"Good Problem to Have" Rotation Scenario

[Angelsjunky]

Let's say everything goes right for the Angels young pitchers: Ohtani is healthy all year, Canning improves bit by bit into a #3, Sandoval continues as is, Suarez transitions well to the rotation, Detmers and Rodriguez continue pitching well in AA and hold their own when they replace Heaney/Cobb/Bundy in August.

All of a sudden you have six young starters, all of whom are at least #3-4s.

What do you do? Do you still go after a top free agent starter? And then trade one of the young guys or stash him in the bullpen or AAA? Or do you stick with the young starters, spend big on the bullpen and maybe upgrade SS, even going after someone like Carlos Correa? Or do you try to extend Ohtani?

The point being, if the young pitchers--Ohtani is the oldest at 27--all look good by season's end, why mess with what we've been hoping for for years: a young, homegrown rotation with upside? We're all leery of homegrown pitchers, but we're now facing the possibility of getting what we hoped for back in 2015-16.

Chances are one of those guys will be questionable enough that this scenario is a moot point, and Minasian will still go after a starter. But let's play with the hypothetical: It is the end of the season, and all the young starters are healthy and on the right track. You've got six homegrown starters, all at least mid-rotation caliber, and all relatively cheap next year, most with club control for multiple years to come. 

[Vlad27Trout27]

In this case you only go out and get a front of the Rotation arm, anything else you pass. 

this year we wasted 8 mil on Quintana. yet Barria could have done better at a much reduced price. 

The guys you go after; Verlander, Stroman,Gausman,Syndergaard and Scherzer. We can't miss this free agency, we need to get one of these guys.

in the Perfect situation and along with what you said: Othani, Canning, Sandy, Barria and Suarez are in the Rotation. With Rodriguez and Detmers rotating pitching as the 6th starter. 

Than you also have guys like Davis; who dominates and maybe gets the chance to start as well. 

Guys like Hernandez,Brady and Taylor pitch in relief and help the team aswell. 

[Angelsjunky]

33 minutes ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

In this case you only go out and get a front of the Rotation arm, anything else you pass. 

Yes, agreed.

33 minutes ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

this year we wasted 8 mil on Quintana. yet Barria could have done better at a much reduced price. 

The guys you go after; Verlander, Stroman,Gausman,Syndergaard and Scherzer. We can't miss this free agency, we need to get one of these guys.

in the Perfect situation and along with what you said: Othani, Canning, Sandy, Barria and Suarez are in the Rotation. With Rodriguez and Detmers rotating pitching as the 6th starter. 

I'd much rather have Barria as long relief and both Detmers and CRod in the rotation. 

33 minutes ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

Than you also have guys like Davis; who dominates and maybe gets the chance to start as well. 

Guys like Hernandez,Brady and Taylor pitch in relief and help the team aswell. 

Daniel is next in line, after Detmers and CRod, for a starting gig. Of the guys currently in A+ or higher, he seems to have the highest upside (other than Det-Rod).

[failos]

[WicketMaiden]

Spend most of the roughly $60m on pitching and catching. A young rotation will need depth behind it, experience behind the plate to help them develop, and a good bullpen to take over on the days their inevitable inconsistency comes out. Don't need an ace, Ohtani can be that when he has control, just need pitchers that can consistently keep the team in the game past the 5th inning and give the Angels the flexibility to rotate the young pitchers in and out of AAA whenever they need to work something out. 

The Angels have a really good line-up with several elite hitters, even with Rendon's and Fletch's early troubles and Trout, Stassi and Upton injured the 382 runs they have scored so far is good for 8th in all MLB. The 418 runs they've given up is good for 28th in all MLB. We don't need an elite hitting SS in that line-up, we need an elite defender on the field but the bat really doesn't matter, we can afford a hole or two in the 1-9 if they've got a good glove. A big contract SS is the last thing this franchise needs. 

 

EDIT: to answer your hypothetical AJ, I would give three or four rotation spots to those 6, maybe have one or two in the pen, maybe stash them in AAA and rotate them through during the season. 

[Revad]

But isn’t part of the equation to spend on the bullpen?  Is it better to get an at least #2 SP or to gamble on the bullpen, putting the money there.

[OhtaniSan]

I don't think think there's such thing as too much starting pitching. By adding more starters, you also help the bullpen by letting guys like Suarez/C-Rod excel in the pen in high leverage roles while filling in for spot starts/injuries as needed. This winter, I still would go out and sign two big starters, say Gausman and Stroman.

Rotation: Ohtani, Gausman, Stroman, Canning, Sandoval, Detmers

Pen: Suarez, Sandoval, Barria, C-Rod, at least 2 more high leverage guys via trade/free agency, maybe Dick-rod from the pirates

[Vlad27Trout27]

I do the math every year, and this year we'll have roughly around 45 mil in cap space.

This is my plan, 

1. Sign Stroman, I think he fits in perfectly at the amount we can afford.

he'll be worth around the 18-25 Mil, Average around 21. 

2. spend the rest on the BP. Roughly 20 mil.