out and Trout moves from $15M to $19M next season and then $33M(!) the next 3 seasons after that. And Simmons gets a $2M bump the next few seasons. So, yeah, we clear some salary but between those two and arbitration increases, I don't think we have as much money freed up as some think.

[California Cajun]

5 hours ago, 19HALO71 said:

Kind of like he wouldn't sign a known recovering drug addict?

Go Halos!!!

I think he wanted any attention that giving a recovering addict a second chance might bring to the Angels,  but he got burned and probably won't do it again.

[m0nkey]

Isn't he eligible for a qualifying offer?  No thanks on giving up a pick for a closer when they already have a serviceable one.

[AngelsLakersFan]

4 hours ago, CALZONE said:

We don't even have an Ace on this staff. Why don't we start with that.

I'd love to but who is available?

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

15 hours ago, AngelsFanSince86 said:

I wouldn't.  I am the opposite.  I don't need the players to be saints, but at a certain point you cross the line.  I don't want to cheer for someone who is just a terrible person.  Its why I hated the Hamilton signing from the start.  I also like players that children can look up to.  In the world of social media and quick access to the internet, its easy for kids to know about who these guys are and what they have done.  When they see that everyone is cheering for them, accepting them, and putting them on a pedestal, it creates a notion in the child's mind that its okay to, say, beat a woman.

If the internet was around 100 years ago, some of the greatest names in baseball may not have lived up to your standards. I think you brought up Hamilton's cheating on his wife. I can't name names but I am sure that is not an uncommon occurrence among pro athletes today and in the days before social media.

As far as drugs go, as little as 20 to 30 years ago amphetamines were given to players like candy before and even during games to build up their endurance. I am fairly certain that the greatest player the game has ever known Babe Ruth would drink to excess regularly, and I fairly certain he wasn't always a faithful husband either.

If you look closely at players you will skeletons in a lot of closets. You hear about them more today because of the press and the internet.

[Lou]

3 hours ago, Ace_Shoemaker? said:

If the internet was around 100 years ago, some of the greatest names in baseball may not have lived up to your standards. I think you brought up Hamilton's cheating on his wife. I can't name names but I am sure that is not an uncommon occurrence among pro athletes today and in the days before social media.

As far as drugs go, as little as 20 to 30 years ago amphetamines were given to players like candy before and even during games to build up their endurance. I am fairly certain that the greatest player the game has ever known Babe Ruth would drink to excess regularly, and I fairly certain he wasn't always a faithful husband either.

If you look closely at players you will skeletons in a lot of closets. You hear about them more today because of the press and the internet.

those are pretty much society's standards

naturally we hear about them more now.  just show the complete idiocy of some of these guys. 

[stormngt]

20 hours ago, Turd Ferguson said:

While we clear Weaver and CJ, Albert gets a bump each season from here on out and Trout moves from $15M to $19M next season and then $33M(!) the next 3 seasons after that. And Simmons gets a $2M bump the next few seasons. So, yeah, we clear some salary but between those two and arbitration increases, I don't think we have as much money freed up as some think.

If not mistaken the salary cap is based on annual average.  The increase in salary should bear no effect.  Arbitration.  Outside of Calhoun who should get a raise in arbitration?  Richard should get a raise since he isn't playing.

[stormngt]

19 hours ago, m0nkey said:

Isn't he eligible for a qualifying offer?  No thanks on giving up a pick for a closer when they already have a serviceable one.

We should have a protected pick.

[Homebrewer]

22 hours ago, CALZONE said:

Chapman is a closer. Nothing to close here. We don't need him.

He could close the lid on the pizza box.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

20 hours ago, m0nkey said:

Isn't he eligible for a qualifying offer?  No thanks on giving up a pick for a closer when they already have a serviceable one.

I hope you're not talking about Street because he has become a dead end Street.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

21 hours ago, Turd Ferguson said:

While we clear Weaver and CJ, Albert gets a bump each season from here on out and Trout moves from $15M to $19M next season and then $33M(!) the next 3 seasons after that. And Simmons gets a $2M bump the next few seasons. So, yeah, we clear some salary but between those two and arbitration increases, I don't think we have as much money freed up as some think.

Trout, Albert, and Simmons have already been averaged in towards the luxury tax. There will be some raises for players in Arbitration. Besides the money freed up from Weaver and Wilson is the probable raise in the new CBA that will happen after the World Series. Also at the pace were going we will get a protected pick in the next amateur draft.

[Turd Ferguson]

2 hours ago, Ace_Shoemaker? said:

Trout, Albert, and Simmons have already been averaged in towards the luxury tax. There will be some raises for players in Arbitration. Besides the money freed up from Weaver and Wilson is the probable raise in the new CBA that will happen after the World Series. Also at the pace were going we will get a protected pick in the next amateur draft.

 

3 hours ago, stormngt said:

If not mistaken the salary cap is based on annual average.  The increase in salary should bear no effect.  Arbitration.  Outside of Calhoun who should get a raise in arbitration?  Richard should get a raise since he isn't playing.

You are both correct. I was looking at it more from Arte's/a business perspective. Just because the cap allows teams to average the salary over the life of the contract doesn't mean that the team can do that when paying a player. The reality is that, regardless of what the cap says, he's going to be paying Trout $20M more per season pretty soon, Albert more every season, Simmons more, arb players more. The cap number and Arte's actual financial obligation to players are two different things. While he can pay more under the cap once Weaver/CJ are cleared, I'm skeptical that he will pay more because of the escalation in some of these contract. At least not until maybe 2017 when we clear Hamilton's corpse. And as others have said, I'm not sure that's a bad thing given next season's FA crop.  

[Vegas Halo Fan]

14 hours ago, Ace_Shoemaker? said:

If you look closely at players you will skeletons in a lot of closets. You hear about them more today because of the press and the internet.

In years past, teams often traveled by train for road trips. The reporters who covered with them usually traveled with the team. It seems fair to say that there was a generous amount of protection of players, especially stars, back in those days. Tabloid sports reporting wouldn't have flown. With modern technology, everyone is essentially a published writer and a broadcaster today. Nothing is a secret anymore.

[Lou]

On 6/29/2016 at 11:19 AM, Kevinb said:

I don't care what u do off the field if it's drugs and hurting yourself. But if u are a domestic abuser child abuser and u have a bunch of dui your kind of an ass face and don't want you on the team I root for. And will root against you every chance I get 

Do you really believe that a drug addict only hurts himself? 

[kevinb]

44 minutes ago, Lou said:

Do you really believe that a drug addict only hurts himself? 

If he wants to do drugs in his house and not be a danger to society by doing it and driving. Sure his friends and family suffer but that's a he or she problem they need to address. They have the ability to stop it and they don't. It doesn't affect my view point as a fan. But if he or she does something like say Greg Hardy who clearly was on something and beat a woman nearly to death then yes it affects other people and it affects how I root for a team. If the Angels signed or traded for Chapman I would root against them till he was off the team. 

[Lou]

Do you really believe he only does drugs in his house? You don't think a millionaire player doing blow ever gets behind the wheel of a car? You don't think he could possibly be abusing his wife while on a bender?  How about caring that it does harm to his children, or is that a he or she problem? Are his kids at fault for not stopping him?  

How about what it does to his performance on the field? Just because he isn't on the field with a straw up his nose doesn't mean the team doesn't suffer. 

Edited July 1, 2016 by Lou

[Blarg]

I find it funny that Kevin rips on Pujols constantly and yet would root for a guy that unloads a gun into his garage when in an argument with a woman. That's kind of fucked up. 

[kevinb]

5 hours ago, Blarg said:

I find it funny that Kevin rips on Pujols constantly and yet would root for a guy that unloads a gun into his garage when in an argument with a woman. That's kind of fucked up. 

Did u not read anything I just said. I would not root for a guy like that and would root against the Angels. Are you high?