OC Register: Angels Q&A: Could the team lose a year of Anthony Rendon’s deal?

[AngelsWin.com]

While waiting to see if and when the coronavirus shutdown will end and the MLB season will begin, we took some Angels questions via Twitter on Wednesday.

If no season is to be played does (Anthony) Rendon have just six years left on the contract? Or seven still? I’m assuming six since Betts will be free agent this offseason. Sucks to be Dodgers if that happens. — @mattyball71

Anthony Rendon’s contract covers the 2020 to 2026 seasons, specifically, so if there is no 2020 season, the Angels simply lose a year of Rendon’s contract. Of course, they also won’t have to pay him his full salary in 2020, so they get some relief in that way.

How many games do you think would be too little to even consider playing the season at all? — @TinaTigerl18

You would think that you would need at least 100 games or so for the season to be considered legitimate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they play as few as 75. Most of the money from TV comes from the playoffs, so MLB is going to do whatever it can to still have the playoffs, even if they follow a significantly shortened season.

Being optimistic that there will be baseball by Summer. How are (Shohei) Ohtani and (Griffin) Canning? — @dweinberger66

As of last week, Shohei Ohtani was throwing and still on track to be ready to pitch whenever the season begins. Griffin Canning was cleared this week to resume throwing, about four weeks after undergoing a platelet-rich plasma injection in his elbow. He could be on the mound by the end of April, and could be ready by the time the season starts.

Which pitcher, not named Shohei, do you think will be a boost to our rotation and/or bullpen? — @Br3nd0714

I think the biggest potential improvement to the pitching staff might have come from Keynan Middleton. Middleton lost some velocity on his fastball when he came back from Tommy John surgery late in 2019, but in spring training he was again throwing 96-97 mph. He’s been very good when he’s been healthy, and he potentially gives the Angels three closer-caliber relievers, along with Hansel Robles and Ty Buttrey. A dominating bullpen can cover up a lot of issues with the rotation.

Do you think there’s any possibility the Angels get rid of either Simba (Andrelton Simmons), (David) Fletcher, or (Tommy) La Stella for a pitcher above Junior Varsity level? — @RockyFalboa

Andrelton Simmons and La Stella are both set to be free agents at the end of the 2020 season, so their value would be limited in terms of acquiring a front-line pitcher, even if there would have been a full season. Fletcher, on the other hand, could definitely be an attractive piece to help the Angels get a pitcher, if they were inclined to move him.

With a possible lost season can AP (Albert Pujols) still get to 700 (home runs)? — @DeliriousDrew84

If there are no games in 2020, it will be just about impossible for Albert Pujols to reach 700 homers. He is currently at 656, so he needs another 44 homers. He isn’t hitting 44 homers in a single season at age 41 in 2021. Even if they play half a season in 2020, it will be tough (to reach 700), based on his age and the trajectory of his performance. Pujols was healthy the entire 2019 season, and he hit 23 homers.

When the season starts, will the date correspond with the previous schedule? Or will we start from scratch against Houston? — @GeorgeKittle11

The schedule is a very complicated web, so restarting it would be virtually impossible. When the season started late in 1995, after the strike ended, they simply picked up the schedule where it was in late April. Wherever they pick it up, they’ll need to tweak it to make sure teams have the same number of games, and the same number of home and road games, but I suspect they would simply add games to existing series were they are off days now.

How does a shortened, or even canceled, season affect (GM) Billy Eppler’s job? Would he have a better chance of getting an extension or a worse chance? — @FletchSZNN

Only team owner Arte Moreno truly knows the answer to that one. If Moreno had decided before the season even began that this was going to be Eppler’s last year as general manager, then perhaps he could still make a change at the end of the season, regardless of what happens. However, if Moreno was truly waiting to judge Eppler based on what happened in 2020, then it would seem like he would at least give him a one-year extension if there is no 2020 season.

Do you think MLB will change the playoff format now that all other leagues have at least 14 teams in the playoffs now and MLB is still at 10? — @WillieJ2323

The idea floated during spring training – six teams playing best-of-three series and one getting a first-round bye in each league – was probably going to happen, perhaps as soon as 2021, from my understanding. The TV partners like it, and the players like it, so that’s reason enough for it to happen. As for what happens in 2020, it’s anyone’s guess. It seems likely that they will do something besides the standard playoff system, just because extra playoff games would help make up some of the lost revenue from the shortened season.

What’s your best lineup for this team? — @EricSpitz

As a matter of fact, Strat-O-Matic has been running a simulation of the season using its computer game and I’ve been supplying the Angels lineup. I tweak it a little each day, but normally I’ve been using something like this: David Fletcher 2B, Mike Trout CF, Anthony Rendon 3B, Shohei Ohtani DH, Justin Upton LF, Albert Pujols 1B, Brian Goodwin RF, Andrelton Simmons SS, Jason Castro C. The hard part is balancing the playing time between Fletcher and Tommy La Stella. Manager Joe Maddon said in spring training that La Stella would play second against right-handers, so that means Fletcher was probably going to play right field, or else fill in for a Simmons, Rendon or Upton on the other days.

How do you think the Angels organization is going to adjust using Shohei Ohtani in a shortened season or are they going to stay with the once every seven days model? — @darylbresach

I don’t think the length of the season affects the Angels’ desire to have Ohtani pitch once a week. They are very cautious about the intensity of his workload, so they want him to have the day off before and after he pitches. If he pitches too often, that puts stress on his arm and takes him out of the lineup as a hitter too much. They believe that pitching once a week, and hitting as many as four days a week, is how they maximize his value at both. One potential change, however, is that the Angels had planned on using Ohtani to pitch before or after a scheduled off day as much as possible, so he could get the day off without missing a day in the lineup. Many of those days off may become game days in a truncated schedule.

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Do Arte (Moreno) and Billy (Eppler) really believe they can be contenders without an ace or a closer?  Sorry, Heaney is not an ace and closers by committee don’t work. Another wasted Trout year. — @nohohomi

First, Robles’ performance last year certainly warrants him getting credit for being a closer. As for the ace, the Angels tried to sign Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg and Zack Wheeler and they tried to trade for Corey Kluber. They struck out on all of them. Instead, they tried to build a team around the offense and the bullpen, similar to what the Milwaukee Brewers have done each of the past few years. It’s not the ideal way to go about it, but it was the best option they had once they missed out on the front-line starters.

What are some of the road trips that you look forward to covering when the schedule comes out each year? — @NCAngelsfan

I always enjoy going to New York, because it’s unlike any other city. The crowds everywhere would drive me crazy if I lived there, but it’s a fun city for three or four days. I also love Seattle, and I’m fortunate enough to get three trips a year there (normally). I think Minneapolis is also highly underrated. The ballpark and the city are beautiful, as long as you don’t go in April and get snow.

What’s your favorite food to grub on at Angel Stadium? — @badberny

Cathy’s Cookies are pretty great. We started a tradition late last season in which a different writer would buy a bucket of the chocolate chip cookies each Saturday home game, and they would be shared throughout the press box.

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[Lou]

Good Q & A.

Thanks, @Jeff Fletcher

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

Also would lose a year of Trout's prime years...