How do the Angels get younger, deeper and better?

[Adam]

Trumbo and Bourjos ARE young talent.  Why move them for question marks?

Neither can pitch though.

[mtangelsfan]

Man, we talkin' bout pitchin'.  I mean pitchin'.  Ain't no hittin' just pitchin'

[mtangelsfan]

Seriously though, I think we need to sign more Japanese players from South Korea.

[Adam]

If someone has a better idea on how to add 3-5 quality arms (SPs or RPs) without trading Bourjos and Trumbo, there's a future for you as a GM

[ukyah]

mexicans from the D.R. are ok, i guess. so are the japanese from south korea, but what we really need are some dominicans from cuba.

[Blarg]

Dominicans from Cuba are used as trade bait for pitchers from Seattle that may or may not be Mexicans but look like them.

[NrM]

Trumbo and Bourjos ARE young talent.  Why move them for question marks?

By the time the Angels will be the competitive, they will be old and expensive players.

If the Angels rebuild(which is a very big possibility after this year), then Trumbo and Bourjos should be the first guys to go.

[Mark68]

What's wrong with Mexicans from Mexico?

[IEAngelsfan]

You guys need to broaden your search.

How about Martians from Venus?

[YouthofToday]

The Angels need to stop sacrificing their 1st round pick every year Cy chasing 30+ players with $100 or $200+ million contracts. Arte's insistence on an NBA style GM strategy of collecting All-Stars is really curious.

[deakscauz]

If someone has a better idea on how to add 3-5 quality arms (SPs or RPs) without trading Bourjos and Trumbo, there's a future for you as a GM

 

Here is the thing that frustrates me the most about Angels fans. What dictates a quality pitcher? Is it a guy who is going to eat 200 innings a year? A sub 4.00 ERA? An ERA+ of around 160-180? There are multiple things that a pitcher can excel at to be considered quality. The bottom line is I think most Angel fans at this point in time would just be happy with a guy with an ERA around 5.00 and can pitch 6-7 inning while allowing under 5 runs. 

 

Like it or not, out of Vargas, Hanson, and Blanton you are not getting much return were you to trade them, even then you have to wait it out until after the trade deadline via a waiver trade. Even then you are hoping someone over reaches. Blanton isn't going to go anywhere this year, he is locked up for 2 years for roughly double what he should have been paid. In terms of quality vs cost it's an albatross contract.

 

The only thing you can really do this year is start by maybe making a trade involving someone like Bourjos or Kendrick or Callaspo, then realizing that you aren't getting an A prospect. Realistically you are getting maybe a B but most likely a low C propsect. Out of those 3 players, Bourjos nets you the best return, but there is constantly outcry about keeping Bourjos.

 

The only option right now to provide an influx of arms is to call them up and see how they do. We don't have a lot of talent in the system, but in terms of what you are getting from your "veterans" the statistical difference would be minimal, possibly even better. What prevents the organization of doing something like this is that there is no history with prospects. We can look at Vargas' body of work and realize that he will most likely return to form sometime during the season and pitch quite well.

[Grigori]

I have an idea, if I might offer a little objectivity.  The Angels are probably three or four years away from fielding a competitive team. In the meantime, all of Trout's talents are being squandered.  They might consider trading Trout to the Texas Rangers for a few A-ball players who will be ready for the Big Leagues in a few years.  The Rangers have some really good prospects at that level, like Joey Gallo, who we got as a compensation pick for losing CJ Wilson to the Angels.

 

Now, why would the Rangers do this?  Well, the Rangers might be interested in using Trout in left field. There's a lot of ground to cover there in our home park, and he might be ideal for that job.  Murphy is a free agent at the end of the year. So, this might be a good time to swoop in and get some premium talent. Dipoto seems to like ex-Rangers players. This might be a way he could get some before they are so expensive.

 

Just a thought.   

[Blarg]

What's wrong with Mexicans from Mexico?

Come on man, we are having a hard enough time stemming immigration from Mexico now you want to let them take our high paying jobs?

[Blarg]

Grigori that wasn't funny the last time you posted that.

[HaloCory22]

Pitching wins championships. I'm all for trading Bourjos, Trumbo, Aybar, Cron, etc. for some young arms around AA or MLB ready.(Hey, maybe we can get Skaggs and Corbin back!....) We'd have Trout, Pujols, Hamilton, Cowart, Lindsay, etc. to build around and we arguably wouldn't lose a step.

[HaloCory22]

Can we send a scout to the local Home Depot for some Mexican talent?

[tomsred]

That made me laugh too. Let's just hope it was intentional. Adam might be a bit cloistered in his libertarian compound up in Idaho.

It's a classic.

[tomsred]

Can we send a scout to the local Home Depot for some Mexican talent?

The moving reimbursement would be cheaper.

[ukyah]

i can't get enough ranger humor. at least mariner humor is self effacing.

[mulwin444]

One word: Steroids

[mrwicked]

If someone has a better idea on how to add 3-5 quality arms (SPs or RPs) without trading Bourjos and Trumbo, there's a future for you as a GM

 

trout for a team's ace and top 2 pitching prospects.

then flip the prospects for utley.

and trade utley and pujols for gmjr and trout.

use lastings milledge for long relief and kickoffs.

its not ideal but you're face-off percentage will be tops in the league.

[MattFromSimiValley]

The only way you rebuild now is to unload your large contracts of players who will do nothing for the rebuild. These players include CJ Wilson, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. The only way you are going to get another team to take any of these scraps is to include players who have value like Jered Weaver maybe Howie Kendrick possibly Ferie and Aybar. So you gonna have to package up a deal like Jham+CJ+Weaver for minor leaguers then package up Pujols+Kendrick+Aybar+Feiri for minor leaguers. That is your best bet to build a competetive team within the next decade. Otherwise this team is sunk for a looooong time. Jerry Buss would know how to fix this fiasco, and it takes bold moves.

[Tyler]

lol

[deakscauz]

The only way you rebuild now is to unload your large contracts for players who will do nothing for the rebuild. These players include CJ Wilson, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. The only way you are going to get another team to take any of these scraps is to include players who have value like Jered Weaver maybe Howie Kendrick possibly Ferie and Aybar. So you gonna have to package up a deal like Jham+CJ+Weaver for minor leaguers then package up Pujols+Kendrick+Aybar+Feiri for minor leaguers. That is your best bet to build a competetive team within the next decade. Otherwise this team is sunk for a looooong time. Jerry Buss would know how to fix this fiasco, and it takes bold moves.

 

No, and please, let's not even pretend that unloading Wilson, Pujols and Hamilton are realistic scenarios.

 

Pujols didn't have a great year by his standards, but he had a great year for an average player, even what an average player would consider a "career year." So yes, Pujols may have had a "down year," but still quite good in most regards. Also, what upsets people so much is that he didn't have a "great year" for Albert Pujols standards. So he didn't hit .340/45-50HR/125+RBI. The best thing for Albert right now I truly believe is to go on the DL for 15 days and do absolutely nothing but rest his foot. You don't play a $200million+ investment in the condition he is in. When he returns you have hit become a full time DH and allow Trumbo to solidify himself at 1st.

 

Hamilton is bar none the streakiest hitter I have ever seen. To think that he will a) yield anything on the trade floor right now is just plain idiotic, and b ) he will not have this type of year all year. Once again, he will have what most likely will be a below average year for Hamilton, but an above average year for most players. I foresee a .250/25HR/85RBI type year give or take. Is that atrocious? No. Is it for the type of money he makes? Of course, and that is the sticking issue again.

 

People just need to realize that you aren't pissed that these players are having bad years so to speak, you are most likely pissed that they make so much and are having bad years. But to throw out trade scenarios where guys like Wilson, Pujols, and Kendrick are traded as one package for C level prospects is....well I don't know exactly how to put it. 

 

Face the music. On this roster you have very few trade options. Kendrick is one, but most likely this year only as a partial no trade kicks in next year. You could theoretically trade Trumbo or Trout, though management would be fired very quickly I imagine. And you have Bourjos and maybe Aybar. Outside that you have prospects. You don't contend for years straight by renting players, you do it by renting your players to other teams for their prospects.

[deakscauz]

trout for a team's ace and top 2 pitching prospects.

then flip the prospects for utley.

and trade utley and pujols for gmjr and trout.

use lastings milledge for long relief and kickoffs.

its not ideal but you're face-off percentage will be tops in the league.

 

I have to say this is my favorite post I have seen so far in my short time here.