Should Eppler have done something significant before the trade deadline?

[ettin]

42 minutes ago, Lou said:

What happens when we pick up his option and there is no market for him?

I am sure Eppler has a better feel for his potential market based on trade deadline discussions and projected needs of teams. They can choose to exercise it or not based on that information. Haven't deep dived it myself Lou as baseball has been on the deep back burner for me lately but I am sure the team will perform due diligence and act accordingly. If he keeps up this recent performance through the end of the year, the option may be easier to pick up?

[ettin]

On a different note I hope the Angels trade for Luiz Gohara as a reclamation project.

[Docwaukee]

47 minutes ago, ettin said:

On a different note I hope the Angels trade for Luiz Gohara as a reclamation project.

not even sure that's as much of a reclamation as it is giving him an appropriate opportunity plus non-labrum related shoulder surg.  I'd like to see the halos on him in a heartbeat.  This seemed like an odd move for the braves although really good farm systems often end up with these types of roster crunches.  He was terrific in 2017 at age 20 where he split time at aa/aaa/mlb.  Combined minor league stats of 123.2 ip and 147k with 2.62 era.  

He's not the answer as a guaranteed rotation piece for next year but would be a great depth option.  He turned 23 yesterday.  So assuming there's no actual structural damage to the shoulder.  Big dude that hits 98mph from the left side with a plus slider

Totally down for giving this guy a shot.  Even if he ends up in the pen.  

 

[Inside Pitch]

4 hours ago, ettin said:

On a different note I hope the Angels trade for Luiz Gohara as a reclamation project.

There are now shoulder issues.  Still worth it, but there is that added concern now.

[Pancake Bear]

1 hour ago, RBM said:

We need to use the net $13 M to get two quality SP’s. 

Why stop at two if they’re that cheap?

[eligrba]

13 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

I have no idea what went on behind the scenes, but it isn't hard to imagine Eppler's thinking.

He was open to buying, but only for 2020 and beyond.

He was open to selling, but only for 2020 and beyond.

None of the players he would have liked to unload have any trade value--Cahill, Garcia, Lucroy, Bour, Cozart.

The teams of the players he wanted--starters like Matthew Boyd with club control for at least a couple years--were asking for the moon, so he decided that given the fact that the Angels are only on the fringe of contention, he'd rather pay the less-expensive offseason cost and/or focus on free agency.

The bullpen is largely comprised of youngish, club and/or cost-controlled pitchers. Guys that can help the team win in 2020+.

Calhoun is a unique case. I'm sure Eppler would have accepted a decent enough offer, but presumably he didn't receive one good enough to offset the clubhouse price. But I'm guessing he didn't want to sell low for human reasons: he's an integral part of the team. They aren't 100% out of it, they did just lose a team-mate a month ago, and Kole is a clubhouse and fan favorite. It is one thing not picking his option up during the offseason when you have a top prospect in the wings, hugging him on his way out as he sets off towards the horizon, quite another just dumping him for a fringe prospect mid-season a few weeks after a player died.

I was a bit surprised he didn't trade Goodwin, but that also makes sense as insurance if Adell struggles early next year. Goodwin can still be traded later.

And finally Max Stassi. I didn't like it at first, and I also must admit I wish he had kept one of those guys if only for their cool names, but the more I've looked into it, the more I think this was a good move. Stassi is, at worst, Martin Maldonado. The Angels could do much worse than a Maldonado-Smith platoon next year. But there's also some untapped potential in his bat. It is a bit of a clean peanut trade, but one that could yield nice results.

Some teams who are in the race also did nothing despite having obvious needs.......There is more to this story than the simple narrative of "Eppler Should Have Done Something."

[Stradling]

6 minutes ago, eligrba said:

Some teams who are in the race also did nothing despite having obvious needs.......There is more to this story than the simple narrative of "Eppler Should Have Done Something."

Totally.  This trade deadline turned some rational people into butthurt crazy people.  We saw what Bauer was traded for, we saw what Greinke was traded for.  Yet people are telling Eppler to get off his ass and do something.  It makes zero sense to do something when the acquisition cost is so high. 

So for us that wanted him to sell a few parts, obviously there wasn’t a market for what we had to offer.  Why do I say obviously, well if there’s one thing Eppler proves by not making moves it’s that he values prospects and years of control.  If there was a way to flip Kole or Lucroy or a reliever and get some prospects worth a damn that offers more of what he truly values common sense says he does it. He isn’t delusional and thinks they have a legit shot this year by making or not making a move. 

[Troll Daddy]

What happens if the Angels DFA Justin Upton or Kole Calhoun before September?

[Stradling]

Just now, Troll Daddy said:

What happens if the Angels DFA Justin Upton or Kole Calhoun before September?

Another team picks them up and the Angels pay their salary.  

[Angel Oracle]

I'm good with just Stassi being acquired.   This is NOT a post-season team.   Build for 2020 and beyond, and get Cole in here come the off-season. 

[Troll Daddy]

Just now, Stradling said:

Another team picks them up and the Angels pay their salary.  

I’m not so sure about that? The team that claims him doesn’t have to pickup the entire contract. 

[mulwin444]

Just now, Troll Daddy said:

I’m not so sure about that? The team that claims him doesn’t have to pickup the entire contract. 

The way it worked before (teams putting guys through waivers past July 31st) has been changed to one deadline - July 31st.  You can't put guys through waivers and trade them for minor leaguers anymore from Aug 1st through the end of the season.  You can only DFA them...which means whoever gets them only pay league minimum and the team that released him pays the rest.

[Stradling]

2 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

The way it worked before (teams putting guys through waivers past July 31st) has been changed to one deadline - July 31st.  You can't put guys through waivers and trade them for minor leaguers anymore from Aug 1st through the end of the season.  You can only DFA them...which means whoever gets them only pay league minimum and the team that released him pays the rest.

Yes.  

[Blarg]

The league should have let Eppler make significant deals without a significant impact to the Angels' organization. 

[Chuck]

On 8/1/2019 at 8:58 AM, Dochalo said:

certainly Noe and Cam.  

Although I think the Skaggs tragedy had a lot more to do with not selling than anything would be said publicly.  

I am surprised that Lucroy wasn't moved if he was drawing actual interest.  

The more I thought about why nothing was done, as we have several pieces to trade not named Adell, I firmly believe it the Skaggs tragedy. Especially players on the roster like Calhoun, Bedrock, Noe, Goodwin and Lucroy.

I'm bummed out that the rest of this season is to fight off the Rangers and Mariners for 3rd place, missing the playoffs yet again during Eppler's tenure. 

Like I said in other threads, I'm over critiquing him until the end of the 2020 season. 

If he fails yet again to make the playoffs and we're talking about 2021 in June/July again that critique will start much sooner.

[Docwaukee]

4 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

The more I thought about why nothing was done, as we have several pieces to trade not named Adell, I firmly believe it the Skaggs tragedy. Especially players on the roster like Calhoun, Bedrock, Noe, Goodwin and Lucroy.

I'm bummed out that the rest of this season is to fight off the Rangers and Mariners for 3rd place, missing the playoffs yet again during Eppler's tenure. 

Like I said in other threads, I'm over critiquing him until the end of the 2020 season. 

If he fails yet again to make the playoffs and we're talking about 2021 in June/July again that critique will start much sooner.

for me it's less about the actual playoffs although that still a big part of it.  

It's more about his use of resources.  He's done a very nice job of putting this org in a position to have resources again whether it be financial flexibility or prospect capital.  No easy task mind you.  

He's been a bit more hit and miss with how he used those resources to improve the major league club.  

In particular he's missed hard on some free agent signings.  Not to the point of catastrophe like a Hamilton, but enough so that I am starting to call into question the evaluation process being used to acquire those players.  More so on the pitching side.  But he's actually done well to avoid some major bear traps in the free agent market so there's something to be said about that as well.  

Can he covert what he's built into major league wins.  But if he signs Cole and then Cole gets injured, I can't blame him.  

This year, even if Harvey, Cahill, Allen are avg, the team is probably a little better but I doubt it propels them to a playoff spot.  Maybe, but I doubt it.  Especially with the loss of Skaggs and now the Heaney injury.  

Next year, if Ohtani is healthy and makes 20-25 starts then what he does on the pitching side of things will likely be the primary factor as to whether we make the playoffs.  In the past, they just didn't have enough talent and too many holes to fill for it to be a reasonable expectation that all his moves would work.  For next year, I feel like those two key players (pitchers) are the difference.  At least that's my new expectation even if that's a bit unreasonable.