A note of gratitude to Eppler

[Stradling]

Just now, Roy Hobbs said:

 Grandal signed a one-year deal

Yes.  

[mmc]

Just now, Stradling said:

Yea, I would rather have Lucroy and the pick and the international money.  Oh and $16 million to spend elsewhere.  

Yeah, on trash like Bour, Harvey, and Cahill.

[Docwaukee]

3 minutes ago, Stradling said:

When the farm can contribute major league ready players and we can use free agency to fill holes not build a roster.

the lineup and bullpen are pretty much there with additional reinforcements on the way.  

the rotation is two guys away.  Hopefully, one of those is Ohtani next year and another is a top FA pitcher.  If Billy can do that and not have to dip into the farm quite yet to get that top of the rotation arm then they'll be that many more assets available to fill other holes.  

A rotation of Ohtani, Cole, Skaggs, Heaney, Canning, Pena, Suarez, Barria for next year along with further advancement from some current players.  

We've even got the scratch prospect wise to add another high end starter to that list in exchange for a guy like Suarez and Barria.  

Or they could double down in laying out some cash and get a guy like Wheeler on top of Cole.  Then trade Skaggs or Heaney for another position player and/or pen arm.  

Maybe you leverage La Stella's recent success etc.  

We are in a spot right now where we haven't been in a really long time.  Talent surpluses coming.  

[Docwaukee]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

Yea, I would rather have Lucroy and the pick and the international money.  Oh and $16 million to spend elsewhere.  

the question you have to ask yourself about a guy that costs a pick/intl money is whether he's the missing piece.  

Grandal would have been a nice add, but he's not the missing piece for this team.  We'd still be two starters away and development time for some of the young guys.  

we're getting very close to sustainable good as opposed to a hodgepodge of temporary parts that could be good.  I understand the impatience but truly for the first time in a long time, I can actually see it coming together vs. hoping it will.  

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, Dochalo said:

the question you have to ask yourself about a guy that costs a pick/intl money is whether he's the missing piece.  

Grandal would have been a nice add, but he's not the missing piece for this team.  We'd still be two starters away and development time for some of the young guys.  

we're getting very close to sustainable good as opposed to a hodgepodge of temporary parts that could be good.  I understand the impatience but truly for the first time in a long time, I can actually see it coming together vs. hoping it will.  

I agree.  I wouldn’t mind a trade for a Stroman type and then a free agent signing to go along with Ohtani.  

[Stradling]

15 minutes ago, mymerlincat said:

Yeah, on trash like Bour, Harvey, and Cahill.

Yawn

[Chuck]

@Troll Daddy if you're going to use the Troll reaction on posts that are not trolling, I can take that feature away quite easily from your account. 

Just an FYI. 

[Troll Daddy]

22 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

@Troll Daddy if you're going to use the Troll reaction on posts that are not trolling, I can take that feature away quite easily from your account. 

Just an FYI. 

Lol then maybe your buddy @Stradling should lay off them when I’m stating a legit opinion. The dude is out of control slamming members with his takes.  

I

[Stradling]

2 hours ago, Troll Daddy said:

Note of gratitude ... really? This is called doing your job and he’s got a lot left to do. 

Legit opinion, haha.  Ok.  

[Troll Daddy]

7 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Legit opinion, haha.  Ok.  

I think releasing players who are not getting it done as part of the job. Giving him gratitude for doing his job is something you do. 

[arch stanton]

A note of gratitude for mymerlincat for keeping it real. We were in desperate need of yet another pointlessly contrarian douche and he came through bigtime

[mmc]

9 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

I think releasing players who are not getting it done as part of the job. Giving him gratitude for doing his job is something you do. 

You know Eppler's done a godawful job when people are praising him for routine cuts.

[rafibomb]

6 minutes ago, mymerlincat said:

You know Eppler's done a godawful job when people are praising him for routine cuts.

Just reading the posts before there are plenty of reasons why Eppler has done a good job. Are you just not reading them? Everyone here know's the weaknesses to the moves he has made but part of being a fan is acknowledging the many great things he has done. Just read around the forum, there are many threads taking note of both the good and the bad. I'm sorry but you are just being ignorant.

[mmc]

20 minutes ago, rafibomb said:

Just reading the posts before there are plenty of reasons why Eppler has done a good job. Are you just not reading them? Everyone here know's the weaknesses to the moves he has made but part of being a fan is acknowledging the many great things he has done. Just read around the forum, there are many threads taking note of both the good and the bad. I'm sorry but you are just being ignorant.

He has made plenty of moves that look good on paper.  What he hasn't done, is led a team in a big market, with one of the top payrolls in the league, and the best player in the league in his prime, to a record at or above .500 in what is now going to be 4 seasons.  Sorry for finding his track record underwhelming?

[Troll Daddy]

12 minutes ago, rafibomb said:

Just reading the posts before there are plenty of reasons why Eppler has done a good job. Are you just not reading them? Everyone here know's the weaknesses to the moves he has made but part of being a fan is acknowledging the many great things he has done. Just read around the forum, there are many threads taking note of both the good and the bad. I'm sorry but you are just being ignorant.

I don’t think anyone is saying Eppler is doing a terrible job. The team is floating around.500 and when Upton returns and our starting pitching gets healthy there is a good chance the Angels stay in contention for a Wild Card.

I think most of the fans are pleased with some of his personnel decisions ... FA’s not included lol

[rafibomb]

1 minute ago, Troll Daddy said:

I don’t think anyone is saying Eppler is doing a terrible job. The team is floating around.500 and when Upton returns and our starting pitching gets healthy there is a good chance the Angels stay in contention for a Wild Card.

I think most of the fans are pleased with some of his personnel decisions ... FA’s not included lol

@mymerlincat

 

[Docwaukee]

no one thinks of Eppler as Midas.  

lets compare the top and the bottom things that Eppler has done. 

 Top 
1. Extend Trout
2. Sign Ohtani
3. Completely turn around the farm system
4. Trade for Simmons
5. Grab a bunch of productive players for nothing or almost nothing at the major league level.  La Stella, Goodwin, Kevin Smith, Pena, Robles, Ramirez, Bard,  Maldonado, Parker, Hernandez, Petit, Escobar, Bridwell, Norris, Cole
6. Trade expiring or marginal value mlb talent for future talent.  Luis Madero, Patrick Sandoval, Ty Buttrey, Williams Jerez, Luis Rengifo
7. Trade for Upton for almost nothing.  

Bottom
1. Bad free agents - Cozart, Valbuena, Cahill, Harvey, Allen, Bour
2. Bad trades - Espinosa, Jim Johnson (needed the intl money to get Ohtani), Stratton., Alvarez for Garcia
3. Letting Parker and Shoe go.  

 

 

[Docwaukee]

22 minutes ago, mymerlincat said:

He has made plenty of moves that look good on paper.  What he hasn't done, is led a team in a big market, with one of the top payrolls in the league, and the best player in the league in his prime, to a record at or above .500 in what is now going to be 4 seasons.  Sorry for finding his track record underwhelming?

go back to 2015/16 and look at what he started with in terms of mlb roster, farm and payroll.  Now consider where the team should be.  

[Billy_Ball]

8 hours ago, mymerlincat said:

Hilarious post.  He missed out on all of Grandal, Corbin, Ramos, Robertson, Harrison, Soria, Gonzalez, Moustakas, Happ, Eovaldi, and Britton, despite trying to sign all of them at some point and ended up with Bour (crap, AAA), Harvey (crap), Cahill (crap), Bourjos (crap), Allen (crap), and Lucroy (crap).  He has been around for now his 4th season, and has yet to put together a .500 ball club.  He has added 0 impact starting pitchers despite that being our biggest weakness ever since he took over.  He hired a complete moron of a manager who everyone ridiculed us for.  His biggest free agent (Cozart) has been an absolute disaster.  Eppler is a horrendous GM and I'm not sure how anyone can defend him after the disaster of a team he has put together this year, 4 years into his tenure.  

Why did you include Eovaldi in Eppler's "missed out on" list?  He had similar career numbers to Cahill but was more expensive.  And like Cahill, he hasn't done crap either this year.   Unlike Cahill, he'll be making making $68 million over 4 years.

And Lucroy hasn't been the greatest, but hasn't been crap either.

And why didn't you mention that Eppler never traded Adell, Canning, Marsh, Barria, Thaiss, Walsh, etc.....?

Eppler's made some good moves and some bad ones (esp. starting pitching).  But to just focus on the bad ones and say he is a horrendous GM is stupid.

[Lou]

3 hours ago, mymerlincat said:

Easily Grandal.  This team has nothing in the pipeline at Catcher.  Getting Grandal would allow us to stop relying on one year deals at that position.

You also wanted Ramos, he of the 74 OPS+, 14% CS and $19M contract. 

[Lou]

3 hours ago, mymerlincat said:

Easily Grandal.  This team has nothing in the pipeline at Catcher.  Getting Grandal would allow us to stop relying on one year deals at that position.

 

3 hours ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 Grandal signed a one-year deal

 

[GrittyVeterans]

They better contend next year. This was a rebuild year so whatever but next year is year 5 of Eppler at the helm and it’s time to see some results. I don’t need 100 wins but how about 90 and a solid wild card spot that is clinched easily?

[Stradling]

7 hours ago, RBM said:

I agree with you and we really can't recreate the wheel but let's remember there are two sides to "would you rather". I wanted Eppler to sign Grandal and Miley in the offseason...

And now, I would rather have Grandal and Miley over Lucroy, Cahill and Allen.

Wouldn't you?

And lose a pick and International money for one year of Grandal, no.  If you are going to lose a pick and International money it has to be for someone that fits in your long term plan or is the finishing piece to a playoff caliber team.  

[Stradling]

5 hours ago, GrittyVeterans said:

They better contend next year. This was a rebuild year so whatever but next year is year 5 of Eppler at the helm and it’s time to see some results. I don’t need 100 wins but how about 90 and a solid wild card spot that is clinched easily?

How often to horrible farms get completely rebuilt in five years with ready to produce talent?   I have no idea if we will compete for 90 wins this year, but with his draft strategy of high upside high school guys, it may not be complete.  Thiass was his first draft and he looks ready.   Canning was another one and he’s ready.  But the high school guys are all 20 years old.  Expecting them to be ready is a bit of a stretch.  

[Angel Oracle]

4 minutes ago, Stradling said:

How often to horrible farms get completely rebuilt in five years with ready to produce talent?   I have no idea if we will compete for 90 wins this year, but with his draft strategy of high upside high school guys, it may not be complete.  Thiass was his first draft and he looks ready.   Canning was another one and he’s ready.  But the high school guys are all 20 years old.  Expecting them to be ready is a bit of a stretch.  

Which is why I think that 2021 is the true year to start being an annual contender.