FIRE EPPLER

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, BackUpTheTruck said:

Eppler signed Cozart.

As did Arte. 

[Lhalo]

Ryu to Toronto? Alright... now I’m pissed. 

[JustATroutFan]

Eppler supporters making excuses already and 2020 has not even started yet. The team needed starting pitching. Needed another quality starter to go along with the only really solid starting pitcher in  Ohtani. Cole, Ryu, and Kluber were all out there. Couldn't get it done. 

[Bronson]

Remember when we were the favorites to land Randy Johnson in 1999? And he went to Arizona and won 4 consecutive CY Young’s??? Hell we even had Mo Vaughn trying to recruit him. How come no one talks about that anymore?

[Angel Oracle]

20 minutes ago, Bronson said:

Remember when we were the favorites to land Randy Johnson in 1999? And he went to Arizona and won 4 consecutive CY Young’s??? Hell we even had Mo Vaughn trying to recruit him. How come no one talks about that anymore?

He probably saw that the tyrants Terry Collins and Larry Bowa were still in charge.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

4 hours ago, JustATroutFan said:

Eppler supporters making excuses already and 2020 has not even started yet. The team needed starting pitching. Needed another quality starter to go along with the only really solid starting pitcher in  Ohtani. Cole, Ryu, and Kluber were all out there. Couldn't get it done. 

It seems that you have very little comprehension of the situation that Eppler walked into, and that it was never going to be solved quickly or easily regardless of who the GM was.

1. The organization had the worst farm system in all of baseball - so bad that one writer opined that it might be the worst in the history of baseball. Without talent on the farm, there is nothing to look forward to at the major league level, and nothing to use to trade for helpful veterans. Eppler has done a masterful job of stocking the farm system with talent, which is just now beginning to arrive and have an impact on the parent club. Stocking a big league roster mainly through free agency is a road to disaster, because teams generally wind up paying for what a player has already done rather than what he is now capable of (see Pujols, Albert). It is also not sustainable. Even the mighty Yankees had to back away from this approach.

2. The parent club had too many big contracts for non-producing players. The players were untradeable, and since the money was owed whether they stayed on the roster or not, it was decided to try to get at least some production out of them. All but one of those contracts are now gone. This also served as an expensive lesson for free agency going forward, and the front office has clearly heeded that message.

3. Because of #2, the budget available for free agency before this offseason was not large. Eppler tried to spend what money he had prudently, on players who had at least shown potential and might be able to help the big club. 

4. Cole was never coming here because last season left him hungry to win a World Series quickly. That wasn't going to happen here. The club clearly made a strong run at him, but the Yankees have far more talent. Incredibly, most of it came through their farm system (see #1 above). A nine-year contract for a pitcher is insane, and I predict that somewhere down the road, perhaps even before the halfway point, it will turn into an A-Rod type situation, in which they are paying a lot for a little. The Yankees can affordably carry a contract like that should Cole become unproductive. Perhaps one or two other teams in baseball could do this without it swamping the big league roster, but this isn't one of them.

5. Ryu has been healthy for two years out of the last four. It took a four-year contract at a substantial overpay to sign him. We have already had our fill of big contracts for non-producers, and IMO this would have been another one.

6. The club clearly pursued Kluber. We have no way of knowing what the Indians asked for in return, but apparently the front office believed that the loss outweighed the return. We cannot judge what they were asking from the Angels based upon what they eventually took from the Rangers. The Rangers may have been a last resort after the Angels ended talks with them.

7. Substantial money was put on the table for at least Wheeler, Cole and Strasburg, all of whom the club had meetings with. They can only sign one place. Them deciding that another situation was better for them is not necessarily due to any failure or shortcoming on the part of the Angels' front office or ownership.

[JustATroutFan]

4 minutes ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

It seems that you have very little comprehension of the situation that Eppler walked into, and that it was never going to be solved quickly or easily regardless of who the GM was.

1. The organization had the worst farm system in all of baseball - so bad that one writer opined that it might be the worst in the history of baseball. Without talent on the farm, there is nothing to look forward to at the major league level, and nothing to use to trade for helpful veterans. Eppler has done a masterful job of stocking the farm system with talent, which is just now beginning to arrive and have an impact on the parent club. Stocking a big league roster mainly through free agency is a road to disaster, because teams generally wind up paying for what a player has already done rather than what he is now capable of (see Pujols, Albert). It is also not sustainable. Even the mighty Yankees had to back away from this approach.

2. The parent club had too many big contracts for non-producing players. The players were untradeable, and since the money was owed whether they stayed on the roster or not, it was decided to try to get at least some production out of them. All but one of those contracts is now gone. This also served as an expensive lesson for free agency going forward, and the front office has clearly heeded that message.

3. Because of #2, the budget available for free agency before this offseason was not large. Eppler tried to spend what money he had prudently, on players who had at least shown potential and might be able to help the big club. 

4. Cole was never coming here because last season left him hungry to win a World Series quickly. That wasn't going to happen here. The club clearly made a strong run at him, but the Yankees have far more talent. Incredibly, most of it came through their farm system (see #1 above). A nine-year contract for a pitcher is insane, and I predict that somewhere down the road, perhaps even before the halfway point, it will turn into an A-Rod type situation, in which they are paying a lot for a little. The Yankees can affordably carry a contract like that should Cole become unproductive. Perhaps one or two other teams in baseball could do this without it swamping the big league roster, but this isn't one of them.

5. Ryu has been healthy for two years out of the last four. It took a four-year contract at a substantial overpay to sign him. We have already had our fill of big contracts for non-producers, and IMO this would have been another one.

6. The club clearly pursued Kluber. We have no way of knowing what the Indians asked for in return, but apparently the FO believed that the loss outweighed the return. We cannot judge what they were asking from the Angels based upon what they eventually took from the Rangers.

7. Substantial money was put on the table for at least Wheeler, Cole and Strasburg, all of whom the club had meetings with. They can only sign one place. Them deciding that another situation was better for them is not necessarily due to any failure or shortcoming on the part of the Angels' front office or ownership.

 

 

The Eppler defense is ridiculous. All I saw on here before this offseason was how the Angels were supposed to build for 2020 and beyond. And here we are now, no star starting pitchers whom they got in the last few months Eppler deserves to go, period! This guy is just a fraud, like Pujols. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Why don't you take over as GM, since you have all of the answers.

[Jay]

3 minutes ago, JustATroutFan said:

The Eppler defense is ridiculous.

We see that here on AW but in general it's doubtful that Eppler has that much fan support.

The proof is in the pudding.

 

[JustATroutFan]

2 minutes ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

Why don't you take over as GM, since you have all of the answers.

Stop defending Eppler! He had a big task to do this offseason, which was improving the starting rotation. And in case of any misunderstanding, he needed to improve the starting rotation by a lot. Go ahead and come up with more excuses for the clown. 2020 was supposed to be the year when the Angels were back to being postseason contenders, at least. Man, if this clown was running the show for the Yankees, he would be hated by the fan base already. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Obviously if he is a clown, you have better ideas. Call Arte Moreno and ask to take over, so that your obvious brilliance can show us the right path. 

[Stradling]

He could have solved the pitching staff by spending $360 million on Cole or $150 million on Wheeler or $250 million on Strasburg.  He’s dumb that he couldn’t convince Arte to spend that much money on Cole or Wheeler.  

[Inside Pitch]

24 minutes ago, JustATroutFan said:

The Eppler defense is ridiculous. All I saw on here before this offseason was how the Angels were supposed to build for 2020 and beyond. And here we are now, no star starting pitchers whom they got in the last few months Eppler deserves to go, period! This guy is just a fraud, like Pujols. 

Yeah, he we are.  Projected to put up the 7th best WAR in MLB with guys still available and only Rendon and Trout signed beyond 2022..   No way can that be considered as building for 2020 and beyond.

[AngelsFanSince86]

Meh.  I'm taking the wait and see approach, but I'm not making any excuses for Eppler.  I know if you go player by player then you can make an argument for why it didn't work out.  But at the end of the day it is Eppler's job to put together a contender.  He has had 5 offseasons to do it and there has been many excuses, most of them legitimate.  However, the time has finally come.  If the Angels do not make the postseason this year it is 100% on Eppler.  I don't want to hear about injuries and poor performance.  And I don't want to hear that I or anyone else should be the GM then.  Thats his job that he gets paid the big bucks to do.  He is supposedly an expert.  

That being said, the year still has to play out and there is plenty of offseason left as well.  The end result is all that matters and if we fall short because of pitching, that will be 100% on Eppler.  

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I have been an upper level administrator for almost 15 years. When a subordinate brings a problem to me, I also ask them to offer a potential solution, rather than just dumping a problem for me to solve and then walking away. That way, there must be some thought put into what is being proposed, not just a complaint. I see none of that here in the people who are criticizing Eppler. Who would have done a better job? What could have been done differently given the state of the organization both financially and in terms of talent? It is very easy to call for someone's head without a solution in mind. One need only look at our two previous General Managers to find bad examples of what happens when you rush to replace someone without really figuring out where you are and where you are going.

If you are indeed building for the future, you start with the farm system. Ours was horrible. It no longer is.

[Angels_Fan]

2020 will be a make or break year for Eppler, and it’s all going to come down to how well the pitching staff performs. So far, none of his pitching acquisitions inspire any confidence. We’ll see what he does on the trade front. It’s clear that the Angels need to aim a lot higher than just stockpiling back-of-the-rotation arms. 

[Stradling]

8 minutes ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

I have been an upper level administrator for almost 15 years. When a subordinate brings a problem to me, I also ask them to offer a potential solution, rather than just dumping a problem for me to solve and then walking away. That way, there must be some thought put into what is being proposed, not just a complaint. I see none of that here in the people who are criticizing Eppler. Who would have done a better job? What could have been done differently given the state of the organization both financially and in terms of talent? It is very easy to call for someone's head without a solution in mind. One need only look at our two previous General Managers to find bad examples of what happens when you rush to replace someone without really figuring out where you are and where you are going.

If you are indeed building for he future, you start with the farm system. Ours was horrible. It no longer is.

Yep.  It’s perfectly fine to say he needs to do a better job at acquiring pitching.  But to pretend he brings nothing to the table or that its simply Arte spending money when he signs Trout or Rendon is ignorant.  

[Slegnaac]

2 hours ago, JustATroutFan said:

Stop defending Eppler! He had a big task to do this offseason, which was improving the starting rotation. And in case of any misunderstanding, he needed to improve the starting rotation by a lot. Go ahead and come up with more excuses for the clown. 2020 was supposed to be the year when the Angels were back to being postseason contenders, at least. Man, if this clown was running the show for the Yankees, he would be hated by the fan base already. 

What possible reasons could Artie have for keeping Eppler around?

Probably two reasons, Reagins and DiPoto.

[rottiesworld]

1 hour ago, Slegnaac said:

What possible reasons could Artie have for keeping Eppler around?

Probably two reasons, Reagins and DiPoto.

If he was with the Yankees he would have been fired already. We had some great pitchers and he screwed up.

[kevinb]

Eppler deserves a 5 year extension after getting Bundy, Teheran and Rendon. We’ve definitely won the AL West off season. 

[Stradling]

24 minutes ago, rottiesworld said:

If he was with the Yankees he would have been fired already. We had some great pitchers and he screwed up.

We did?  

[Tank]

On 12/17/2019 at 6:56 PM, Dochalo said:

I said it in my head with the same voice I'd use to 'cinemax - after dark'.  

Back in the 90s the mom of one of my students was in one of those. 

[Troll Daddy]

3 hours ago, Stradling said:

Yep.  It’s perfectly fine to say he needs to do a better job at acquiring pitching.  But to pretend he brings nothing to the table or that its simply Arte spending money when he signs Trout or Rendon is ignorant.  

I truly believe you could of done as good or better than Eppler. Trout and Rendon would of been a slam dunk for a guy like you. 

[Tank]

4 hours ago, JustATroutFan said:

Stop defending Eppler! He had a big task to do this offseason, which was improving the starting rotation. And in case of any misunderstanding, he needed to improve the starting rotation by a lot. Go ahead and come up with more excuses for the clown. 2020 was supposed to be the year when the Angels were back to being postseason contenders, at least. Man, if this clown was running the show for the Yankees, he would be hated by the fan base already. 

Wow. LOL.

[Stradling]

19 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

I truly believe you could of done as good or better than Eppler. Trout and Rendon would of been a slam dunk for a guy like you. 

Nope.  But the dudes who blame him for everything truly believe they could do a better job.