Williams Jerez traded to San Francisco in exchange for Chris Stratton

[Angel Oracle]

1 minute ago, Second Base said:

Eppler sure does love his spin rates.  Not sure if there is a direct correlation to success on the mound, but logically, there definitely could be. 

Unless he's putting many of his eggs in Doug White's basket of spin doctor tricks.

It worked masterfully for Gerrit Cole, after a mainly inconsistent MLB career before 2018.

[Mark68]

20 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

 

He was the guy who was gonna give up his #34 to Harper if the Giants had signed Bryce.

[Vlad27Trout27]

Maybe he can be the next brad peacock, does not throw as fast as peakcock (93-95) but he  has a solid curve.  Maybe being in the Bp can add a few thicks on that Fb.

[Second Base]

Ok.....I don't get it.  They're putting him in the rotation over Barria?  WTF?!

[Vlad27Trout27]

5 minutes ago, Second Base said:

Ok.....I don't get it.  They're putting him in the rotation over Barria?  WTF?!

Really confusing....

[totdprods]

I’m guessing Eppler has had interest in Stratton all spring and either the price was too high or he wanted to wait and assess in spring. 

Farhan called Billy, told him Stratton wouldn’t be making the team, and asked what the Angels would be willing to give up for him, and Stratton made too much sense from a depth and project perspective to pass up.

So I don’t think Barria at AAA was ever really an intent, this was just how timing worked out.

[krAbs]

Interesting.

[bloodbrother]

I....uh...I don't get it

[Second Base]

I mean....I guess it's a good thing they like him so much that they're willing to play him over Barria. Maybe that means there's something more here.....

That's really the only way I can explain it. Granted, they were only one year deals,  but the Angels spent a lot of money this offseason with the intent on competing. And to trade for Stratton and immediately put him in the rotation over Barria, Suarez and Canning....it doesn't match up unless there's something there that Eppler thinks he sees. 

[Tank]

Man, and I was just about to pull the trigger on getting a Jerez jersey.

[ScottT]

Geez, sucks to be Barria (same goes for a lot of young players with options... and older free agents with draft pick compensation attached)   His underlying numbers are underwhelming, but so are Stratton's, sans the spin rate stuff.  I'm sure we'll see a lot of both of em.

 

[jsnpritchett]

56 minutes ago, Tank said:

Man, and I was just about to pull the trigger on getting a Jerez jersey.

They're all $10 off.  Get 'em while you can!

https://www.sportsworldchicago.com/league-shop/mlb/los-angeles-angels/williams-jerez/

[Quinlanforthewin]

 

1 hour ago, Second Base said:

I mean....I guess it's a good thing they like him so much that they're willing to play him over Barria. Maybe that means there's something more here.....

That's really the only way I can explain it. Granted, they were only one year deals,  but the Angels spent a lot of money this offseason with the intent on competing. And to trade for Stratton and immediately put him in the rotation over Barria, Suarez and Canning....it doesn't match up unless there's something there that Eppler thinks he sees. 

Or it means we're finally starting to see Eppler doesn't really know what he's doing

[tdawg87]

5 minutes ago, Quinlanforthewin said:

 

Or it means we're finally starting to see Eppler doesn't really know what he's doing

First of all how DARE you

[Second Base]

7 minutes ago, Quinlanforthewin said:

 

Or it means we're finally starting to see Eppler doesn't really know what he's doing

[totdprods]

57 minutes ago, Second Base said:

I mean....I guess it's a good thing they like him so much that they're willing to play him over Barria. Maybe that means there's something more here.....

That's really the only way I can explain it. Granted, they were only one year deals,  but the Angels spent a lot of money this offseason with the intent on competing. And to trade for Stratton and immediately put him in the rotation over Barria, Suarez and Canning....it doesn't match up unless there's something there that Eppler thinks he sees. 

DEPTH.

Ideally the Angels have a rotation of Skaggs, Harvey, Heaney, Cahill, and Stratton all healthy and producing in a month with a nearly as good rotation of Pena, Barria, Suarez, Canning, and Peters in the wings at AAA.

That way when three go down again we aren’t signing guys like Lincecum, trading for guys like Chacin, waiver claiming the next Daniel Wright. 

I’m sure Eppler is well aware of the benefits Barria brings over Stratton so you have to think this is part of a larger effort to insure us against another decimated rotation.

[eligrba4ever]

Eppler went outside to get a starter with MLB experience.  How soon do the Angels really expect Heaney and Tropeano to return?

[totdprods]

Here’s the Astros fanbase responding when they signed Charlie Morton a couple years back...

https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2016/11/16/13650842/astros-sign-charlie-morton-free-agent-pitcher

“Morton, 33, only threw 17 innings for the Phillies last year after tearing his hamstring. The right-hander has pitched for nine years in the majors and started 162 games. He owns a career ERA of 4.50, though his career FIP is half a run lower.

Morton does fit into this team for one reason: he is a heavy ground ball pitcher. Morton got ground balls on 55 percent of his batted balls in his career. That number has spiked over 60 percent twice in the past four seasons. He also does it with a low-90's fastball. Both his two-seamer and his four-seamer sit right around 91-92 mph.

If we're being honest, this move resembles the Doug Fister move more than one for a top-rotation guy. Morton is depth, but he has some nice upside and may fit into Brent Strom's system.”

Replace Brent Strom with Doug White, Morton with Stratton, and this sounds a lot like what we are reading now. 

One of the first comments?

“This Fangraphs article identified Morton in April 2016 as having the best curveball spin rate in baseball. Curveball spin rate was an important factor in picking up Collin McHugh.”

Stratton was the subject of the same article a year later. 

Read through all the comments and you’ll see a lot of parallels, including folks complaining about Morton blocking prospects and not being any better than AAAA SP filler. 

Eppler has a good track record for finding pitching. I’ll give this one time.

Edited March 27, 2019 by totdprods

[Jeff Fletcher]

JC Ramírez, Felix Peña, Parker Bridwell, Blake Parker, Yusmiero Petit, Bud Norris, Hansel Robles.

Eppler got all of them for nothing and all did better than expected, to varying degrees. 

[Blarg]

6 hours ago, Troll Daddy said:

 

[Second Base]

26 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

JC Ramírez, Felix Peña, Parker Bridwell, Blake Parker, Yusmiero Petit, Bud Norris, Hansel Robles.

Eppler got all of them for nothing and all did better than expected, to varying degrees. 

Yes but were any of them thrust into the major league rotation immediately upon arrival, taking the spot of one of the best prospects/ players the Angels minor system has produced in several years?

Those guys all get a little development time, either in the minors or in low leverage situations in the bullpen. We're just thrusting him into the rotation and saying, "hey, we're planning on being in the playoffs. Make it happen."

[Stradling]

9 minutes ago, Second Base said:

Yes but were any of them thrust into the major league rotation immediately upon arrival, taking the spot of one of the best prospects/ players the Angels minor system has produced in several years?

Those guys all get a little development time, either in the minors or in low leverage situations in the bullpen. We're just thrusting him into the rotation and saying, "hey, we're planning on being in the playoffs. Make it happen."

Well it isn’t like they have to stretch him out, he has always been a starter really.  So he will start and if they think his problem is simply he isn’t throwing a pitch often enough or if his sequencing is off, they can work on that mid game.  It is quite possible they saw something they liked during the five game streak they saw last year.  

[Second Base]

4 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Well it isn’t like they have to stretch him out, he has always been a starter really.  So he will start and if they think his problem is simply he isn’t throwing a pitch often enough or if his sequencing is off, they can work on that mid game.  It is quite possible they saw something they liked during the five game streak they saw last year.  

I watched one of those games and I saw a lot that I liked. Nothing seemed to faze him at all. But it never occurred to me he'd ne bumping Barria out of the rotation. Again, not complaining, just remarking that I find them move to be aggressive. 

[Quinlanforthewin]

48 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

JC Ramírez, Felix Peña, Parker Bridwell, Blake Parker, Yusmiero Petit, Bud Norris, Hansel Robles.

Eppler got all of them for nothing and all did better than expected, to varying degrees. 

How's he done with the Free Agents he's actually spent money on? 

You bring in enough cast offs and of course you're going to have a list of six or so who actually were mildly productive, especially when you're thrusting them into starting roles. 

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, Quinlanforthewin said:

How's he done with the Free Agents he's actually spent money on? 

You bring in enough cast offs and of course you're going to have a list of six or so who actually were mildly productive, especially when you're thrusting them into starting roles. 

Why does that matter when we didn’t acquire Stratton through free agency.  I think he did well with Upton and Ohtani, who were both free agents.  I think he did poorly with Cozart.  I have no idea how he did with Cahill or Harvey.