Wake up, Eppler

[Angel Oracle]

3 hours ago, TroutField said:

I genuinely would rather steer clear of Harper and Machado. He needs to solve Catcher we have nothing in the pipeline, adding a cost controlled decent hitting catcher on the rise isn’t completely out of the question. Trading for a starter and signing a starter is still doable. Also adding some stability to the bullpen like Herrera would be huge, IMO.

 

Regardless as as long as he doesn’t get desperate and pull some shit like Napoli & Rivera for Wells I’m not going to be too upset. 

Robertson makes more sense than Herrera.

[Ochocinco!]

If he finishes the offseason with 

Kikuchi

Gray

Maldonado

 

... I can live with that

 

If he finishes the offseason with 

Maldonado

Gio

Shelby Miller type

 

...gg

[GrittyVeterans]

I just don’t get the Maldonado thing around here. The Angels need to do better than that if we want to contend and there were/are opportunities to. 

I know, I know, he’s a good defender but he hovered around replacement level last year and is probably going to want 6-8 million per year. It’ll be really disappointing to pay him that

[Second Base]

Eppler has still earned our patience.

- This is the man that rebuilt the farm system from worst ever, to borderline top 10, in only three years.

- This is the man that landed Shohei Ohtani.

- This is the man that has brought spending under control after the Dipoto days.

- This is the man that constructed a good, working relationship with Mike Scioscia, the manager that had too much power and wielded it against Dipoto.

- This is the man who has overseen the drafting of Matt Thaiss, Brandon Marsh, Jo Adell, Griffin Canning, Jordyn Adams and Jeremiah Jackson after years of RJ Alvarez type of picks from the last GM.

- This is the guy that brought in the top international prospect since Miguel Sano at a discounted rate after the Braves broke the rules. 

- This is the man that understood a lack of presence in the DR needed to be rectified, and until it was, signed high end talent out of the Bahamas. And then once the Angels started getting more involved internationally, he went after the top international performer and youngest of the last signing class in Alex Ramirez.

- This is the man that managed to acquire Upton for practically nothing and then extended him by only adding one year at an AAV lower than the rest of the contract. 

- This is the man that lands Ian Kinsler for very little and at the deadline flips him for two of the best young relievers in the system that are both MLB ready in Buttrey and Jerez. 

- This is the man that traded high on a couple prospects and Erick Aybar for Andrelton Simmons, who at the time had an OBP south of .300. Since then we've seen Simmons blossom into a star. 

Billy Eppler deserves the benefit of the doubt. 

[eligrba]

Not worried. 

[mulwin444]

Come on, Eppler, do something stupid already!  Posters on a Fan Forum have blue balls!

[wopphil]

There is still some time. Eppler could sign Kikuchi, Grandal, and Andrew Miller, then trade for a Julio Teheran, and suddenly you are looking at a much improved team. 

[fan_since79]

It seems at this point his plan is to sign some guys I've never heard of and hope for the best.

Justin Bour is a decent pickup considering the price, and he'll insure that the fading Pujols will get some much deserved bench time. But is that all there is to this offseason? 

 

[Erstad Grit]

The lack of moves combined with letting parker go concern me.  What Morton got from the rays was a bargain. I guess just wait and see if he pulls it all together.  I still think taking greinke full contract with ray would not cost us much in terms of prospects.  That deal makes a lot of sense. 

[Stradling]

9 minutes ago, fan_since79 said:

It seems at this point his plan is to sign some guys I've never heard of and hope for the best.

Justin Bour is a decent pickup considering the price, and he'll insure that the fading Pujols will get some much deserved bench time. But is that all there is to this offseason? 

 

No, that isn’t all

[Tank]

9 hours ago, Halodays said:

I was really hoping Eppler would surprise us all with some unexpected coup but now all we are getting is confusing football analogies and second rate signings/trades. Does he really think this will appease Mr. Trout?

We'll find out at the press conference introducing our fourth outfielder, Hunter Pence.

[jsnpritchett]

3 minutes ago, Stradling said:

No, that isn’t all

[fan_since79]

3 minutes ago, Tank said:

We'll find out at the press conference introducing our fourth outfielder, Hunter Pence.

Pence has 'grit' but he's 36 years old and had an absolutely awful 2018.

He'll fit right in.

[Glen]

8 hours ago, BackUpTheTruck said:

This team's biggest need is a closer with playoff experience.

 

 

What?

[mtangelsfan]

We all can't stand Dipoto because he killed our farm and made trades to seeming just look like he is doing his job.  We all can't stand Tony because he made panic moves.  As one of our resident failos recently stated, these trades and FA signings don't happen in a vacuum.

I would rather he did nothing than make a panic move.

[Second Base]

And I understand the impatience among fans.  The Angels haven't made the playoffs in 8 of the last 9 years.  It's like the 90's all over again.  But 2020 and beyond sure looks bright.  He just needs to do something about 2019 to appease the masses.  Still, with this many FA off the board, it's not looking good, but he's earned the fans trust.  But if this offseason doesn't go well, he's going to be battling an unfortunate public persona until he does get the job done. 

[Stradling]

I will go back to what I said yesterday, if you want to know if he has a plan, consider Eppler is in the last year of his contract.  He is so sure of his direction, has a big move in mind or he has been given an extension and it hasn’t been reported yet.  No panic moves for a guy in the last year of his contract is pretty impressive.  

[WeatherWonk]

9 minutes ago, mtangelsfan said:

We all can't stand Dipoto because he killed our farm and made trades to seeming just look like he is doing his job.  We all can't stand Tony because he made panic moves.  As one of our resident failos recently stated, these trades and FA signings don't happen in a vacuum.

I would rather he did nothing than make a panic move.

:You're getting your wish. 

It's SOOOO easy to just lay the blame for our lack of improvements on other teams. My comment about a vacuum was meant as a condition that should be an INCENTIVE to being proactive, not an unavoidable condition of nature that should just be accepted. Which is what it seems the Angels are doing.

Seriously, overpaying by a couple mil per season for a short term contract, especially at a position like catcher or closer-type  where we have nothing on the farm, is not going to hurt our FUTURE one bit.  Arte can afford that.

But it can have serious repercussions on the PRESENT. 

Tick........tick............tick.

[Dtwncbad]

2 hours ago, GrittyVeterans said:

I just don’t get the Maldonado thing around here. The Angels need to do better than that if we want to contend and there were/are opportunities to. 

I know, I know, he’s a good defender but he hovered around replacement level last year and is probably going to want 6-8 million per year. It’ll be really disappointing to pay him that

Agree completely.  Maldonado is the right catcher for a team that is stacked offensively.  He is not the right catcher for a team with three or four other offense question marks.

 

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, WeatherWonk said:

:You're getting your wish. 

It's SOOOO easy to just lay the blame for our lack of improvements on other teams. My comment about a vacuum was meant as a condition that should be an INCENTIVE to being proactive, not an unavoidable condition of nature that should just be accepted. Which is what it seems the Angels are doing.

Seriously, overpaying by a couple mil per season for a short term contract, especially at a position like catcher or closer-type  where we have nothing on the farm, is not going to hurt our FUTURE one bit.  Arte can afford that.

But it can have serious repercussions on the PRESENT. 

Tick........tick............tick.

Which closer type has signed so far?  

[AngelsFaninGA]

I feel like we're turning into the Ducks in terms of our mindset. Develop the farm, take zero risks, and dumpster dive to fill roster holes. We're basically left with hoping that we hit a home run with this current batch of prospects, otherwise we're in trouble.

[Stradling]

I just looked up baseball reference projected stats for a couple of players for this coming year.  They have Luis Garcia and Joe Kelly having pretty close to identical numbers next year.  

[Blarg]

When you look at the quality and depth of the free agent market it is not surprising Eppler has a case of the slows.

There is only two free agent catchers left on the market in Grandall and Ramos. After Kuechel the pitchers fall off the over 30 cliff aweful fast. 

 

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, AngelsFaninGA said:

I feel like we're turning into the Ducks in terms of our mindset. Develop the farm, take zero risks, and dumpster dive to fill roster holes. We're basically left with hoping that we hit a home run with this current batch of prospects, otherwise we're in trouble.

And if we didn’t have Trout, Simmons and Ohtani you’d be right.  But those three, really good players will still be in their prime or entering their prime in Ohtani’s case when those players arrive.  

[TroutField]

4 minutes ago, AngelsFaninGA said:

I feel like we're turning into the Ducks in terms of our mindset. Develop the farm, take zero risks, and dumpster dive to fill roster holes. We're basically left with hoping that we hit a home run with this current batch of prospects, otherwise we're in trouble.

Haven’t the ducks been pretty successful ?