The Official 2020-2021 Hot Stove Offseason Thread

[Angel Oracle]

Regarding Kluber, 2020 was the first season in a long time where he missed a lot of time with a non-break injury.

How serious are grade 2 shoulder muscle tears?

[Revad]

26 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Regarding Kluber, 2020 was the first season in a long time where he missed a lot of time with a non-break injury.

How serious are grade 2 shoulder muscle tears?

That’s not a good sign, the shoulder stuff.  But he knows how to pitch.

[angelsnationtalk]

[totdprods]

Dang, I wanted Grossman.

Contreras would be a great add if the prospect cost was fair.

[CanadianHalo]

10 minutes ago, angelsnationtalk said:

LFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

[CanadianHalo]

And just like that they suck me right back in

[Stradling]

Just now, CanadianHalo said:

LFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

No

[CanadianHalo]

Just now, Stradling said:

No

[angelsnationtalk]

4 minutes ago, Stradling said:

No

Don't want Contreras?

[Stradling]

I don’t want to spend prospect capital on a catcher.  I am perfectly fine with the revolving door at back up catcher and to see how Stassi does this year.  If Stassi has close to the year he had last year with the bat then we are trying to fill a need that isn’t a need.

[mmc]

We have to sign 2 of Bauer/Sugano/Odorizzi before I’d be comfortable trading for Contreras.  He’d be a nice add for sure, but our trade assets need to go to pitching unless we sign free agents first

[angelsnationtalk]

5 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I don’t want to spend prospect capital on a catcher.  I am perfectly fine with the revolving door at back up catcher and to see how Stassi does this year.  If Stassi has close to the year he had last year with the bat then we are trying to fill a need that isn’t a need.

Good point. Doubt it costs Marsh but could involve Adams. Although having a Contreras/Stassi combo would be pretty beefy. 

[angelsnationtalk]

2 minutes ago, mmc said:

We have to sign 2 of Bauer/Sugano/Odorizzi before I’d be comfortable trading for Contreras.  He’d be a nice add for sure, but our trade assets need to go to pitching unless we sign free agents first

They 100% do. Unless Arte have given the trust and green light up the payroll a little which is possible. 

At the end of the day I think if Minasian can convince Arte that Contreras + two of Bauer/Sugano/Odorizzi is worth opening up payroll then I don't think he'd shut it down. He knows the Angels can take the division this year. 

[wopphil]

I’d love to get Contreras. If you want to compete with the best teams, you need the best players. Getting one of the best hitting catchers in baseball would make the team more competitive. 

[totdprods]

29 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I don’t want to spend prospect capital on a catcher.  I am perfectly fine with the revolving door at back up catcher and to see how Stassi does this year.  If Stassi has close to the year he had last year with the bat then we are trying to fill a need that isn’t a need.

I felt that way for awhile too, but now I'm wondering if the revolving door approach is a contributing factor in the pitching inconsistencies. 

I also feel like, because there are so few quality catchers available every offseason, it forces the team into a situation where it clogs up some of the flexibility they have with other signings and trades. 

Contreras definitely isn't a priority, and I wouldn't want to part with anyone too painful, but if he could be had for maybe, I dunno, Adams, Jackson, and Suarez? Something that deals from our farm surplus...it would be okay.

Provided of course pitching is still addressed and not affected by that deal.

[Chuck]

5 minutes ago, totdprods said:

I felt that way for awhile too, but now I'm wondering if the revolving door approach is a contributing factor in the pitching inconsistencies. 

I also feel like, because there are so few quality catchers available every offseason, it forces the team into a situation where it clogs up some of the flexibility they have with other signings and trades. 

Contreras definitely isn't a priority, and I wouldn't want to part with anyone too painful, but if he could be had for maybe, I dunno, Adams, Jackson, and Suarez? Something that deals from our farm surplus...it would be okay.

Provided of course pitching is still addressed and not affected by that deal.

Great points!

Count me in.

Maybe we get him cheap if we take on Heyward?

[Second Base]

The Angels pitching staff has lacked veteran leadership to guide the young pitchers for a while now, and it has shown. First and foremost, they needed a pitching coach, someone the with the ability to actually help them, not Doug White, who plugged in the equipment and gave them instructions to change everything about them according to "data". 

Mickey Callaway was a HUGE get for this franchise. Exactly what they needed. 

And now they need a field general, one to help them pitching staff from behind the plate. Contreras is a leader of men, through and through. He brings as much to the clubhouse as he does the field. 

There isn't a single perfect catcher out there, but he's one of the best. He's weak at blocking balls in the dirt and can be error prone on his throws, he's average at pitch framing. But, he's got a great arm and is one of the best offensive catchers in the game, and has been for a while now. And as I said, he's the veteran leader the pitchers need.

It'll be interesting to see if the Cubs traded him and for how much.

[totdprods]

10 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Great points!

Count me in.

Maybe we get him cheap if we take on Heyward?

They'd have to eat an enormous amount of Heyward's money for me to see him making sense for the Angels...he'd just take too much $$$ away from pitching. And as overpaid as he is, he's still fairly useful, not as much as was Darvish, but useful, so I don't think they'd just give him away and eat significant money. 

Now if Arte was really opening up the wallet, sure, try and get him. 

Unless it was something nutty like Hendricks, Heyward, Contreras for Adell, Sandoval, Barria, Rengifo - a bunch of young, talented MLB-ready players the Cubs could slot in for league minimum production that would be made redundant with those acquisitions, I don't see it. I guess it would sort of parallel the Toronto/Miami deal that Minasian was involved in though, so not entirely impossible. That would essentially check 'every' need for the Angels with salary obligations coming close to what we could spend. 

Just thins out the MLB on-the-field depth and our cheap players we need for overall roster depth, which is a little dangerous.

Edited January 6, 2021 by totdprods

[tdawg87]

1 minute ago, Second Base said:

He's weak at blocking balls in the dirt and can be error prone on his throws, he's average at pitch framing. 

Doesn't sound like a Minasian target to me. Maybe Maddon has some serious pull here?

[tdawg87]

Just now, totdprods said:

Hendricks, Hayward, Contreras for Adell, Sandoval, Barria, Rengifo

[totdprods]

@tdawg87 not what I would do. It's a deliberately ridiculous scenario where the Angels overpay.

[tdawg87]

8 minutes ago, totdprods said:

@tdawg87 not what I would do. It's a deliberately ridiculous scenario where the Angels overpay.

Actually I was thinking that was a hilarious underpay by the Angels. Even with Heyward included, that reminded me of the stereotypical AW trade proposal. Should have added Thaiss for extra effect.

Only is reasonable if the Angels take on Heyward's entire salary.

Edited January 6, 2021 by tdawg87

[Turd Ferguson]

Let's just trade for Contreras, sign a couple more bats, and carry 9-10 RPs. 

[Stradling]

10 minutes ago, totdprods said:

@tdawg87 not what I would do. It's a deliberately ridiculous scenario where the Angels overpay.

What?  No, to get Hendricks and Contreras you are giving up Adell and Detmers, maybe with the addition of Heyward you can get away with Marsh and Detmers or Marsh and Chris Rodriguez.

[totdprods]

Whoops, meant to have Detmers in there after Adell.

Either way, it wasn't really intended to be anything specific, just that the Angels would have to overpay to get all of them, even with salary factored in.