Eppler in attendance at Troy Tulowitzkis workout...

[floplag]

Interesting that he would attend in person...
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/12/troy-tulowitzki-rumors-workout-giants-angels-yankees-red-sox-cubs.html

 

[krAbs]

You know what? At this point, F*ck it. Lets shell out another dozen million.

Also, I might be drunk now.

[Mark68]

At only $550k, why not? 

 

He's open to playing 2B or 3B.

[UndertheHalo]

Oh god why ?

Its not about the money.  It’s about the roster spot and the playing time.  

[Lou]

18 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Oh god why ?

Its not about the money.  It’s about the roster spot and the playing time.  

it's also about the money 

[ten ocho recon scout]

Pujols had surgery, might not be ready first of the year. This way we have a guy whos hit some big home runs in houston for gubi to throw some stats out about when we play them in april.

[Pancake Bear]

There is no money, is there? It’s a minimum deal, unless I’m missing something. Toronto is still on the hook for the rest. 

Assuming my understanding is correct, I’d be okay with it if they don’t have to give him too many assurances about playing time. 

Having said that, I heard Boras is up in the same area with Kikuchi, so Eppler may have been up there to meet them and just dropped by. 

[Angelsjunky]

Tulo had at least a 124 wRC+ on the road from 2009-14, so he isn't just a Coors product. He was a very good hitter. 

Of course that was five years ago.

[arch stanton]

What sucks here is the rule stating that if you attend a workout you have to make a contract offer. Just no getting around it

[ettin]

Tulo was a good player and could still be a good player. It would be very prudent for Eppler to take a look because even a below average Tulo is better than a lot of MLB players.

Angels will likely only consider him at 3B I think.

It would be a low cost upgrade if they think he is worth a contract. Flip side is that the Jay's cut him loose for a reason.

[Stradling]

So he starts at 3rd and Ward starts at AAA.  Ok. 

[Halodays]

Nothing wrong with a little competition for the younger guys. Sign him. Bring him to Spring Training. If he performs good enough to win the 2b or 3b job, send the youngsters to Triple A. If he stinks up the joint then release him.

[ettin]

6 minutes ago, Stradling said:

So he starts at 3rd and Ward starts at AAA.  Ok. 

Well gambling on Ward figuring it out at the plate has it's own potential pitfalls. He didn't exactly light it up during his cup of coffee last year.

[Docwaukee]

My guess is he's going to go wherever they commit the most PT.   

Is he worth taking a flyer on for league min?  Sure.  He really wasn't that good outside of coors though.  You could actually give him a better chance to stay healthy as well by putting him at 3b or even 1b. 

It would make for an interesting roster decision in that with Tulo, La Stella and Bour, as well as a backup C, we don't really have a 4th OFer unless that could be one of those three.  

I do agree that it's entirely plausible Eppler was in the neighborhood after meeting with Kikuchi.  Bour has the only time in the OF where he played 6.1 innings when he was in AA 7 years ago.  I'd even be willing to consider unloading Cozart at that point.  Maybe in exchange for a less than desirable pitching contract or a catcher?  

candidates like Russell Martin, Greinke/Avila, Danny Duffy, Tyler Chatwood, and a few others.  Not the most appetizing of players.  

[krAbs]

3 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

My guess is he's going to go wherever they commit the most PT.   

Is he worth taking a flyer on for league min?  Sure.  He really wasn't that good outside of coors though.  You could actually give him a better chance to stay healthy as well by putting him at 3b or even 1b. 

It would make for an interesting roster decision in that with Tulo, La Stella and Bour, as well as a backup C, we don't really have a 4th OFer unless that could be one of those three.  

I do agree that it's entirely plausible Eppler was in the neighborhood after meeting with Kikuchi.  Bour has the only time in the OF where he played 6.1 innings when he was in AA 7 years ago.  I'd even be willing to consider unloading Cozart at that point.  Maybe in exchange for a less than desirable pitching contract or a catcher?  

candidates like Russell Martin, Greinke/Avila, Danny Duffy, Tyler Chatwood, and a few others.  Not the most appetizing of players.  

He's tanked a bit since leaving coors, but he has a career 'away' line of .269/.338/.453/.791. Not amazing, but not really terrible either. Looks better for a shortstop than 3b/1b, though...

[Declined]

My first reaction to this was hell no but Troy can still be a good player (I think??) when healthy ( which is when?? ). Signing him means Ward & Flech start the year in the minors. 

Would hate to see Fletcher sent down but he won't be there too long. & while Ward wasnt as bad as he looked (.214 babip), we can't risk having holes in the lineup like that. If Troy is still good then this will raise the floor (damn I hate using that term, screw you dipoto) 

[beatlesrule]

2 hours ago, UndertheHalo said:

Oh god why ?

Its not about the money.  It’s about the roster spot and the playing time.  

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/ce0d37ba-4984-4210-9a40-c9c9859a3164

 

[Jay]

How he adjusts defensively after undergoing surgery on both heels last year could be a more pressing question — particularly if he’s also adjusting to a new position after spending his entire pro career at shortstop.

-----

Pass.

 

[nate]

Didn't half the GMs in the MLB attend?

[Stradling]

I’d assume and this is just an assumption we would have an inside track based on location, he went to UCSLB and opportunity to play. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

FWIW, he wanted to play here a few years ago. I think him and weaver are good friends (which wouldnt matter now). I think he and upton are buddies, too.

I think this will be an experiment, to see if guys from the rockies can play 3B...

[totdprods]

Billy Eppler and Mike Gallego, our new 3B and infield coach, were in attendance. 

For a cheap deal I wouldn’t mind him taking Marte’s ‘18 role to start the season.

[TroutField]

This would be the most Angels signing ever 

[nate]

BTW, at league minimum, does it really matter?  If he gets hurt the Angels can just release him

[Chuck]

Isn't Tulo a local guy? I thought he went to LB State. @Angel Oracle?