2018 Hot Stove League

[Angelsfan1984]

15 minutes ago, Glen said:

Can you give me one example of the Angels doing that under Arte?

Daniel Nava

[happybat4]

35 minutes ago, Stradling said:

LoDuca wasn’t available?

Good back up catcher. Can play a little 3rd. I can't believe he started a game at SS last year.

[totdprods]

1 minute ago, Chuckster70 said:

Eppler is hard at work I'm sure behind the scenes, but damn. It's almost the middle of January and we got shit to do still. 

I strongly believe the Angels are not done, and I don't just mean a minor RP signing or two.

[floplag]

3 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Eppler is hard at work I'm sure behind the scenes, but damn. It's almost the middle of January and we got shit to do still. 

My fear at this moment today, is that the exact opposite is true.  There is work that could be done, but as we sit our roster is complete.  Anything we do would be an upgrade bumping someone else that im not sure they feel they need to do.  I think the only thing they may be looking at is an experienced reliever to help mature the kids.

[Glen]

6 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Not exactly the same scenario, but the Angels pounced on Vlad because everyone was balking due to his back. 

Pujols was surprising, but he seemingly was a big target all along...when you couple it with CJ though, it was quite a statement. 
Hamilton caught me 100% off-guard and he had his share of baggage. Angels took no time going after it quietly there. 

And yeah, the Teixeia, Greinke, and Haren trades, as well as this era's Upton and Simmons deals, all had quite the abruptness to them. 

Truth is, Arte-era Angels really do have a knack for making big, bold moves. And usually not without much indication or expectation from our part. So as unlikely as Harper or Machado are, I do think there is sufficient precedent here that does not rule the Angels lurking on either one.

He said swooping in and signing somebody because they were taking too long to sign.  I can't recall a single time that happened.  Perhaps Vlad qualifies.  Pujols was signed in early December.  Hamilton was mid-December.  Trades aren't signings.  

[totdprods]

3 minutes ago, Glen said:

He said swooping in and signing somebody because they were taking too long to sign.  I can't recall a single time that happened.  Perhaps Vlad qualifies.  Pujols was signed in early December.  Hamilton was mid-December.  Trades aren't signings.  

Guerrero at least certainly qualifies. And even though Pujols and Hamilton happened in mid-December, at that point the number of teams genuinely interested had dropped to only a couple. 

http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=1704992

The Angels were believed to have entered the bidding for
Guerrero only late last week. On Saturday, he turned down a
three-year offer from the New York Mets that would have paid him
$71 million over five years if he reached incentives.

Edited January 11, 2019 by totdprods

[Stradling]

Albert was swooped I thought Hamilton was a swoop job. 

[Stradling]

As far as Eppler being hard at work, of course he is.  Every GM is working like crazy to improve their team.  

[Angelsfan1984]

Just now, Stradling said:

Albert was swooped I thought Hamilton was a swoop job. 

I think he was swooped in that nobody expected the angels to meet the price, but it wasn't because he was sitting on the market waiting. I think Glen is referring to the fact that their market Is apparently cold and nobody has snagged them yet.

[Glen]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

Albert was swooped I thought Hamilton was a swoop job. 

Again, those happened by mid-December.  Neither of them was taking too long to sign.  

[angelsnationtalk]

32 minutes ago, Glen said:

Can you give me one example of the Angels doing that under Arte?

Obviously I’m saying swooping by giving an over exaggerated statement. But we were never known favorites for Pujols and it always felt like we just drove on in a took him away 

[angelsnationtalk]

9 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Guerrero at least certainly qualifies. And even though Pujols and Hamilton happened in mid-December, at that point the number of teams genuinely interested had dropped to only a couple. 

http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=1704992

The Angels were believed to have entered the bidding for
Guerrero only late last week. On Saturday, he turned down a
three-year offer from the New York Mets that would have paid him
$71 million over five years if he reached incentives.

It was a sarcastic scenario not a realistic one so there’s the answer to the confusion......

[Angel Oracle]

35 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Not exactly the same scenario, but the Angels pounced on Vlad because everyone was balking due to his back. 

Pujols was surprising, but he seemingly was a big target all along...when you couple it with CJ though, it was quite a statement. 
Hamilton caught me 100% off-guard and he had his share of baggage. Angels took no time going after it quietly there. 

And yeah, the Teixeia, Greinke, and Haren trades, as well as this era's Upton and Simmons deals, all had quite the abruptness to them. 

Truth is, Arte-era Angels really do have a knack for making big, bold moves. And usually not without much indication or expectation from our part. So as unlikely as Harper or Machado are, I do think there is sufficient precedent here that does not rule the Angels lurking on either one.

While on the Vlad discussion, wasn't he one of the latest ever superstar FAs to sign, mid-January 2004?

Harper and Machado have to be getting closer to setting the lateness bar higher. 

[Angel Oracle]

Who's left amongst FA relievers and 3B (not Machado) now?

Ottavino, Moose, and ?

[greginpsca]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

LoDuca wasn’t available?

He is too busy playing the ponies.

[floplag]

5 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Who's left amongst FA relievers and 3B (not Machado) now?

Ottavino, Moose, and ?

That would be impactful?  not much unless we want to pay Kimbrel which i do not.
Alas i think the ship has sailed.  They will try to maybe get one of the SF guys on the cheap in trade and book flights to spring training. 

[Stradling]

Allen and Holland are both available. 

[floplag]

21 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Allen and Holland are both available. 

I think i would rather roll with the kids myself
Holland had a 4.66 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP in 18, Allen 4.7 / 1.36, both basically career worsts.

[totdprods]

I still think it’s funny whenever anyone throws out stats for a reliever, good or bad. At the end of the day it’s a total freaking crapshoot either way. 

Grab as many relievers as you can without spending a fortune or clogging up the roster. Since we have a good selection of guys who can start in AAA due to options -  Buttrey, Anderson, Pena - then I think they could give vets an opp to displace them to start the year and win jobs in ST like Norris and Petit.

Might be one reason Eppler didn’t do much last season - I think almost all of our relievers and the time were out of options.

[Stradling]

12 minutes ago, floplag said:

I think i would rather roll with the kids myself
Holland had a 4.66 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP in 18, Allen 4.7 / 1.36, both basically career worsts.

These are exactly the types of guys we will sign because if they bounce back and they’ll be good pieces to trade. 

[happybat4]

Holland was good for the Nationals.

[Chuck]

Man if we were able to trade for Will Smith and sign Adam Ottavino. I don't think we'd need to make another move. 

Let Cozart, Rengifo, Fletcher, Ward and La Stella battle it out for two spots (2B/3B). We already have a 1B platoon in Bour/Pujols and Ohtani at DH. If Calhoun is the guy of old or close to the guy who came back after his minor league stint last season... We'll be a force to be reckoned with IMO. 

[Yellow Balloon]

2 hours ago, totdprods said:

Again, Bryce Harper had been the anointed savior of baseball since he was in middle school, fat boying out HRs in rich white boy baseball camps and being hyped up in every way possible. It's a wonder he isn't more of a cartoonish smug supervillain like Bonds became.

Trout was good ol' boyin' it up in bumfuck Jersey, everymannin' it as the son of a failed minor leaguer and going below everyone's radar.

Two very different backgrounds. Bryce is like the Anakin Skywalker to Trout's Luke.

Love this.  Sounds like an article from Rolling Stone, circa 1973, comparing Wayne Newton to Springsteen.  

[totdprods]

1 minute ago, Yellow Balloon said:

Love this.  Sounds like an article from Rolling Stone, circa 1973, comparing Wayne Newton to Springsteen.  

I’ll gladly take that as a compliment.

[totdprods]

59 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Man if we were able to trade for Will Smith and sign Adam Ottavino. I don't think we'd need to make another move. 

Let Cozart, Rengifo, Fletcher, Ward and La Stella battle it out for two spots (2B/3B). We already have a 1B platoon in Bour/Pujols and Ohtani at DH. If Calhoun is the guy of old or close to the guy who came back after his minor league stint last season... We'll be a force to be reckoned with IMO. 

I’d still make one very minor IF move to maintain some depth. Just needs to be kept cheap and on a short leash. Matt Davidson, Freddy Galvis, or Logan Forsythe-level. Agreed on Smith and Ottavino. 

Someone who on a rebound gives you a much better OBP or SLG capacity than Fletcher or La Stella respectively. Someone easy to cut if not. The long-term IF depth is great right now, but a poorly timed injury or two and we’re putting quite a bit on the shoulders of kids we need to develop properly and for the long-term. 

I also want us to be able to at least consider a deadline deal for help if we’re in good position, and that’s trickier if we’re counting on all the kids. 

Fletcher starting the season at AAA because we rolled the dice on a cheap vet isn’t going to cost us the playoffs. 

Our current projected starting IF (Cozart, Simmons, Fletcher, Bour/Pujols, and Lucroy) had an OPS of...662 last season. 

Color me a little skeptical relying on Taylor Ward, Luis Rengifo, David Fletcher, and Matt Thaiss to save us from that immediately. Ward and Fletcher already failed to top .700 their first time around. Adding one more guy into the mix who feasibly lands at a .700-.750 OPS would go a long way. If you add Moustakas, the collective IF OPS goes from .662 to .718.

Edited January 11, 2019 by totdprods