Holy Hell, Trevor Bauer!

[Warfarin]

26 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

I would worry about Paxson drop in velocity and sore forearm. Walker or Odorizzi

Right - I say Paxton on the condition that the FO feels he is healthy, given his recent session that was scouted.  Obviously if they are concerned about his health, then yeah - I would not want them to sign him.

There are options out there, and I am confident Minasian will find another SP.  We'll see who it is.

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, Fourts said:

59 pages...lol

Is that all? We can do a lot better.

[gotbeer]

6 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Is that all? We can do a lot better.

When he signs with the Mets it will be a lot better.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But not as good as when he tweets that the Angels weren't serious or something like that.

[oldguy]

Steve Kornacki just reported that there is a 67% chance Angels fans will be breathing a sigh of relief over losing out on Bauer by Independence Day.

[ten ocho recon scout]

37 minutes ago, oldguy said:

Steve Kornacki just reported that there is a 67% chance Angels fans will be breathing a sigh of relief over losing out on Bauer by Independence Day.

Ive been waiting for him to sign here and really wanting him to. But now Im sort of leaning towards bad move if we do.

If he is the 2020 guy, you can deal with the headaches he brings (if all that stuff is true). If hes more the 2019 version, with the headaches, and costing close to 40 a year, we would probably regret it.

We need pitching so bad, and have for so long, I think some of us (me included) are looking past some big red flags, daydreaming of finally having an ace.

This guy isnt sherzer or cole, etc. He was last year, but track record suggests otherwise

[BTH]

6 hours ago, Warfarin said:

If Minasian can complete the offseason by signing Paxton and, say, Joc Pederson, and perhaps finding an intriguing BP candidate, I would say we'd have a very competitive team:

2B Fletcher, 1B Walsh, CF Trout, 3B Rendon, RF Pederson, LF Upton, DH Ohtani, C Stassi, SS Iglesias

Bundy, Paxton, Heaney, Quintana, Canning, Ohtani, with Barria, Sandoval, Suarez as "next man up."

I would say this should be a very competitive team, and it would enable us to keep all our prospects and continue to build.  Yes - we are likely to see injuries to Paxton, Heaney, Canning, etc at various points - but having Barria, Sandoval, and Suarez should help fill those gaps, as all 3 have varying degrees of promise.  

While Pederson would be a great addition to the team, I'm not sure that Minasian will be able to afford him with whatever budget he's been given.

[eligrba]

1 hour ago, oldguy said:

Steve Kornacki just reported that there is a 67% chance Angels fans will be breathing a sigh of relief over losing out on Bauer by Independence Day.

So that means there is a 48% chance that Angels fans will regret it and a 73% chance that this topic will become zombified on this forum never to die.

[Warfarin]

1 hour ago, Trendon said:

While Pederson would be a great addition to the team, I'm not sure that Minasian will be able to afford him with whatever budget he's been given.

Sure, that's true.  It's hard to say how much he has left.

I know some want relievers, but just given how volatile relievers are year to year, I'd probably rather take a 1-2 year gamble on a SP (necessary risk for us) and get someone like Pederson, who will really help us on the corner OF spots as Adell and Marsh take more time to develop, and sign various under-the-radar relievers to minor league deals.

[greginpsca]

The team currently has 2 open spots on the 40 man roster. I think one is for a SP, and the other for a RP. I don't think we need another of'er. The question mark is who plays cf when Trout needs a day off.  Schebler or Jam Jones can do that. And i think about 2 months into the season we might see Marsh in rf & backup cf. This team will have a lot of versatility position player wise. Ward can fill in at 5 positions [1b,3b, lf,rf,c ], Thaiss can play 1b,3b. 

[totdprods]

Honestly the bullpen scares me more than our rotation right now, especially if we’re assuming that some sort of SP is still brought in. Some may be forgetting how awful it was last year. The rotation has promise, just needs to stay healthy and take at least some sort of step forward. The pen? Not so much.

Iglesias is really the only sure thing in there...and relievers are never sure things. The gap between the guaranteed guys and the next tier - Bard, Keller, Reyes, Quijada, Rivera* - is still worrisome. Since most of those guys can be optioned to AAA, I would do all I can to fill in the pen ahead of them and use them only if necessary. 

Edited January 28, 2021 by totdprods

[BTH]

27 minutes ago, greginpsca said:

The team currently has 2 open spots on the 40 man roster. I think one is for a SP, and the other for a RP. I don't think we need another of'er. The question mark is who plays cf when Trout needs a day off.  Schebler or Jam Jones can do that. And i think about 2 months into the season we might see Marsh in rf & backup cf. This team will have a lot of versatility position player wise. Ward can fill in at 5 positions [1b,3b, lf,rf,c ], Thaiss can play 1b,3b. 

Fletcher could also possibly be a backup CF option.

Also, they can always remove people from the 40 man roster. Dillon Peters is out of options and unlikely to make the team, so he'd be an easy cut. Then there are other easy cuts: Bard, Keller, and Quijada among them.

[BTH]

26 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Honestly the bullpen scares me more than our rotation right now, especially if we’re assuming that some sort of SP is still brought in. Some may be forgetting how awful it was last year. The rotation has promise, just needs to stay healthy and take at least some sort of step forward. The pen? Not so much.

Iglesias is really the only sure thing in there...and relievers are never sure things. The gap between the guaranteed guys and the next tier - Bard, Keller, Reyes, Quijada, Rivera* - is still worrisome. Since most of those guys can be optioned to AAA, I would do all I can to fill in the pen ahead of them and use them only if necessary. 

Agreed.

And there are good pen arms out there. It'd be a massive disappointment if the Angels don't add a couple more quality pen arms.

[ettin]

On 1/27/2021 at 6:53 PM, ten ocho recon scout said:

She could be right. But her reasoning, "the money" and calloway" dont seem any more true than "the angels need an ace" and "they can afford him".

I think all these people are just guessing... like we are.

Like @ettin has spent years on years proposing moves that make total sense. Gets our hopes up, and is always wrong. Hes gotta be smarter than this lady, with his background and all. (No offense @ettin)

There is just so many factors at play in any trade discussions, for instance:

1. Do the teams that are trading have actual needs that line up? Does one team's areas of surplus line up with the other team, or teams, needs and vice-versa?
2. Can both teams afford to make the transaction?
3. Do the financials line up properly for both teams? Does cash need to exchange hands? Does salary need to be retained?
4. If the players involved are veterans or have no-trade clauses, the teams involved usually (not always) consult with them to ensure they and their families are not overtly impacted and/or the players are comfortable with where they are going, so their needs play into the equation.
5. Some players prefer to be closer to their home towns so that can factor in.
6. All the players have to pass physicals which has held up more than one trade in the past.
7. Player histories/personalities can play a factor in lining up on a deal, too. Players that are known sh*theads are not as desirable.

As much as we, as fans, love to fantasize about getting the big fish, most trades involve shipping off 1/2 year or 1-2 year rentals, most of the controlled players stay put (relievers and catchers tend to be the exceptions).

I can pose a lot of semi-reasonable trades and a large percentage of them will never happen because of the above. The only thing I've gotten better at is judging player value better, identifying team needs, and looking for better matchups but even that hasn't made much of a dent in my prognosticating.

Edited January 30, 2021 by ettin

[T.G.]

 

[Dtwncbad]

2 hours ago, T.G. said:

 

Another moron that pretends that 2018 didn't exist.  Bauer pitched to a 5.8 WAR for the Indians in 2018.

[Angel Oracle]

5 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

Another moron that pretends that 2018 didn't exist.  Bauer pitched to a 5.8 WAR for the Indians in 2018.

Here’s the thing though.   Would you pay $36 million/year for a pitcher with only 1 1/3 great seasons?

[T.G.]

6 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

Another moron that pretends that 2018 didn't exist.  Bauer pitched to a 5.8 WAR for the Indians in 2018.

I just loved the "Sir, this is a Wendy's" reply.

[Dtwncbad]

1 minute ago, Angel Oracle said:

Here’s the thing though.   Would you pay $36 million/year for a pitcher with only 1 1/3 great seasons?

That's up to the Angels.  I am just saying it is a little silly to call this guy a "mediocre" pitcher right now.

I would love this guy to be pitching for the Angels next year.  I don't think I feel that way about "mediocre" pitchers.

[Vlad27Trout27]

Holly Hell, has Bauer signed yet? 

where are the Mets? thought they were the favorites.

[Pancake Bear]

1 hour ago, Angel Oracle said:

Here’s the thing though.   Would you pay $36 million/year for a pitcher with only 1 1/3 great seasons?

Considering 2019 was known to be due to multiple injuries, I give him a pass on that year. Given his analytical abilities and work ethic, I'm of the opinion that he has legitimately improved since 2017 and that 2018 and 2020 are the real Bauer. Now, how long can he sustain and how many years is he worth? That's debatable. But the 'he's only had one good year' narrative is tired and inaccurate.

[Docwaukee]

I'm pretty sure that Bauer is an AW poster.  He might be Junky.  

[beatlesrule]

You'd have to think the Angels would need to announce that Callaway was fired before any deals for Bauer could be agreed upon. In the very small chance the Angels did sign him, he would have a HUGE expectation among fans to be lights out from his first start. There will be tremendous pressure on him to absolutely dominate.

[Bronson]

9 minutes ago, beatlesrule said:

You'd have to think the Angels would need to announce that Callaway was fired before any deals for Bauer could be agreed upon. In the very small chance the Angels did sign him, he would have a HUGE expectation among fans to be lights out from his first start. There will be tremendous pressure on him to absolutely dominate.

I don’t think Bauer is someone to shy away from pressure.

 

I seriously think the biggest thing we got going for us right now is that we are a unique team in that he will be the top bill pitcher for us and have a chance to pitch in every big game we will be playing while also knowing this team will compete everyday.

 

If he plays for the Mets he will always be second to Degrom. I think he wants to be the top pitcher on a contending team and the Angels definitely give him that opportunity.

[Angelsfan1984]

2 minutes ago, calscuf said:

Except Bauer has a job.

Currently he has no employer...

[Angels_Make_Me_Drink]

I refuse to give up my optimism of seeing two headlines tomorrow...Callaway  fired by Angels after speedy investigation....followed by...Bauer agrees to 5 year/$$$$$ deal  with Angels