THE Official 2019-2020 Hot Stove Thread

[Pancake Bear]

1 hour ago, beatlesrule said:

LOL at benching Pujols. 29 million reasons why he will be starting and playing mostly everyday.

Name me another example where someone performed poorly and still played every day when there was a noticeably better option. 

Seriously, try. I need a good laugh. 

[Pancake Bear]

11 minutes ago, stormngt said:

I believe the Angel's knew going in that Pujols role would diminish as he got to the final years of the contract.  What the Angel's havent had a first baseman clearly out produce him yet.  I hope Thais or Walsh may do that this year. 

Um, 2019 All Star, Tommy La Stella?

[Stradling]

Just now, Pancake Bear said:

Name me another example where someone performed poorly and still played every day when there was a noticeably better option. 

Seriously, try. I need a good laugh. 

He’s going to say Cron

[Pancake Bear]

Just now, Stradling said:

He’s going to say Cron

Cron was noticeably better? I must’ve missed that. Cron also had no positional flexibility and wasn’t good enough to merit benching Pujols for 4-5 years. 

[Stradling]

3 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

Cron was noticeably better? I must’ve missed that. Cron also had no positional flexibility and wasn’t good enough to merit benching Pujols for 4-5 years. 

I know

[stormngt]

11 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

Um, 2019 All Star, Tommy La Stella?

Well I guess you could also say future hall of Famer Mike Trout too bad he was too busy playing CF.   I am sorry but I thought 2019 La Stella played 2nd and 3rd last year.  He obviously was busy with those two positions because he got enough playing time to earn an All Star invite.  Bour was the guy that was supposed to take at bats away from Pujols.

[Pancake Bear]

3 minutes ago, Stradling said:

He’s going to say Cron

Actually, let me go on:

Cron was here from 2014 - 2017. His plate appearances, wRC+, and WAR for those years, then Pujols’.

2014: 253 PA, 112 wRC+, -0.2 WAR

2015: 404 PA, 104  wRC+, 0.5 WAR

2016: 445 PA, 114  wRC+, 1.4 WAR

2017: 373 PA, 98  wRC+, 0.3 WAR

 

Pujols:

2014: 695 PA, 123 wRC+, 2.7 WAR

2015: 661 PA, 114 wRC+, 1.6 WAR

2016: 650 PA, 110 wRC+, 0.8 WAR

2017: 636 PA, 77 wRC+, -2.0 WAR

 

For wRC+, 100 is league average.

2014 was Pujols 3rd year on the team, and he was still a legitimate starter at that point. 

2015 Pujols was still better than Cron. 

2016, Cron finally outplayed Pujols, but only slightly. He probably would’ve netted us an extra win over the course of a season, but the difference wasn’t enough to unseat Pujols.

For whatever reason, probably because they felt they couldn’t afford to carry two 1B/DH only guys, they brought in Luis Valbuena on a two year deal. He’d had a 124 wRC+ in 2016 for the Astros for a 2.2 WAR on only 342 PA. 

Meanwhile, Cron was roughly league average at the plate, resulting in a basically replacement level WAR. Pujols was a disaster in 2017, but he wasn’t going anywhere, so Cron got moved and broke out in 2018 for Tampa. But nobody can look at his numbers for the Angels and say he earned the right to bench Pujols his performance. 

[stormngt]

16 minutes ago, Stradling said:

He’s going to say Cron

The problem with Cron he would always suck until his annual demotion to AAA and then come back and play well.  Even still Pujols was primarily DH in those years.

[Pancake Bear]

2 minutes ago, stormngt said:

Well I guess you could also say future hall of Famer Mike Trout too bad he was too busy playing CF.   I am sorry but I thought 2019 La Stella played 2nd and 3rd last year.  He obviously was busy with those two positions because he got enough playing time to earn an All Star invite.  Bour was the guy that was supposed to take at bats away from Pujols.

Your Trout comment is bizarre. Apparently you think I’m suggesting something unrealistic. La Stella’s bat is what made him an all star, not his glove. 

This isn’t just a fan idea with no basis in reality. Fletcher already said La Stella can play 1B and will likely see time there.

Bour was never good. Fletcher and La Stella legitimately are good. With Rendon and Simmons, they need an everyday spot for all four guys. Pujols is below average across the board. His salary won’t earn him plate appearances.

[beatlesrule]

Ben Zorbist

10:23

Merry Christmas Mark......If I want to play where will I end up?

 

Mark P

10:23

I have to imagine a reunion with Joe Maddon in Anaheim would be a possibility

[Ochocinco!]

Ryu- Blue Jays 4yrs -$80 million

[popo85]

 

 

Quote

 

@JonHeyman

·

42m

 

Teams that still seek a starter: Twins, Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Phillies, possibly Brewers, Braves. Starters whose names are heard on market: Price, Ray, Boyd, Clevinger, Happ, speculatively Archer, Matz/Stroman, M. Gonzales, Quintana. Should be a wild scramble.

 

 

[TroutField]

Mets aren’t open to trading pitching and we don’t match up well in a trade but damn we really could use Stroman 

[totdprods]

9 minutes ago, TroutField said:

Mets aren’t open to trading pitching and we don’t match up well in a trade but damn we really could use Stroman 

Bet they’d listen if the Angels were offering up two SPs like two of Sandoval, Barria and Suarez, and a solid hitting prospect. 

Big overpay first a rental but Stroman seems like he’d be a fairly good extension candidate. Just offer him something between Keuchel/Ryu and Wheeler.

[Second Base]

It's going to be very interesting to see what last ditch desperate trade Eppler is going to make to try and save his job.

[TroutField]

5 minutes ago, Second Base said:

It's going to be very interesting to see what last ditch desperate trade Eppler is going to make to try and save his job.

I’m thinking it’s going to be ugly. And he still hasn’t addressed the need at catcher. The bullpen could use another high quality late inning arm as well, IMO. 
 

this has been a very poor offseason. 

[angelsnationtalk]

5 minutes ago, Second Base said:

It's going to be very interesting to see what last ditch desperate trade Eppler is going to make to try and save his job.

This is where I remain optimistic. Eppler is a shit show when it comes to singing FA starting pitchers, but he's very good at who he trades. So i'd initially think he's going to overpay completely for an ace (assuming he does). Then again, there's a feeling that thinks maybe we can land an ace for a package that doesn't involve Adell, Marsh or Canning. If that was the case then I'd do it. If he can get away with a top package like Adams, Rengifo, Suarez, Thaiss and Jones then I wouldn't be upset. 

[angelsnationtalk]

1 minute ago, TroutField said:

I’m thinking it’s going to be ugly. And he still hasn’t addressed the need at catcher. The bullpen could use another high quality late inning arm as well, IMO. 
 

this has been a very poor offseason. 

I feel like now he'll sign a catcher and bullpen arm via FA and trade for an ace. (assuming he'd add another pitcher)

[Second Base]

If Eppler didn't like the asking prices on the trade market before Keuchel and Ryu were off the market, I can't imagine he's going to like them very much at all now. 

Whatever, he did this to himself. 

And now wave bye bye to or prospects.

[TroutField]

12 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Bet they’d listen if the Angels were offering up two SPs like two of Sandoval, Barria and Suarez, and a solid hitting prospect. 

Big overpay first a rental but Stroman seems like he’d be a fairly good extension candidate. Just offer him something between Keuchel/Ryu and Wheeler.

I’d offer Suarez, Knowles, and Jahmai Jones and see if they would bite. It’s a steep cost for 1 year but this is the corner we have been painted into. 

[ScottT]

Cron?

Cron is a discussion point?

Really?

[Second Base]

3 minutes ago, TroutField said:

I’d offer Suarez, Knowles, and Jahmai Jones and see if they would bite. It’s a steep cost for 1 year but this is the corner we have been painted into. 

And the Mets would laugh. They don't have to trade anybody. If they do, it will be because some poor idiot stuck out in the FA market and is now desperate (like Eppler). So BVW would respond with something ridiculous like Marsh, Sandoval and Rengifo. Huge overpay. But if Eppler doesn't like it then maybe he should've just spent 4/85 on Ryu, it 5/120 on Wheeler, or been more aggressive in Pineda and Gibson. 

But no, Eppler managed to F it up. And now if he wants a quality starter he's going to get bent over the negotiating table. 

[ScottT]

That is a ridiculous trade offer.

Good grief 

[Second Base]

13 minutes ago, ScottT said:

That is a ridiculous trade offer.

Good grief 

That's literally what I said. A ridiculous trade offer.

[stormngt]

3 hours ago, Pancake Bear said:

Your Trout comment is bizarre. Apparently you think I’m suggesting something unrealistic. La Stella’s bat is what made him an all star, not his glove. 

This isn’t just a fan idea with no basis in reality. Fletcher already said La Stella can play 1B and will likely see time there.

Bour was never good. Fletcher and La Stella legitimately are good. With Rendon and Simmons, they need an everyday spot for all four guys. Pujols is below average across the board. His salary won’t earn him plate appearances.

Mike Trout is the CF therefore he couldnt replace Pujols at 1b. La Stella played 3b or 2nd base just about daily after Cozart left the lineup therefore he couldn't  play at 1b.

If La Stella replaces Pujols at 1b  (based on my reading on this board La Stella has played a grand total of 1 game at 1b) then Fletcher plays 3b so Rengifro must play 2b.  Therefore it isnt La Stella replacing Pujols it is Rengifro!

Like I said they havent had anyone push Pujols out of the lineup yet.  It very well could happen in 2020.  With Rendon at 3b then Fletcher can play 2b and if La Stella can field 1b he could replace Pujols.  That is if fielding a new position doesn't impact his hitting.

There is also Thaiss and Welsh.