What is Minasian's plan?

[Torridd]

This is definitely a slow going in the free agent track. Why is that? Is Perry waiting for a certain ball to drop? Is his vision similar to Eppler's? Should we have higher/lower/same expectations as we had for Eppler?

 

Let me know your thoughts. 

[tdawg87]

I don't know.

[Lou]

Me neither.

[Stradling]

Plan?

[T.G.]

I sure as hell don’t know 

[Angels in 2030]

Is this same thread also on 25-30 other teams-win forums?  I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s new thread topic.  

[Pancake Bear]

39 minutes ago, Torridd said:

This is definitely a slow going in the free agent track. Why is that? Is Perry waiting for a certain ball to drop? Is his vision similar to Eppler's? Should we have higher/lower/same expectations as we had for Eppler?

 

Let me know your thoughts. 

What is everyone else's plan? Very few teams are doing anything. 

[tdawg87]

I might be going out on a limb here, but I think Minasian's plan might be to improve the team.

[jsnpritchett]

[Angelsjunky]

What tdawg said. But if I were to speculate (again)...

There are a ton of moving parts, and "the Plan" changes as things develop. Earlier in the offseason, there was Stroman and Gausman. Recently, Darvish and Snell (And of course Phil Hughes retirement changes everything).

There is no singular plan. There are strategies, but the tactics shift as things develop.

The overarching strategy is the same for every team: get better. This only differs in terms of time scale; some teams want to better the team as much as possible in the short-term ("buyers"), some are focusing on the longer-range plan ("sellers"); most are some combination of both. There is some team-specificity here, in that the context of each team is different, as well as the guiding philosophy of the front office. We don't yet have a lot to go on with Minasian.

The "sub-strategies" differ based upon the strengths and weaknesses, as well as resources, of the specific team: what they have, what they need, where the weak spots are, how much they can spend, and so forth.

From this, we can say a few things with some degree of confidence:

Over-arching strategy (shared by all teams, but with specific Angelic factors) : Make the team better. For the Angels, there's the tension between their two best players (Trout and Rendon) in their primes, but also having significant issues to address, with a developing farm system that has some talent, but is not (yet) overflowing or ripe for the picking. We also know that he has some money to spend, but not a blank check--probably anywhere in the $20-40M added AAV range. Which brings me to...

Sub-strategies (specific to Angels):  These should be obvious: improve the pitching staff, both rotation and bullpen; shore up bench spots: catcher, fourth outfielder.

Tactics (specific approaches the Angels will address to fulfill the above): This is what I think you're asking, and the problem is that we really don't know. But I can imagine Minasian and his cronies having a massive decision tree. When a potential target signs, that loci gets blacked out. When a potential competing team spends money elsewhere, a loci (targeted player) might be highlighted as more possible.

There are numerous ways the sub-strategies can be addressed tactically, depending upon what unfolds. For instance, if Bauer, Saguno,Tanaka, etc, go elsewhere, then Minasian might pivot and just sign a couple of warm bodies to provide depth for the rotation, and spend more on the bullpen and/or the offense. I think his overall approach will be to make every facet of the team--rotation, bullpen, offense, and defense--at least average, and depending upon what happens with specific players, pivot to adjust and make an area or two or three as good as possible, given availability and resources.

As far as this offseason is concerned, I think part of the delay is that no one knows how much the current market will be impacted by the societal context (i.e. Covid), and probably no GM wants to be the first to over-pay for one of the major free agents (Bauer, Springer, Realmuto), which in turn somewhat set the market for the secondary free agents (Tanaka, Ozuna, etc).

And then there's Saguno, although I don't think he impacts the market prices as much as the decision trees of teams, especially the one who signs him. 

Just to be clear: No matter what anyone says on Twitter or Bleacher Report, we have no idea what kind of offers have been made. We can assume tons of inquiries (phone calls, emails, texts) have and are occurring, but the whole thing is still developing, with every GM having one wet finger held to the wind.

So we're left to wait and wonder. I think we can be reasonably assured that Minasian will address all of the needs of the Angels (sub-strategies) to varying extends. But the actual tactics are to be determined and constantly shifting, and will go into a frenzy once the big pieces start falling. 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by Angelsjunky

[Revad]

Artie needs to step up.

[Second Base]

I'll go with, "Wait and hope something good falls into our lap at the right position and price."

Like the two Iglesias'.

[T.G.]

14 minutes ago, Revad said:

Artie needs to step up.

What about Arte?

[ettin]

1 hour ago, Torridd said:

This is definitely a slow going in the free agent track. Why is that? Is Perry waiting for a certain ball to drop? Is his vision similar to Eppler's? Should we have higher/lower/same expectations as we had for Eppler?

 

Let me know your thoughts. 

The tradition used to be that deals got consummated at the Winter meetings and now both player agents and GM's have realized they should be using the whole off-season to leverage their positions as-needed, thereby taking some of the urgency out of the time-tested path that free agents used to take.

Only top free agents will command stupid money and their agents know this and know how to manipulate the market and set the timelines to maximize time spent on the market versus the amount of suitors beginning to dry up. From there it trickles down to the mid- and lower-tier free agents. Some of those lower and mid tier types occasionally strike first (Robby Ray for instance) because they are worried that if they wait too long they will lose out not only on opportunities but could see the money they sign for fall precipitously.

It's just not the same off-season schedule anymore and that old way of doing things is done for. The whole off-season from the end of the World Series to Opening Day is wide open now and we all have to live with it.

[Blarg]

Maybe tomorrow.  Its taco Tuesday, good day for deals at the Del Taco. 

[Taylor]

Something something Drakkar Noir

[Junkballer]

[T.G.]

@Angelsjunky had to be THAT guy

 

 

 

 

Wait...is that admonishing someone?

[T.G.]

AJ... it’s all good. I mean, you are a junky after all.

[Angelsjunky]

4 minutes ago, T.G. said:

AJ... it’s all good. I mean, you are a junky after all.

Couldn't find an appropriate clever emoji. I think we need Chappelle as a crack-head.

Anyhow, what does the "Meow" emoji mean, anyway? I honestly have no clue.

[T.G.]

4 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Anyhow, what does the "Meow" emoji mean, anyway? I honestly have no clue.

It means you owe me $20... Me owe...

Edited January 5, 2021 by T.G.

[T.G.]

And the face palm means “I coulda had a V8.”

[ukyah]

2 hours ago, tdawg87 said:

I might be going out on a limb here, but I think Minasian's plan might be to improve the team.

tdawg for GM.

[angelsnationtalk]

2 hours ago, Second Base said:

I'll go with, "Wait and hope something good falls into our lap at the right position and price."

Like the two Iglesias'.

I don't like when MLB executives say "it fell in our laps". Just gives me an "I'm afraid the go balls to the walls and get it done" feeling. 

I hope "wait and see" Isn't the plan. They need to get it done 

[Docwaukee]

I think he's going to do everything he can to make the team better without having to give up any of the team's most valuable prospects.  

I would imagine that includes Adell, Marsh, Adams, Rodriguez, Detmers.  I am going to wager a guess that list will soon include Vera, Kochanowicz and maybe Jackson.  If he can get a quality starter via free agency and maybe another via trade without giving up those guys then I think that's what we'll see.  If he can't a starter via trade, then a second arm will come from the FA pool but will likely be inexpensive and met with AW vitriol.  

Would you be upset if he acquired two starters but both were on 1yr deals?