Angels Pursuing Ohtani

[Blarg]

Personally I would rather find a way to trade for Vlad Jr. Package up that international money along with prospects and pry him away from the Blue Jays. I doubt there is a package the Angels would sign off on but if it were between Otani and Jr I go with Vlad's kid.

Edited November 30, 2017 by Blarg

[wopphil]

I see no reason the Angels wouldnt be an attractive option for him. West coast, good fan base, opening in the rotation, decent pool money. The biggest impediment is probably Pujols, who will make it almost impossible to play Ohtani at DH. But if the Angels would allow him to play first or right field, Pujols shouldn't be an issue.

[Angels#1Fan]

52 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

1. The Angels go with a 6-man rotation so that each of their pitchers only go once per week. It not only fits what Ohtani is accustomed to in Japan, but could further limit and protect some of our starters coming off injury like Richards, Heaney, Skaggs, Tropeano, even Ramirez if necessary. If there are 6 games per week, he pitches one, sits one, and plays the field for four.

This

[Chuck]

3 minutes ago, Angels#1Fan said:

This

I agree with @Scotty@AW's 6th idea as well. 

[Ohtaniland]

1 minute ago, wopphil said:

I see no reason the Angels wouldnt be an attractive option for him. West coast, good fan base, opening in the rotation, decent pool money. The biggest impediment is probably Pujols, who will make it almost impossible to play Ohtani at DH. But if the Angels would allow him to play first or right field, Pujols shouldn't be an issue.

Yep I have to agree. Scioscia historically always takes care of his veterans first. I’m not so sure that 1B would be very appealing to Ohtani. He’s never played 1B to my knowledge. Imagine that sales pitch, we need you to play 1B because our 38 year old guy can’t. The DH spot is probably the most important non-pitching spot for Ohtani. Let’s not forget we already have a GG’r in RF.

[Angels#1Fan]

1 minute ago, Chuckster70 said:

I agree with @Scotty@AW's 6th idea as well. 

It makes perfect sense for the Angels given so many pitchers coming off of injuries..I believe the Yankees have floated this idea also.

[Chuck]

2 minutes ago, Angels#1Fan said:

It makes perfect sense for the Angels given so many pitchers coming off of injuries..I believe the Yankees have floated this idea also.

Yep, so have the Cubs. 

[Ohtaniland]

1 minute ago, Angels#1Fan said:

It makes perfect sense for the Angels given so many pitchers coming off of injuries..I believe the Yankees have floated this idea also.

Again it’s about who can accommodate him the best. The Yankees can pretty much give him the DH spot full time if needed. It sucks. 

[The_Outrunner]

Is there a decent size Japanese population in the Anaheim area? My grandmother is Japanese and wouldn't move anywhere where there wasn't other Japanese people around. 

[Chuck]

4 minutes ago, Calzone said:

Again it’s about who can accommodate him the best. The Yankees can pretty much give him the DH spot full time if needed. It sucks. 

I see where you're going with this, but just stop there @Calzone.This kid is young and I read he's just as fast as Ichiro at the same age loaded with a canon for an arm. We might see him in RF as a result, or 1B. Either way, he'll be able to play at both positions I'm guessing with an occasional DH, giving Pujols a day or two off a week to stay healthy. 

[Chuck]

This home-to-first time for Ohtani is totally legit. Heard this from too many people who have seen him. He'd be one of the fastest players in baseball. https://t.co/AknZAT2o7g

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 30, 2017

3.80 sec to 1st base on this one. Quite fast. pic.twitter.com/K6bG2a2xRU

— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) November 30, 2017

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, Calzone said:

But here’s the issue. We have a full time DH. That is the safest position to put him in when he’s not pitching. I think he just had an ankle surgery and did a lot of DHing.

Or maybe that's not at issue at all.   

Maybe all that talk about expecting bigger and better things from a healthier AP is nothing more than lip service and the team realizes it needs to transition from AP/Trout to Trout/Someone else.    Or, you know maybe they aren't talking smack and they are getting medicals on him that show he's actually way ahead of where he's been health wise...      Regardless -- if the plan is to pair Trout with another legit front line player at some point there is no denying that chasing Ohtani would be cheaper than trying for Machado, Arenado, Harper etc etc...   Hell given the unique situation with Ohtani's contract flexibility maybe they actually envision a world where they could get him and STILL chase someone bigger next year...  

Or it could just be even simpler -- like keeping those 3 million people you always point to as the Arte's primary motivation happy and continuing to go to games in the future....  

The only thing this development really shows is that the Angels are no longer telegraphing their intentions and as was the case with Simmons, and Upton, they will continue to surprise us.

[CanadianHalo]

So is this kid supposed to be better than Darvish?

I really haven’t been bothered to look much into Ohtani because I never thought it was a possibility 

[Chuck]

Just now, CanadianHalo said:

So is this kid supposed to be better than Darvish?

I really haven’t been bothered to look much into Ohtani because I never thought it was a possibility 

Better stuff than Darvish, as fast as Ichiro and possibly as much power as Matsui. 

[Chuck]

Also, Arte must have grown very frustrated over the past two years' decline in attendance. 

The reason he went after Pujols and Hamilton was to drive his brand and increase attendance. 

Othani not only makes us a much better team, but will also put butts in the seat & drive more viewership locally on Fox Sports and nationally because everyone will want to see Trout and Ohtani in the same lineup/team. 

[makepeac]

33 minutes ago, The_Outrunner said:

Is there a decent size Japanese population in the Anaheim area? My grandmother is Japanese and wouldn't move anywhere where there wasn't other Japanese people around. 

I work off Katella near Knott which is where Southwest Anaheim borders Cypress, Los Al, & Stanton. There are many major Japanese automotive companies with US offices in the area including Mitsubishi Motors, Toyo, Yamaha and Suburu. Lots of great noodle and curry restaurants nearby catering to that crowd as well.

[Ohtaniland]

14 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Or maybe that's not at issue at all.   

Maybe all that talk about expecting bigger and better things from a healthier AP is nothing more than lip service and the team realizes it needs to transition from AP/Trout to Trout/Someone else.    Or, you know maybe they aren't talking smack and they are getting medicals on him that show he's actually way ahead of where he's been health wise...      Regardless -- if the plan is to pair Trout with another legit front line player at some point there is no denying that chasing Ohtani would be cheaper than trying for Machado, Arenado, Harper etc etc...   Hell given the unique situation with Ohtani's contract flexibility maybe they actually envision a world where they could get him and STILL chase someone bigger next year...  

Or it could just be even simpler -- like keeping those 3 million people you always point to as the Arte's primary motivation happy and continuing to go to games in the future....  

The only thing this development really shows is that the Angels are no longer telegraphing their intentions and as was the case with Simmons, and Upton, they will continue to surprise us.

IP I would like nothing more than to see Ohtani in our lineup but the DH position is extremely important to protect a guy that throws 100mph+ 

This was something I read earlier.

 

[Mark68]

23 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Or maybe that's not at issue at all.   

Maybe all that talk about expecting bigger and better things from a healthier AP is nothing more than lip service and the team realizes it needs to transition from AP/Trout to Trout/Someone else.    Or, you know maybe they aren't talking smack and they are getting medicals on him that show he's actually way ahead of where he's been health wise...      Regardless -- if the plan is to pair Trout with another legit front line player at some point there is no denying that chasing Ohtani would be cheaper than trying for Machado, Arenado, Harper etc etc...   Hell given the unique situation with Ohtani's contract flexibility maybe they actually envision a world where they could get him and STILL chase someone bigger next year...  

Or it could just be even simpler -- like keeping those 3 million people you always point to as the Arte's primary motivation happy and continuing to go to games in the future....  

The only thing this development really shows is that the Angels are no longer telegraphing their intentions and as was the case with Simmons, and Upton, they will continue to surprise us.

It may also be part of a plan to ensure AP stays (relatively) healthy by lessening his workload.

[eaterfan]

From what I've read, he's not really an every day hitter in MLB. He's a pitcher who can hit. His seeing is too long to work against MLB pitching.

I figure he's a #1 starter who is an 80 runner and can get you 200 ABs in a pinch. A great player to have on the roster. He's not a guy you make room for in a line up.

[Inside Pitch]

41 minutes ago, Calzone said:

IP I would like nothing more than to see Ohtani in our lineup but the DH position is extremely important to protect a guy that throws 100mph+ 

This was something I read earlier.

 

I applaud you for linking to an opinion piece that speaks of what "the consensus seems", but those words are opinion.   The author believes that's what MOST teams will do, it's not a cold iron fact and it doesn't mean the Angels would be one of those teams.   Pretty simple premise to grasp when there isn't an agenda involved. 

More importantly my point and what you tend to gloss over is that nobody on this message board has any real clue what the Angels are thinking beyond the fluff they put out there and for all we know it's meant as misdirection -- all this Ohtani talk may just be more misdirection...  it's a two way street.   What I do know is that you didn't see the Simmons deal coming, you certainly didn't believe the Angels would trade for Upton -- you don't envision them being players for Ohtani...  and yet the first two are in Anaheim and the team is possibly trying to maneuver to make a play for Ohtani.  Again, for all we know they are getting reports on AP that are leading them to believe he might be able to spend more time at 1B.  If that were the case then your entire belief that open DH at bats are a vital part of equation may not be a problem at all.

I know what you think..  what I'm saying is none of us know what the Angels know, or what they may be thinking.

But by all means -- continue to speak in absolutes.   Afterall, Girarid did in fact save his job and Upton certainly did opt out...    

[Inside Pitch]

15 minutes ago, Mark68 said:

It may also be part of a plan to ensure AP stays (relatively) healthy by lessening his workload.

My personal opinion is the Angels see the writing on the wall with AP and aren't as concerned with that as they are in competing in general.  They will continue to say and do all the right things so long as AP is an Angel but a team that has seemingly taken to analytics isn't likely to delude itself as to what to expect from AP.   No doubt having someone to spell AP can only help to keep him fresh but i think that would be more fluff than actual reasoning.

[oater]

14 minutes ago, Mark68 said:

It may also be part of a plan to ensure AP stays (relatively) healthy by lessening his workload.

I agree with this sentiment 100%.  For many reasons, the Angels need to continue to play AP, but he can no longer survive the rigors of playing  every game. A good plan would be to give him at least one day off a week starting in 2018 and by 2021, he will likely be a part-time player and pinch hitter.

[Inside Pitch]

44 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Better stuff than Darvish, as fast as Ichiro and possibly as much power as Matsui. 

So, the only thing missing is "Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound"....

[totdprods]

Ahhhhh hahahahha.

 

Jeff Fletcher

@JeffFletcherOCR

·

3m

To officially remove any doubt... #Angels GM Billy Eppler: "The money acquired in this deal was with an eye toward Shohei Ohtani and the pursuit of him as a player for us."

[ten ocho recon scout]

1 hour ago, Blarg said:

Personally I would rather find a way to trade for Vlad Jr. Package up that international money along with prospects and pry him away from the Blue Jays. I doubt there is a package the Angels would sign off on but if it were between Otani and Jr I go with Vlad's kid.

Agree fully. Ill support this, but wouldnt be my choice personally.