If you had total control, what 3 things would you do immediately?

[Jeremiah]

@Inside Pitch already outlined the things I would do. Before doubling that scouting/developing budget, I think that whole department may need a real reevaluation. The Angels don't seem to have nearly the "next man up" types of players other orgs to. There are big and small market teams that always seem to have a steady pipeline of solid players ready to contribute. The Angels need to find out what those teams are doing well. I would also agree with staying out of the big-ticket FA market for a few years as well. But with Trout and Rendon signed long-term, the team is kind of tied into "win now" mode. So that may be a tough line to hold as the team desperately needs quality pitching, both starters and relievers.

1.) Increase the scouting/develpment budget

2.) Increase international scouting presence

3.) Increase the investment in advanced analytics.

[Lou]

International Presence!

I love the classics.

[kevinb]

1. Cut MLB payroll- I don't think having more high priced free agents is the way to build a serious contender. I think it has to be with building a great farm system. So I would start by trying to trade guys who make money who are not in the long term plans Simmons and Upton are first that comes to mind. Cutting Albert would be something I would do as well. 

2. Hire away at any price the Dodgers front office. I think the GM and President of an MLB organization is the most important thing to a winning franchise. If you want to argue the players are I will give you example A as Mike Trout the greatest baseball player in our generation and probably top 5 or 10 historically and we've had 1 playoff appearance since he got here. 

4. While decreasing payroll budget I would increase scouting, analytic and international spending exponentially. Whatever I cut in payroll budget I would spend that or more on the international, building an infrastructure that is better than any other ball clubs. By a lot.

[totdprods]

In terms of straight up roster moves and a focus on ‘winning now’...

1) Acquire a SP using one/combo of Rengifo, Thaiss, Marsh, Jackson, Jones, Suarez, Barria. The best controllable SP you can get for a realistic price. Could be anything from a Boyd or Matz or Junis or discounted Cueto or Stripling to Plesac, Clevinger, Lamet, Gray, Marquez. Gotta try something. 

2) Bench Upton and let Goodwin play everyday.

3) Bench Pujols and let La Stella play everyday.

Edited August 17, 2020 by totdprods

[Stradling]

I'd poach as many of the talent evaluators and player development people from the Dodgers as possible, paying them whatever it takes to get them here.

 

[DCAngelsFan]

32 minutes ago, Kevinb said:

1. Cut MLB payroll- I don't think having more high priced free agents is the way to build a serious contender. I think it has to be with building a great farm system. So I would start by trying to trade guys who make money who are not in the long term plans Simmons and Upton are first that comes to mind. Cutting Albert would be something I would do as well. 

2. Hire away at any price the Dodgers front office. I think the GM and President of an MLB organization is the most important thing to a winning franchise. If you want to argue the players are I will give you example A as Mike Trout the greatest baseball player in our generation and probably top 5 or 10 historically and we've had 1 playoff appearance since he got here. 

4. While decreasing payroll budget I would increase scouting, analytic and international spending exponentially. Whatever I cut in payroll budget I would spend that or more on the international, building an infrastructure that is better than any other ball clubs. By a lot.

Have seen versions of this in this thread, and I've been saying it for years.  

There's no such things as "good enough" in these departments - you have to strive to be the best in finding, acquiring, and developing major-league talent, from every source.  Not "good" or average, compared to other clubs, not "pretty good", but "The Best" - that takes a lot of money and risk-taking and creativity.  And it can only start with "commitment" from the owner.    (It also includes a commitment to staying out of player decisions.)  

And it includes internationals, the amateur draft, and finding under-valued guys in other systems we can trade for.   We need to be creative - fund stat/analytics guys, kinesiologists, etc, to do research and look for competitive edges wherever they can found.  

And building a dominant pitching staff is hard - and nearly impossible via free agency - they're too expensive and are near the end of their careers when they hit the market.  

Perhaps the first order of business is to figure out how to build a front office that's (eventually) second to none - and if that's not Eppler, find the guy that can do it.  (I like the idea of hiring the Dodgers front office - from beer guy to GM - but they're not going anywhere.)

Sadly, even if Arte got religion and started *today*, it might take years to see results - that is, when Trout is lamenting never having gotten to a World Series ...

[Claude]

5 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I'd poach as many of the talent evaluators and player development people from the Dodgers as possible, paying them whatever it takes to get them here.

 

Ok so how many years would it take for that particular move to do us any good? They need to hire someone to run the entire baseball operation. Those other things come with it. Hand the steering wheel over to someone that will hire the right people for the right jobs. I think Eppler lost his credibility when he tried to put his buddy Ausmus in. That was a huge mistake. 
The Arte/Carpino/Eppler management team is not getting it done. 

[Inside Pitch]

16 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I'd poach as many of the talent evaluators and player development people from the Dodgers as possible, paying them whatever it takes to get them here.

Just steal the architect of their system -- Logan White, currently employed by the Padres.    

[Angel Oracle]

They need a true baseball savvy President of Operations to go with Eppler.    Logan White sounds like a good choice.

Edited August 17, 2020 by Angel Oracle

[Claude]

3 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

They need a true baseball savvy President of Operations to go with Eppler.    Logan White sounds like a good choice.

Logan White wouldn’t necessarily need to keep Eppler. I think a whole new management team is needed to change the culture. 

[Inside Pitch]

LOL..  

Culture change.     This is always was fans revert to when they think they know what's going on.

Past experiments in "culture change" throughout Angels history...

1997, Marcel Lacheman was too good hearted, too immersed in the player's success, the Angels needed someone more assertive who would kick butts..   Enter that self loathing little coward Terry Collins.   
Collins determines that the team needed in influx of leadership (because apparently he couldn't make the culture change he was brought in to establish happen), so the team sought out a strong personality that could command respect and motivate players where it mattered most -- the clubhouse...   
1998, Enter Maurice Vaughn.   Day one ST, the new guy decides he's going to lay down the law grabs Jim Edmond's equipment bad and tells him to get to work, no more smiling.   The no more smiling thing grows until there is a clubhouse mutiny..  Jim Edmonds forever painted as a guy that didn't care.
2019,  Mike Scioscia now deemed a relic from the past, a dinosaur unable to relate to the changing game of analytics and unwilling to play young players (never mind that he played every young player that wasn't a POS), Enter Brad Ausmus -- the worlds first surfing computer.
2020,  "OMG the last guy was a robot!", Angels need a personality boost..   Enter quotable MS.

The best "culture change" this team ever enjoyed was when capable people were hired, capable players were developed, supplemental FA decisions were made and the organization was transformed into a winner..  Winning created a culture that lasted nearly 15 years...    Instead of getting caught up in body language, quotes, and other trivial shit.... invest in people capable of making intelligent decisions.   

Reverting back to the Angels of old, changing direction every other season, hiring and firing guys willy-nilly..   it was that sort of stupid that kept them a second division team for 30+ years.    

To quote AO, -- "just stop it".
 

[AngelsLakersFan]

[Adam]

Victor = Manager

Gubi = equipment man

[ScottT]

I probably would not trade Bundy. Or Heaney. I don't think you are getting that much for em given the wackiness that is this season.  

A lot of fans have thrown in the towel, but one hot streak gets the Angels back in it.  

[Stradling]

22 minutes ago, ScottT said:

I probably would not trade Bundy. Or Heaney. I don't think you are getting that much for em given the wackiness that is this season.  

A lot of fans have thrown in the towel, but one hot streak gets the Angels back in it.  

Yep, this is why I advocated in other threads to be sellers, but only to a point.  I would trade Goodwin for the best major league ready arm I could find.  I would then start Upton the rest of the year.  I would trade Robles for the best major league ready arm I could find.  Then I would decide if I plan on extending La Stella, if the answer is no, trade him for the best arm I could get for him.  If you plan on trying to extend La Stella then look to see if Rengifo has value.  If you are holding on to both then start La Stella at first regularly.  If someone wants Castro trade him for the best arm I can.  In a short season, none of those moves really hurt us.  We need to know what Upton is going into next year and the only way you are going to find that out is by playing him every single day.  Let him hit his way out of this.  If he is incapable of hitting his way out of it, then he will be an expensive 4th outfielder for a year or two.  

[Jeremiah]

27 minutes ago, ScottT said:

I probably would not trade Bundy. Or Heaney. I don't think you are getting that much for em given the wackiness that is this season.  

A lot of fans have thrown in the towel, but one hot streak gets the Angels back in it.  

I would agree with this. They shouldn’t looks to trade two solid starters for prospects who can’t help next season. They’re not really in a position to scrap everything and rebuild. They need to find more immediate help, unfortunately. That won’t be easy or inexpensive.

[Stradling]

5 minutes ago, cvdog said:

Upton and Albert have to go. I don't know how creative we can be to release them owing nearly 55M next year but we can't keep wasting at bats with these two. Buy out AP and try to trade Upton for ANY pitching. I have no faith in players like Walsh, Ward or Thaiss so time to start training La Stella in the art of 1st base. And it's going to take awhile. From here on out ALL focus on pitching. 

They aren’t going anywhere.  They just aren’t.  You can say it over and over and over again.  They will be on the team or at the very least getting paid by the team.  Also we have zero idea if Upton is as bad as his numbers.  He is a streaky hitter and streaky hitters need to hit out of slumps.  There is no such thing as buying a player out, so when you say buy them out you are saying pay them their contracts, which will still go against the luxury tax threshold.  

[Claude]

23 minutes ago, Stradling said:

They aren’t going anywhere.  They just aren’t.  You can say it over and over and over again.  They will be on the team or at the very least getting paid by the team.  Also we have zero idea if Upton is as bad as his numbers.  He is a streaky hitter and streaky hitters need to hit out of slumps.  There is no such thing as buying a player out, so when you say buy them out you are saying pay them their contracts, which will still go against the luxury tax threshold.  

You’re correct which is exactly why next season will be another Trout season wasted with dead wood around him. Who knows if there will be a season in 2022 because of the CBA. 

[Claude]

2 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

LOL..  

Culture change.     This is always was fans revert to when they think they know what's going on.

Past experiments in "culture change" throughout Angels history...

1997, Marcel Lacheman was too good hearted, too immersed in the player's success, the Angels needed someone more assertive who would kick butts..   Enter that self loathing little coward Terry Collins.   
Collins determines that the team needed in influx of leadership (because apparently he couldn't make the culture change he was brought in to establish happen), so the team sought out a strong personality that could command respect and motivate players where it mattered most -- the clubhouse...   
1998, Enter Maurice Vaughn.   Day one ST, the new guy decides he's going to lay down the law grabs Jim Edmond's equipment bad and tells him to get to work, no more smiling.   The no more smiling thing grows until there is a clubhouse mutiny..  Jim Edmonds forever painted as a guy that didn't care.
2019,  Mike Scioscia now deemed a relic from the past, a dinosaur unable to relate to the changing game of analytics and unwilling to play young players (never mind that he played every young player that wasn't a POS), Enter Brad Ausmus -- the worlds first surfing computer.
2020,  "OMG the last guy was a robot!", Angels need a personality boost..   Enter quotable MS.

The best "culture change" this team ever enjoyed was when capable people were hired, capable players were developed, supplemental FA decisions were made and the organization was transformed into a winner..  Winning created a culture that lasted nearly 15 years...    Instead of getting caught up in body language, quotes, and other trivial shit invest in people capable of making intelligent decisions.   

Reverting back to the Angels of old, changing direction every other season, hiring and firing guys willy-nilly..   it was that sort of stupid that kept them a second division team for 30+ years.    

To quote AO, -- "just stop it".
 

This team needs Billy Martin.

RIP Billy

[GrittyVeterans]

39 minutes ago, Stradling said:

They aren’t going anywhere.  They just aren’t.  You can say it over and over and over again.  They will be on the team or at the very least getting paid by the team.  Also we have zero idea if Upton is as bad as his numbers.  He is a streaky hitter and streaky hitters need to hit out of slumps.  There is no such thing as buying a player out, so when you say buy them out you are saying pay them their contracts, which will still go against the luxury tax threshold.  

The idea that they have to be on the 25 man roster is where you miss the boat. Particularly with Pujols. Pay him his cash and get him out of here. He’s been a below average player since 2017. This year so far he is completely worthless. At 41 years old he’s not going to provide value. Stop wasting a roster spot on a known worthless commodity. The money is a sunk cost obviously
 

Upton I agree we still have to see if he’s really this worthless. He’s probably going to be here next season

i 100% agree with you on the money though. Arte And the angels are going to have to pay it. No one is taking on a contract like that. Unless we attached Adell or Marsh to them. Which isn’t happening either 

[Claude]

27 minutes ago, GrittyVeterans said:

The idea that they have to be on the 25 man roster is where you miss the boat. Particularly with Pujols. Pay him his cash and get him out of here. He’s been a below average player since 2017. This year so far he is completely worthless. At 41 years old he’s not going to provide value. Stop wasting a roster spot on a known worthless commodity. The money is a sunk cost obviously
 

Upton I agree we still have to see if he’s really this worthless. He’s probably going to be here next season

i 100% agree with you on the money though. Arte And the angels are going to have to pay it. No one is taking on a contract like that. Unless we attached Adell or Marsh to them. Which isn’t happening either 

Yep open the roster spot for live body. 

[NJHalo]

1. Jettison Pujols

2. Get rid of Upton

3. Trade Trout to an East Coast team for multiple players/prospects

[Stradling]

1 hour ago, RendZone said:

You’re correct which is exactly why next season will be another Trout season wasted with dead wood around him. Who knows if there will be a season in 2022 because of the CBA. 

Or not.

[Stradling]

1 hour ago, GrittyVeterans said:

The idea that they have to be on the 25 man roster is where you miss the boat. Particularly with Pujols. Pay him his cash and get him out of here. He’s been a below average player since 2017. This year so far he is completely worthless. At 41 years old he’s not going to provide value. Stop wasting a roster spot on a known worthless commodity. The money is a sunk cost obviously
 

Upton I agree we still have to see if he’s really this worthless. He’s probably going to be here next season

i 100% agree with you on the money though. Arte And the angels are going to have to pay it. No one is taking on a contract like that. Unless we attached Adell or Marsh to them. Which isn’t happening either 

Well we will see what next year brings as far as the roster goes.  This “valuable” roster space really isn’t that valuable when the money is spent on Albert and his replacement will be someone from the farm at league minimum, someone like Ward or Walsh.  The difference in performance will be negligible.  

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

They aren’t going anywhere.  They just aren’t.  You can say it over and over and over again.  They will be on the team or at the very least getting paid by the team.  Also we have zero idea if Upton is as bad as his numbers.  He is a streaky hitter and streaky hitters need to hit out of slumps.  There is no such thing as buying a player out, so when you say buy them out you are saying pay them their contracts, which will still go against the luxury tax threshold.  

Exactly

The one benefit from buying them out over say 5 years would be freeing up budget money for the upcoming season.

But yeah, Upton will be here at least into June 2021.