Off-season wishlist

[ten ocho recon scout]

1 hour ago, UndertheHalo said:

In a perfect world we would get Machado to play 3b and Keuchel to reinforce the rotation.  Grandal to play backstop.  Machado allows us to trade Ward.  Who we can then flip for another decent pitching prospect.

No big deal. 

Then sign harper to play left, and trade justin upton to verlander for kate upton.

[Jeff Fletcher]

Pretty sure everyone in this thread is over 30.

[kevinb]

Truly any one true wish for this offseason if I had one would be that the Angels release or force Albert to retire. I just am over it. Him being in the team is basically ruining all depth what so ever. We need 3 people to be able to play multiple positions just to accommodate him. If the Angels could get a legit 1st baseman. It would transform this entire line up. I can’t take watching him and his 280 OBP anymore. Please Angels and Albert do the fans and the team a solid. 

[Lou]

Pujols in July:

.306  BA 

.925  OPS

[Angel Oracle]

Maybe by cutting his starts to 120 per season, they can get Pujols through the next 2 seasons through 2020, and then it’s not so much money to eat when he retires?   Just $30 million in 2021

[Stradling]

5 hours ago, Kevinb said:

Truly any one true wish for this offseason if I had one would be that the Angels release or force Albert to retire. I just am over it. Him being in the team is basically ruining all depth what so ever. We need 3 people to be able to play multiple positions just to accommodate him. If the Angels could get a legit 1st baseman. It would transform this entire line up. I can’t take watching him and his 280 OBP anymore. Please Angels and Albert do the fans and the team a solid. 

You misspelled Ohtani

[nate]

Dozier, Machado, and a whole new pitching staff that isn't damaged goods.

And of course, no more Scioscia

[totdprods]

I love thinking about roster-building, but it's way too early. We need to see what (likely) Ward, Fletcher, JMF, Shoe, the catchers, Ohtani, and the relievers do.

Rengifo, Thaiss, Suarez, and Canning may affect things too.

We have a lot of needs and a lot of directions we can go. The current internal folks could really alter the course of the next two months. 

[nate]

Pujols still only has a .730 OPS which is 19th out of 25 qualified 1B in the league.

[totdprods]

11 minutes ago, nate said:

Pujols still only has a .730 OPS which is 19th out of 25 qualified 1B in the league.

Mang has a .775 OPS his last 50 games and is seemingly the only guy on this team who reliably drives runners in too. Coupled with his defense I'm actually pretty happy with the year he's turned in. 

Sort of the same story as every year - Pujols falls a little too high on the food chain. If he had a deeper lineup around him, he almost wouldn't be an issue at all, but with Upton's RISP struggles, Ohtani's lefty struggles, no leadoff hitters, Calhoun vanishing, Kinsler, Cozart, and Valbuena falling short, and only Simmons backing him up, it pushes him into this need as our 2nd/3rd most important bat, when he should be more like 5th/6th.

I'd like to see us address leadoff this year, as well as someone with some Carlos Santana-level steadiness at one of our offensive areas of need.

[nate]

The baseball season is 162 games so how he has done the last 50 games really doesn't matter.

[Stradling]

If we could sign Machado and he was willing to play third and it didn’t prevent us from signing Trout then sign me up.  My guess is that isn’t the case.  I am excited to see a full season of Fletcher at 2nd base.   The good news is I think we all agree that next year we will simply be happy without the likes of Marte and Valbuena.  

This team is kind of like a less talented version of our good teams of the early 2000’s.  We had really good teams, with above average players at most positions.  However it was tough to upgrade any of those positions without some risk, for example, Cabrera and Aybar were good SS and didn’t hurt you, but they also weren’t elite.  Howie was a good but not elite 2nd baseman.  We only really had elite with Vlad.  Well now we really can’t upgrade CF, we can’t upgrade SS, they are both about the best you can get at their positions.  If you like WAR, then Upton is I think 6th in WAR in LF, plus he isn’t really going anywhere.  Albert has his contract and has played decent but not great this year and to move him to strictly DH, well we have Ohtani.  So that leads to RF, Kole has been good but not great for his career, but before this year not a guy that would hurt you.  The last several weeks (he has almost had as many good weeks as bad now) he has been very good, not a weakness.  We have 2nd and 3rd, we can upgrade through free agency, but we have guys in the wings that I am thinking Eppler wants to give a shot to.  I am not positive what Fletcher will become, but he does seem like a guy you can plug into the lead off spot of the 9 hole and he will get on base at a decent clip.  Catcher is the obvious place to upgrade through free agency and I suspect they will.  Also building a lock down pen would certainly help, although that is much easier said than done.  Even our great pens of the past 3 were home grown and a couple were scrap heap type of guys.  

All that being said, my wish list would be to hope Ohtani some how some way is 100% healthy and doesn’t need surgery and he can pitch every 5th day.  That would be my very top wish list.  After that I would go with the best starter available, either Corbin or Keuchel.  Then catcher and closer.  I don’t know the other 3rd base free agents, but if there is a good one you can get for one year, which is highly unlikely, then get that guy and try and go after Arrenado the following year.  

[totdprods]

31 minutes ago, nate said:

The baseball season is 162 games so how he has done the last 50 games really doesn't matter.

1/3 of the season doesn't really matter? He's only gotten better as the year has gone on (OPS is north of .800 in his last 30), he's playing good defense, he's upped his OPS by .60 something points back into respectability, will probably finish close to his standard .250/25/100 yet again, has doubled his WAR from negatives into a positive number, has a league average OPS+, and basically turned around a marked decline at 38. 

A lot of warts to his game still, and plenty of time for things to go south still, and of course dramatically overpaid, but he deserves some props for doing what he's done this year. He worked out, lost weight,  and came into this year looking to show that he wasn't as bad as last year and he's proving that so far.

[nate]

1 minute ago, totdprods said:

1/3 of the season doesn't really matter? He's only gotten better as the year has gone on (OPS is north of .800 in his last 30), he's playing good defense, he's upped his OPS by .60 something points back into respectability, will probably finish close to his standard .250/25/100 yet again, has doubled his WAR from negatives into a positive number, has a league average OPS+, and basically turned around a marked decline at 38. 

A lot of warts to his game still, and plenty of time for things to go south still, and of course dramatically overpaid, but he deserves some props for doing what he's done this year. He worked out, lost weight,  and came into this year looking to show that he wasn't as bad as last year and he's proving that so far.

The first 50 games when he was garbage really hurt the team, so that is why how he does during 50 games doesn't really matter.

By the way a .780 OPS still is middling at best and as noted, his overall OPS is awful.

[Hubs]

Looked at the Angels 2018 stat line, and while I think the offense needs to improve I don't think the Angels sign anyone of note except a Catcher like Grandal or Ramos...or if they can somehow convince Machado to come play 3rd base.

They have some good options at 2nd and 3rd for next year in Cozart (who will bounce back - imho), Ward, Fletcher, Renfigo, and Fernandez. But these guys are all young guys, and while I can see two of the young guys and Cozart being the infield, I expect it to be an up and down year for all of the young guys, where they get as many AB's in AAA as they do in the Majors. Renfigo may end up being the starter at 2nd, but that's only if Fletcher is essentially Macier Izturis and plays very often at 2nd and 3rd. Thaiss probably doesn't come up full time because Ohtani will get DH AB's, and Pujols will still play, regardless of whether or not Scioscia is the manager. More likely we see a rotation of these guys up at different times, since they will all have options.

The OF is basically set. Perhaps Fletcher gets some OF rotation spots.

So the FA dollars then turn to pitching, where a legit closer, and a front line starter could be on the menu.

Keuchel (or Corbin) and Herrera (or Kimbrel) are all high dollar acquisitions, but some that make sense.

Also consider the bad luck the Angels have had this season with injuries and in losing close games, they still have a positive run differential. Seattle is 8 games ahead or so and has a -4 run differential versus the Angels +32. Seattle should be at .500, and the Angels should be 6 games over.

So a frontline starter, and a closer, and a dependable relief arm will go a long way.

 

 

[WeatherWonk]

14 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Pretty sure everyone in this thread is over 30.

Not true.

Kate Upton is still only 26.

[Angelsjunky]

Corbin's velocty is way down, which is quite worrisome. I wouldn't touch him, or Keuchel for that matter.

[Angelsjunky]

Not a good trend:

https://www.fangraphs.com/graphs.aspx?playerid=9323&position=P&pitchgraphs=true&statArr=&legend=1&split=base&time=daily&start=2016&end=2018&rtype=mult&gt1=15&dStatArray=SI&ymin=&ymax=

[totdprods]

26 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Corbin's velocty is way down, which is quite worrisome. I wouldn't touch him, or Keuchel for that matter.

Agreed. Trade for a SP, or sign a one-year deal older vet to eat some innings.

[ettin]

11 hours ago, nate said:

The first 50 games when he was garbage really hurt the team, so that is why how he does during 50 games doesn't really matter.

By the way a .780 OPS still is middling at best and as noted, his overall OPS is awful.

You mean that 13-3 start?

All kidding aside Albert is definitely on his last legs. I think the Angels will have a serious discussion about 2019 being his last season. However he could just as easily play out his remainder too.

In the end they will treat his departure, whether it is now or later, with grace and dignity, which is what Pujols deserves no matter how long he stays and how good or bad he performs.

[VariousCrap]

Sign Machado and have him play 3B.

Sign a catcher.

Improve the bullpen in every way possible.

[Lou]

12 hours ago, nate said:

Dozier, Machado, and a whole new pitching staff that isn't damaged goods.

And of course, no more Scioscia

the Dozier who's batting .224 with an OBP of .305?

yeah, he'd fit right in 

[Lou]

11 minutes ago, Lou said:

the Dozier who's batting .224 with an OBP of .305?

yeah, he'd fit right in 

Like Clockwork lol

Dozier just homered 

 

 

dumbass

[70runner]

12 hours ago, nate said:

Dozier, Machado, and a whole new pitching staff that isn't damaged goods.

And of course, no more Scioscia

No more Scioscia, ok.

Dozier, career .248, 31yrs old....no thx

 

 

[Docwaukee]

5 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

Not a good trend:

https://www.fangraphs.com/graphs.aspx?playerid=9323&position=P&pitchgraphs=true&statArr=&legend=1&split=base&time=daily&start=2016&end=2018&rtype=mult&gt1=15&dStatArray=SI&ymin=&ymax=

I'm all for looking at velo, but the results have been outstanding.  Maybe he backed off velo for location and movement?  He's been very very good.