Why not waive Pujols?

[beatlesrule]

There is no way Ohtani sits in favor of Pujols unless it's against certain lefties.  Pujols is the starting first baseman for the Angels.  Get over it and move on with your lives. Like I have stated many times, the Angels will have to win in spite of Pujols. You know how most NL teams have 2 black holes in the lineup(C and P)?  Well, Pujols is our black hole. NL teams win in spite of mostly terrible hitting at catcher and pitching or at least pitching.  Pujols is not a total disaster at 1st so just think of it that way. 

This is the only kind of waiving we can expect the Angels do to with Pujols

 

[Barrett]

Just now, beatlesrule said:

There is no way Ohtani sits in favor of Pujols unless it's against certain lefties.  Pujols is the starting first baseman for the Angels.  Get over it and move on with your lives. Like I have stated many times, the Angels will have to win in spite of Pujols. You know how most NL teams have 2 black holes in the lineup(C and P)?  Well, Pujols is our black hole. NL teams win in spite of mostly terrible hitting at catcher and pitching or at least pitching.  Pujols is not a total disaster at 1st so just think of it that way. 

This is the only kind of waiving we can expect the Angels do to with Pujols

 

Pujols had a 289 OBP last year. I am not sure what you would classify as not a total disaster. 

[beatlesrule]

At first meaning his fielding.

[Lou]

26 minutes ago, Barrett said:

Cron did and was traded. I have no clue on Thaiss. What I can only tell you are facts. Cron put up better numbers than Pujols on the Angels roster for 2 straight years and he was traded while Pujols kept the first base job. 

Cron put up a negative WAR his first time up to the major leagues. 

[Barrett]

1 minute ago, Lou said:

Crown put up a negative WAR his first time up to the major leagues. 

Who wore a crown?

[Lou]

already corrected 

[Lou]

and you're still wrong 

[ten ocho recon scout]

3 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

Speaking of which, Machado and Harper....

The rest of MLB and Judge Smails say...."Well?    We're waiting!"

Scotty Bor-arse is such a.....

Funny enough, i hung out with one of boras' agents this past weekend. When i get time ill try and remember what all we talked about.

[Barrett]

1 minute ago, Lou said:

and you're still wrong 

I am still wrong that Cron had a better OPS than Pujols for two straight years? Hmm... I think you will want to check your stats again.

[beatlesrule]

Of course they traded Cron. Did you really expect them to play him over Pujols? What part of his massive contract do you not understand?

[Lou]

4 minutes ago, Barrett said:

I am still wrong that Cron had a better OPS than Pujols for two straight years? Hmm... I think you will want to check your stats again.

you truly can't follow a conversation, can you?

step 1. go back and read my post to which you responded. 

[Barrett]

3 minutes ago, Lou said:

you truly can't follow a conversation, can you?

step 1. go back and read my post to which you responded. 

What does what you said have anything to do with Pujols? I don't think you.... nevermind 

[AngelsFanSince86]

2 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

Good point, but what happens if he has a .600 OPS in 2019 and can barely run to 1B?

That is a separate point.  OP was saying he should be released.  At some point they will work out a deal.  However, Pujols has to be on board with it and currently he wants to play next season.  At some point they just sit him and eventually he will retire after working out a deal with Arte.  I've never heard of a player of his caliber willing to waste away on the bench.  Obviously hes not just going to give up the money though.

2 hours ago, aznhockeyguy said:

I don't understand this respect thing.  Never heard a free agent say when they signed with a new team, "You know I looked at how they treated [insert player here] and really wanted to sign here.  Money and winning had nothing to do with it."  Yea okay. It's been said before and it'll keep on being said until he retires, the Angels SHOULD release him, but they won't.

No, they really shouldn't.  They gave him the deal they gave him and it includes a service contract.  He moved his family here so they could establish themselves.  I agree that he needs to show some respect himself and retire/work out a deal, but if the Angels don't let it play out then what makes you think he will want to stay with the organization?  He wouldn't have moved his family here if he wasn't assured they would stick to their end of the bargain.  Releasing him is a breach of trust.  It would potentially make all these years of putting up with his BSOML only to constantly get injured and put up weak numbers all for nothing.  He was supposed to give us some great years and didn't.  Regardless of how that played out we were always going to be at this point.  The Angels knew that and they still made the deal.  They aren't going to release him and as much as it pains me to say it I agree with it.

1 hour ago, hangin n wangin said:

I'm having some trouble understanding it too. It's not like Pujols has been some kind of hero in an Angel uniform that has produced elite numbers and helped bring us a ring. He has been an epic disappointment and now he is straight dog shit. 

It's not like it's Eli Manning where he played his whole career for one team and helped bring two titles. It's not like he's been a Kobe Bryant type for us. If that was the case, then I could somewhat understand the Angels letting him do whatever the F*ck he wants. But he's an overpaid has been and is embarrassing himself. And it's embarrassing that he's playing as many games as he is on a team supposedly trying to win. I want to win games. I do not care about Albert Pujols.

Respect is fine and good and all. But this is a professional business in which teams try to put the best product on the field in order to win a World Series. It's not Facking tee ball.

I hope Pujols hangs them up soon because every year I am disliking him more and more. And the longer he continues to play 130+ games in an Angel uniform with the production we're getting from, the more of a joke the Angels organization looks like.

The main part of this is not just about respecting the player, although that is part of it.  Of course no FA ever signed a deal specifically because they felt they would be respected more, but it plays a part in the decision making process for some of these teams.  

And this has nothing to do with the here and now.  This is a building block for the future of the organization.  One part of building a top tier ML baseball team is being surrounded by great/HOF players.  Angels don't have much in that department.  They have Vlad and will soon have Pujols.  Maybe one day Trout.  It means something to have them around.  It means something to the fans, to the players on the team, and to FAs trying to decide where to go.  Ultimately things like money and competitiveness are the driving factors in FA decisions, but sometimes its close and things like this matter.  

It sucks watching Pujols waste a roster space for all that money right now, but don't tell me you think its a bad or even neutral thing to have him around the organization for the next decade plus after he retires.

 

Edited December 11, 2018 by AngelsFanSince86

[Lou]

22 minutes ago, Lou said:

Cron put up a negative WAR his first time up to the major leagues. 

good Lord, I give up with you. 

[T.G.]

8 minutes ago, Barrett said:

What does what you said have anything to do with Pujols? I don't think you.... nevermind 

[Dtwncbad]

1 hour ago, beatlesrule said:

There is no way Ohtani sits in favor of Pujols unless it's against certain lefties.  Pujols is the starting first baseman for the Angels.  Get over it and move on with your lives. Like I have stated many times, the Angels will have to win in spite of Pujols. You know how most NL teams have 2 black holes in the lineup(C and P)?  Well, Pujols is our black hole. NL teams win in spite of mostly terrible hitting at catcher and pitching or at least pitching.  Pujols is not a total disaster at 1st so just think of it that way. 

This is the only kind of waiving we can expect the Angels do to with Pujols

 

That's fine but you should probably acknowledge that the team absolutely has to be fully prepared for Pujols to miss 40 games or 140 games.

His body could just as easily fail in April as it could in September.

So we all agree that Pujols is the guy listed at the top of the depth chart.

That doesn't really have anything to do with responsibly planning on having a legitimate plan B that can be functional for 140 games if necessary.

It is probably going to be necessary. 

[Reveille1984]

Even though it's a moot point, Cron's a negligible improvement anyways.  He's worth maybe two wins?  It's not like Albert is blocking some 1B phenom we have waiting in the wings.  

I doubt he'll even sniff 400 PAs this year, the guy is almost 39 and has paper mache knees and feet.  He's one of the worst defenders in the league and Ohtani will be sucking up all of his DH at bats.  My guess is he'll be gently transitioned into a bench guy over the next few years until he either decides to retire and jumpstart that professional services contract, or he rides out his "veteran leadership" abilities into the sunset ala Chase Utley.  

[Lou]

13 minutes ago, Barrett said:

What does what you said have anything to do with Pujols? I don't think you.... nevermind 

I never mentioned Pujols 

[Barrett]

Just now, Lou said:

I never mentioned Pujols 

[AngelsFaninGA]

Thaiss isn't the answer here, as much as I hate to say it. He can probably outproduce Pujols if given more than a handle of at-bats to get acclimated, but at the end of the day he's a fringe top-10 prospect in our own system, much less a top-100 guy overall. Not to mention he doesn't have any of the off-the-field "value" (jersey sales, career milestones, "brand name") that Zombie Pujols does. 

We already know what the answer is, we just continue to rehash it because we're unwilling to accept it. 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

1 hour ago, Barrett said:

Cron was better than Pujols for 2 years when he was traded. Pujols was kept. Doesn't matter how good Thaiss is he probably won't be as good as Cron or Ohtani and Ohtani will sit for Pujols while he plays DH.

 

I completely agree. But you know Pujols will play DH over Ohtani on this team. Whether it's 1 game or 25 there is no way I see this Angels team letting Pujols only play 1st base. 

If that's true Eppler and Ausmus should be fired, or quit if it's Arte's decision. Arte ate Hamilton's  contract. If Ohtani shits in favor of Pujols, there will be hell to pay.

Didn't Eppler say something like, the next manager will play the player that's give the team the best chance to win no matter who the players are. Something to that effect, I'm sure I read that here or on the Angels web site.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

1 hour ago, beatlesrule said:

There is no way Ohtani sits in favor of Pujols unless it's against certain lefties.  Pujols is the starting first baseman for the Angels.  Get over it and move on with your lives. Like I have stated many times, the Angels will have to win in spite of Pujols. You know how most NL teams have 2 black holes in the lineup(C and P)?  Well, Pujols is our black hole. NL teams win in spite of mostly terrible hitting at catcher and pitching or at least pitching.  Pujols is not a total disaster at 1st so just think of it that way. 

This is the only kind of waiving we can expect the Angels do to with Pujols

 

How long will Pujols last as the everyday 1B, before his Knees turn to mush? Thanks for playing Gilligan...

Edited December 11, 2018 by Ace-Of-Diamonds

[Tank]

4 hours ago, 19HALO71 said:

Hey all, it's been a while. I hope this isn't a Craig.

I get that he is under contract. The money is already spent. But why not just waive him and his 0.5 WAR and fill his spot with a younger more versatile player?

 

[Stradling]

4 hours ago, Kevinb said:

Because it’s been said if Pujols isn’t on the team anymore Trout will want out. So before Trout re signs he wants to make sure Pujols signs an extension as well. 

You are such a tool.  

[Lou]

19 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

If Ohtani shits in favor of Pujols, there will be hell to pay.

in all fairness, Asian food goes right through you.