Next years SS

[Angelsjunky]

Iglesias is being auditioned to be that stop-gap. If he does well, say 2-3 WAR, then maybe they offer him a two-year contract. 

No one should expect him to repeat anything close to those 2020 numbers (on account of an inflated .407 BABIP), but if he can produce his usual excellent defense and a ~90 wRC+, he's a good player to bridge the gap to Paris/Jackson/Vera.

[totdprods]

23 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

I'd kick the tires, especially on Lindor, Correa, and Story, but am happy to find a stop-gap for a couple years until Paris is ready (or possibly Jackson, but I think he'll move from SS).

I dislike Baez types of players. With no walks, he could easily turn from a .280/.850 guy to a .240/.700 guy...oh, wait, like he did from 2019-20. He'll probably bounce back, but I don't think his decline phase will be pretty, with that 4.7% to 28.4% walk to strikeout rate.

I’m the opposite side here...if we want to seriously contend the next couple of years before Trout and Rendon start getting dicey, their best bet is spend big on a SS next winter, make a smart SP investment, hope a couple kids step up in the rotation, hope one of Marsh or Adell pans out, and hope one of our multiple SS prospects turns into a legit Top 50+ prospect to go along with someone like Adams, Knowles, or Deveaux doing something similarly, and turning them into a trade for when someone like Flaherty, Giolito, Castillo, Marquez, etc legitimately hit the trade market. 

Trading for an ace seems much ‘safer’ than playing in free agency. 

Edited February 6, 2021 by totdprods

[Angel Oracle]

14 hours ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

And its funny that people used to name their kid dick

Dick Trickle

[Angel Oracle]

6 minutes ago, totdprods said:

I’m the opposite side here...if we want to seriously contend the next couple of years before Trout and Rendon start getting dicey, their best bet is spend big on a SS next winter, make a smart SP investment, hope a couple kids step up in the rotation, hope one of Marsh or Adell pans out, and hope one of our multiple SS prospects turns into a legit Top 50+ prospect to go along with someone like Adams, Knowles, or Deveaux doing something similarly, and turning them into a trade for when someone like Flaherty, Giolito, Castillo, Marquez, etc legitimately hit the trade market. 

Trading for an ace seems much ‘safer’ than playing in free agency. 

By a year from now, assuming a good MiLB season, they will be in a better position to make a trade like that.

As for SS, what AJ and others say.   With Paris, Vera, and Placencia on the farm, focus on a 2-3 year contract to someone like Iglesias or if cheap enough, Semien.

Save the big money for other better uses.

Edited February 6, 2021 by Angel Oracle

[totdprods]

1 minute ago, Angel Oracle said:

By a year from now, assuming a good MiLB season, they will be in a better position to make a trade like that.

Yup, and it might sound like a lot to hope on, but the Angels really are in a good spot.

They just need two (three would be ideal) of Canning, Sandoval, Barria, Rodriguez, Suarez, Detmers, and Ohtani to stick in the rotation this year or next. That should be doable. 

They really only need one of Adell or Marsh to stick this year or next. One of them should, there’s enough talent there. 

And then they need the farm to develop enough to allow them to trade for a legit arm this year or next. They were relatively close this winter, but it would have pulled from the groups above, and Minasian couldn’t chance thinning either of those pools yet. 

The rest? SS, a SP or two, an outfielder, a catcher...those can be addressed each winter via FA cheaply enough. I think locking in a long term catcher or SS is merited though, as much as a mega deal for a SP. Would rather trade for that.  

 

[Angel Oracle]

15 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Yup, and it might sound like a lot to hope on, but the Angels really are in a good spot.

They just need two (three would be ideal) of Canning, Sandoval, Barria, Rodriguez, Suarez, Detmers, and Ohtani to stick in the rotation this year or next. That should be doable. 

They really only need one of Adell or Marsh to stick this year or next. One of them should, there’s enough talent there. 

And then they need the farm to develop enough to allow them to trade for a legit arm this year or next. They were relatively close this winter, but it would have pulled from the groups above, and Minasian couldn’t chance thinning either of those pools yet. 

The rest? SS, a SP or two, an outfielder, a catcher...those can be addressed each winter via FA cheaply enough. I think locking in a long term catcher or SS is merited though, as much as a mega deal for a SP. Would rather trade for that.  

 

Stassi and Benboom might be solid enough ultimately.

Both are still relatively young.

Edited February 6, 2021 by Angel Oracle

[Angelsjunky]

1 hour ago, totdprods said:

I’m the opposite side here...if we want to seriously contend the next couple of years before Trout and Rendon start getting dicey, their best bet is spend big on a SS next winter, make a smart SP investment, hope a couple kids step up in the rotation, hope one of Marsh or Adell pans out, and hope one of our multiple SS prospects turns into a legit Top 50+ prospect to go along with someone like Adams, Knowles, or Deveaux doing something similarly, and turning them into a trade for when someone like Flaherty, Giolito, Castillo, Marquez, etc legitimately hit the trade market. 

Trading for an ace seems much ‘safer’ than playing in free agency. 

It is a good plan, but there are numerous ways to the same goal.

Also, no offense to Trout, but if I'm the Angels GM, my primary goal is not "win for Trout while he's in his prime"; it is "turn the franchise into a perennial contender." The best way to do that is to build from within and use excess talent to augment via trades. That doesn't mean they can't content while Trout and Rendon are in their primes, but that they shouldn't force it at the expense of the long-term.

Now obviously the Angels have excess outfield talent. Even aside from the "Big Three" of Marsh-Adell-Adams, they've got a pretty good quartet in Knowles-Deveaux-Ramirez-Calabrese. Even if two or three of these guys turn out to be fourth outfielders/fringe starters, they'll have some trade chips. Similarly, if slightly less so, with the infielders. But as I think you agree, the time to sell of that excess talent is not now. By next offseason we (and Perry) should have a better sense of the young talent. 

That said, I like your plan and could see Minasian having something like that in mind. My main concern is that he'll be overly influenced by Maddon and go after Baez, who I see as quite inferior to Lindor-Correa-Seager, probably Story too (Coors effect aside). I'd hate to see the Angels stuck with a .280 OBP Baez in a few years while Paris is maturing into a young star somewhere else.

Whatever his plan for 2022 and beyond is, it is contingent on how the young players develop this year. If Rodriguez and Detmers are as good as hoped, you've got two young pitchers to replace Cobb and Heaney and only really need to extend Bundy and maybe acquire one more starter. If Ohtani is healthy that will be huge. And of course he wants to see how Barria, Sandoval, Suarez, Yan, Ortega, etc, develop.

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by Angelsjunky

[totdprods]

56 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

no offense to Trout, but if I'm the Angels GM, my primary goal is not "win for Trout while he's in his prime"; it is "turn the franchise into a perennial contender."

But is that what Arte wants? Ultimately he’s who you’re answering to. Perennial contender might not mean much to a near-octogenarian with a HOF talent on the books. 

Obviously that also is an argument for spending more but he’s not doing that. 

Edited February 6, 2021 by totdprods