How to finish this offseason

[Glen]

Sign Lowrie, sign Robertson, bring back Maldonado. Lowrie leads off and helps to offset the lack of offense from Maldonado. Robertson closes. Fletcher becomes the super utility guy. 

Do it, Eppler.

[Stradling]

Only thing I would change is instead of signing Maldonado trade for Avila, it will be the same financial commitment, a little over $4 million and it will provide a very nice OBP.  

[Glen]

I'm good with that too.

[Glen]

And I want this done by the end of the weekend.

[Stradling]

I do love your plan.  

[floplag]

Grandal, Robertson, ... maybe Mous if the price is right.   
Lowrie also a good choice if you assume Cozart to open at 3B though i dont think thats ideal.  id be happy either way with that actually.  Lowrie might even make more sense numbers wise but i look more at 3B due to other internal options at 2B such as Regnifo. 

[Stradling]

Lowrie has played over 100 games at 3rd in his career, including some last year. 

[Angel Oracle]

35 minutes ago, Glen said:

Sign Lowrie, sign Robertson, bring back Maldonado. Lowrie leads off and helps to offset the lack of offense from Maldonado. Robertson closes. Fletcher becomes the super utility guy. 

Do it, Eppler.

Signing Lowrie and Robertson, and trading for Avila would put the team a little over budget but still comfortably under the tax threshold.   It also allows Fletcher to play his best position, utility; for Cozart to move to 2B, and for Ward and Rengifo to get a little more seasoning in the minors.    Then if Rengifo is ready mid-season and Cozart is still struggling some, trade Cozart and $12 million of the remaining $19 million due Cozart by July and make Rengifo the starting 2B.

[Angelsfan1984]

Sign Harper and Machado, trade cozart and calhoun for realmuto, Trade Pujols for DeGrom and trade a stradling autographed in n out gift card for Chapman. 

[GrittyVeterans]

7 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Signing Lowrie and Robertson, and trading for Avila would put the team a little over budget but still comfortably under the tax threshold.   It also allows Fletcher to play his best position, utility; for Cozart to move to 2B, and for Ward and Rengifo to get a little more seasoning in the minors.    Then if Rengifo is ready mid-season and Cozart is still struggling some, trade Cozart and $12 million of the remaining $19 million due Cozart by July and make Rengifo the starting 2B.

If Cozart is still struggling, we will have to eat way more than $7 million over 2 years to move him. 

The hope is he performs well and we can find a taker

[Angel Oracle]

3 minutes ago, GrittyVeterans said:

If Cozart is still struggling, we will have to eat way more than $7 million over 2 years to move him. 

The hope is he performs well and we can find a taker

The Halos would eat $12 million in my idea, and the other team would only have to take on $7 million for a little under 1.5 seasons.

[Glen]

Moustakas is a one-dimensional player who is due for a decline.  Pass.

[totdprods]

26 minutes ago, Glen said:

Moustakas is a one-dimensional player who is due for a decline.  Pass.

Don't quite agree - since his development took a step upwards in '15, he posted a slash of .267/.324/.484/.808.
He's also still very solid defensively.

.267 batting average  is above average across both leagues - it's hovered around .250 since 2015. 
His OBP in that time is .324 is actually a bit above the MLB average OBP in that time (.322).
Couple that with his recent league- average BB% and consistently 5% lower-than-league average strikeout percentage, he's actually got a decent discipline tool. 

I think it's real easy for people to write him off because the .315 OBP mark recently isn't shiny, and he was not good his first four seasons, and the original contracts being mentioned were dramatically excessive. But for threeish years now, he's been a very consistent .800, 110-120 OPS hitter. Pre-2018, that would've made him basically our second-best hitter on the team - which isn't very good. But now, you're talking adding a 115 OPS+ behind Trout, Ohtani, Upton, and right in line with Simmons and it looks a lot better, especially if it's something like 2/$18-22m. Even more so if Grandal and Cozart play similarly. That's a great offense. 

If he was a strikeout machine, I'd be a lot more concerned, but he's not - and he walks at a league-average rate as well. 
4-5 years? no way. 1-2, maybe a 3rd option? not bad.

Almost sort of like how Howie Kendrick wasn't seen as favorably because he wasn't a batting champ, but at the end of the day, he was a very solid player. I think some people expected too much of Moose. For .250/.320/.470 he'd be great.

[Angel Oracle]

The concern with Moose is his defense and recently lower OBP.    

Lowrie would be a much better fit, with his OBP and ability to play multiple INF positions.   With how well he played for the A'th in 2017 and 2018 (.800+ OPS each season with around a .360 OBP), he would be a nice top of the order guy for 2019, until Rengifo is ready to take that leadoff role.    Yes, not a lot of speed, but also not a real slow baserunner like a Grandal who some have suggested be signed and lead off.

He also still shows pop in his bat (127 XBH's across 2017-2018), and would be the anti-Matt Joyce signing.

Just sign Lowrie for 2 years.

[Glen]

If we sign Lowrie that also means he's no longer going to kill us with Oakland. 

[jessecrall]

Jed Lowrie's sprint speed in each of the last 2 seasons was 26.7 feet/second, just a touch under the 27.0 average (for those unfamiliar, 30+ is elite, Trout averages a touch over 29, which is well within the 90th percentile, Ohtani's was 28.4 last year, Pujols was the slowest in baseball at 22.2). More encouraging is that Lowrie's sprint speed was actually LOWER in 2015 and 2016 when he had some injury problems, so while he isn't fast, he also isn't showing the usual signs of decline for someone his age. 

[Angel Oracle]

2 minutes ago, jessecrall said:

Jed Lowrie's sprint speed in each of the last 2 seasons was 26.7 feet/second, just a touch under the 27.0 average (for those unfamiliar, 30+ is elite, Trout averages a touch over 29, which is well within the 90th percentile, Ohtani's was 28.4 last year, Pujols was the slowest in baseball at 22.2). More encouraging is that Lowrie's sprint speed was actually LOWER in 2015 and 2016 when he had some injury problems, so while he isn't fast, he also isn't showing the usual signs of decline for someone his age. 

Thank you, that and his OBP makes him a perfect leadoff candidate for the Halos.    Get it done, Epp! 

This is the PERFECT 2 years signing, and as mentioned, the anti-Matt Joyce signing. 

[kevinb]

Sign Harper. Trade Calhoun. Sign Grandal. Sign Robertson. Sign Kikuchi. Trade Cozart. 

[Docwaukee]

trade for Travis d'Arnaud (1yr of control left.  shouldn't cost more than a fringe prospect)
sign Robertson
sign kikuchi 
 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

3 hours ago, Glen said:

If we sign Lowrie that also means he's no longer going to kill us with Oakland. 

The Great Gazoo!!!!!

[nate]

I like it.  Especially the Maldonado part.  His bat might not be exceptional, but he is the best defensive catcher the Angels have had since Bengie.

[tdawg87]

I enjoy edging. It makes finishing much better.

[Docwaukee]

[IEAngelsfan]

16 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

Are you implying that you want to finish off Chuck?

[Second Base]

Sign Lucroy 1/3(thankfully we already did), sign Kikuchi 5/50. Sign Moustakas 1/9 with a team option). Trade Cozart and Calhoun for anyone that'll take the majority of their contracts in order to save money. Sign Jon Jay 1/5.

That adds 27 million into the projected 163' and if we figure we somehow miraculously get half of the 24 million owed to Cozart and Calhoun, knocking it down to 12, it becomes adding 15 million.