What is your realistic expectations for this offseason & your wishlist?

[VariousCrap]

10 hours ago, Sean-Regan said:

Eppler going after Cole/Strasbourg confirmed. 

 

Exactly my point.  Which are big money free agents and not via trades. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

yes but odd that you guys are up at 2 am posting on this board.

 

I work nights. 2am is afternoon to me.

[T.G.]

4 in the morning, came without a warning...

[Lou]

5 hours ago, Jay said:

yes but odd that you guys are up at 2 am posting on this board.

 

I don't have a bedtime 

[SigBaby]

15 hours ago, redoctober2002 said:

Completely agree. It's not very often you get a guy at Cole's level in free agency, the closest comparable is probably Scherzer back in 2015. The past 4 years Eppler has been building the farm and signing stop gaps, eventually risks have to be taken and the front office needs to go into win now mode while the best player in baseball is in his prime.

Except that Nationals team was already stacked without Scherzer. We are a borderline playoff team with Cole and cannot afford to miss playoffs while putting our future spending into one basket. I like Cole and I anticipate him being a top pitcher at least for the next couple seasons, but how can people be so quick to forget how much the Pujols contract has hindered this team? Say for some reason (injury or reduced effectiveness) Cole doesn't pan, this team will be 100% sunk for the foreseeable future and that's a lot to bet on one player. 

[Pancake Bear]

16 minutes ago, SigBaby said:

Except that Nationals team was already stacked without Scherzer. We are a borderline playoff team with Cole and cannot afford to miss playoffs while putting our future spending into one basket. I like Cole and I anticipate him being a top pitcher at least for the next couple seasons, but how can people be so quick to forget how much the Pujols contract has hindered this team? Say for some reason (injury or reduced effectiveness) Cole doesn't pan, this team will be 100% sunk for the foreseeable future and that's a lot to bet on one player. 

Pujols was 34, ya mook. 

[Angelsjunky]

8 hours ago, Warfarin said:

Assuming Arte has roughly 50mil of cash (not LT space, and assuming Calhoun's option is declined) to spend and is not averse to going over the LT limit, then I'd consider this:

1.  Sign Cole (7/210?), start off the contract at 22-25mil for the first year and go up from there

2.  Sign Wheeler (4/70?), start off the contract at 12-14mil and go up from there

3.  Sign Grandal (3/45), start off at 11-12mil and go up from there

4.  Release Pujols.  It is time to move on and try other options.  

So - that's roughly 45-51mil of salary added.

 

Lineup:  LaStella 3B, Trout CF, Ohtani DH, Upton LF, Grandal C, Goodwin (eventually Adell) RF, Fletcher 2B, Thaiss/Ward 1B, Simba SS

Bench:  Smith C, Rengifo IF, Thaiss/Ward 1B/3B (whoever isn't playing), Hermosillo OF (eventually Goodwin shifts here when Adell takes over RF)

SP:  Cole, Wheeler, Ohtani, Heaney, Canning, then some combo of Sandoval, Suarez, Pena, Barria, etc

BP:  Robles, Buttrey, Middleton, Ramirez, Bedrosian, Cole, other optionable relievers

Not on part with the AL's elite teams (Yankees, Astros), but I do think that should be a very competitive team that is at least in the WC mix, which is a huge step up from this year.

This is pretty much exactly what I'm hoping for. What I'm expecting is a fair bit less. I think Cole (or Strasburg) is a realistic hope, but my guess is that they have to settle for someone other than Wheeler. Maybe Odorizzi? There's also no chance they release Pujols. He'll pretty much do what he did in 2019, adjusting for health, decline, and if any of the quad-A guys (Ward, Thaiss, Walsh, Rojas) actually mans up and starts hitting.

[SigBaby]

37 minutes ago, Sean-Regan said:

Pujols was 34, ya mook. 

So you believe there is no other viable way to sufficiently improve the rotation other than paying the most expensive player on the market coming off a career year? 

[Pancake Bear]

7 minutes ago, SigBaby said:

So you believe there is no other viable way to sufficiently improve the rotation other than paying the most expensive player on the market coming off a career year? 

In the Angels case, not unless you want to play the lottery and hope you get lucky or you want to wait 5 or more years. Canning might be very good, but it’s doubtful he’ll be an ace, IMO, at least not for a few years. He’s the closest we have. Ohtani won’t be until at least 2021, and that’s dependent on health. Heaney has shown no signs that he’s better than a #3 if we’re being optimistic. 

You cant win with that. You can’t draft an ace unless you get lucky or draft higher than the Angels will be able to with Trout on the team. The Angels don’t have the ability to recreate the Rays/Athletics success because they’d have to completely change some things, and it would still take time. 

The reality is that the Angels are 3-4 pieces away from being a legitimate contender if one of those pieces is Cole. That’s how you use free agency: To fill holes. Sometimes it goes badly. But you have to try in some cases. Ours is one of those cases.

[Chris]

The List:  Maddon, Cole, Odorizzi, Grandal, & Maldonado

Lineup: 2B La Stella, CF Trout, DH Ohtani, LF Upton, C Grandal, RF Goodwin/Adell, 1B Pujols/Thaiss, SS Simmons, 3B Fletcher

Rotation: Cole, Odorizzi, Ohtani, Heaney, Canning, Sandoval

Bullpen:  Robles, Buttrey, Middleton, Bedrosian, N. Ramirez, F. Pena

Bench: OF Adell, 1B/3B Thaiss, C Maldonado, INF Cozart

 

 

[Pancake Bear]

1 minute ago, Chris said:

The List:  Maddon, Cole, Odorizzi, Grandal, & Maldonado

Lineup: 2B La Stella, CF Trout, DH Ohtani, LF Upton, C Grandal, RF Goodwin/Adell, 1B Pujols/Thaiss, SS Simmons, 3B Fletcher

Rotation: Cole, Odorizzi, Ohtani, Heaney, Canning, Sandoval

Bullpen:  Robles, Buttrey, Middleton, Bedrosian, N. Ramirez, F. Pena

Bench: OF Adell, 1B/3B Thaiss, C Maldonado, INF Cozart

 

 

Grandal AND Maldonado? Bold.

[Chris]

if it helps us get Cole, just get Cole baby

[Jay]

4 hours ago, Lou said:

I don't have a bedtime job

 

[Hubs]

Wish List: Cole, Bumgarner, Grandal, Maddon, Rendon.

Realistic List: Cole, Trade for Samardzija, Grandal, Maddon.

 

[disarcina]

On 10/8/2019 at 8:41 AM, RBM said:

Actually, Kendrick is a really interesting option. He is a great utility guy at this point in his career - 1B, 2B, 3B, LF.

He still rakes!

maybe - but Kendrick is having an awful series in the NLDS.  Not hitting as well as making defensive errors/ mishaps.

Looks like a shell of the Howie we knew in Anaheim,

 

[Stradling]

Wishlist- Cole, Strasburg, Trade for Thor, Rendon

Realistic- Cole, Odorizzi, trade for Ray, d’Arnaud 

[Angelsjunky]

1 hour ago, disarcina said:

maybe - but Kendrick is having an awful series in the NLDS.  Not hitting as well as making defensive errors/ mishaps.

Looks like a shell of the Howie we knew in Anaheim,

 

[disarcina]

ONE AT BAT should changed that story,

from terrible series to MVP in one swing 

 

[totdprods]

10 hours ago, Stradling said:

Wishlist- Cole, Strasburg, Trade for Thor, Rendon

Realistic- Cole, Odorizzi, trade for Ray, d’Arnaud 

I would Facking love that realistic outcome.

Odorizzi is really interesting...back when Tampa traded him was right about when we dealt Cron their way, and there was some speculation they would've been swapped. Tampa got a sort of loud MIF prospect that hasn't panned out. Rengifo, fortunately, has for us, so no need to revisit that trade...but it leads me to wonder how much interest Billy actually had in Odorizzi. Seems like they could have matched up pretty easily if he wanted to. 

Also read that Odorizzi is pretty lowly-ranked in terms of velocity and spin rate on several of his pitches, contradicting what Billy's tended to prioritize. Wonder if that tune will change more now as pressure mounts. 

And I also have a feeling Minnesota is going to be in heavily on any SP the Angels are chasing too. Their entire rotation is basically up for FA and they have money to spend and need. With a good offense in place, it makes all the sense that they wind up big players for FA SPs.

Edited October 10, 2019 by totdprods

[T.G.]

Wish List: Arte sells the team to George W. Bush.

Not enough popcorn in the world for that scenario.