OC Register: Angels GM Perry Minasian looks for answers to poor pitching, injuries as he plans for 2022

[AngelsWin.com]

ANAHEIM — On the first day of the offseason, Perry Minasian said the Angels are about to undergo a thorough review of everything they did in a disappointing 2021, from the way players performed to the way they were coached to the reasons they ended up injured.

The Angels general manager said on Monday it starts with a look in the mirror, though.

Asked if he has been analyzing his own decisions, Minasian said: “Every minute of every day.”

Minasian is less than 11 months into his first run as a major league general manager, and he’s got a 77-85 record to show for it, despite having the likely American League MVP – Shohei Ohtani – on his roster.

Obviously, plenty of other things went wrong, some unforeseeable and some the results of Minasian’s decisions.

“This is my first year doing this, and I am not perfect by any stretch,” Minasian said. “I do not have all the answers. I like listening to other people’s opinions. And I like people’s criticism, to be honest with you. I’m trying to be as good as I can be too.”

The main criticism, of course, is that the Angels didn’t have enough pitching. Their 4.69 ERA ranked 22nd in the majors.

“We understand that the mound is a place where we’d like to significantly improve,” Minasian said. “Not just improve, but significantly improve.”

Minasian said Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval and José Suarez have earned the right to be in the 2022 rotation, but otherwise they are open to who will fill the two or three other holes, as well as the depth spots they’ll need to get through the season.

Manager Joe Maddon – and every Angels fan – has already said the Angels need premium starters.

“Would you like to add frontline starters? Absolutely,” Minasian said. “I’d love to add three, four frontline starters, that would be outstanding. Realistically, that’s really difficult to do.”

How about two?

“Two is difficult too. One is difficult. I think if you asked all 30 teams, every single person in my position would say ‘Yeah, I’d love to find a frontline starter, whether that’s trade or free agency.’ That’s something that’s easier said than done.”

The first question is how much money the Angels will have to spend, and Minasian said he and owner Arte Moreno haven’t yet agreed on the budget. The Angels also don’t yet know what the luxury tax threshold will be because a new collective bargaining agreement is coming in 2022.

In 2021, though, the Angels spent about $180 million on their major league payroll. They currently have five players signed for about $109 million in 2022, with a relatively small arbitration class that is led by catcher Max Stassi and reliever Mike Mayers. All of the Angels’ arbitration-eligible players will likely make less than $10 million total. Figuring another $15 million or so for all the pre-arbitration players, and the Angels could have around $50 million to spend on new players.

The first question they’ll have to address in free agency is whether to extend a qualifying offer to closer Raisel Iglesias, who made just over $9 million in 2021. The deadline for that decision is five days after the World Series. The qualifying offer figure is typically around $19 million. Liam Hendriks, the top closer on last year’s free agent market, signed a three-year contract worth $18 million per year.

Most of the Angels’ money figures to go toward the pitching staff, but they also seemingly need a shortstop. This winter’s free agent shortstop crop is particularly loaded, led by the Dodgers’ Corey Seager, the Houston’s Carlos Correa, the New York Mets’ Javy Baez and Colorado’s Trevor Story. Minasian also suggested they could stick to an internal option at shortstop.

“(Luis) Rengifo played a really solid shortstop in September, which was really encouraging,” Minasian said. “I think (David) Fletcher has the ability to slide over if we wanted him to. As good as he is at second, he’s very confident he could play a high-level shortstop too.”

Minasian said such internal solutions will be critical around the field, and even on the mound, because the Angels need more than a few acquisitions to become contenders.

“We can go out and make a free agent splash with one guy and ‘win the offseason’ to a certain extent, but there needs to be a lot of internal improvement too,” Minasian said.

Which of course also means the players the Angels already have need to stay on the field. The Angels were crushed by injuries in 2021. Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout and third baseman Anthony Rendon were injured for most of the year, but the Angels had dozens of injuries to significant players all season.

Minasian said looking at the causes of those injuries will be “a significant part of the review.”

“We’ll go through each individual injury,” Minasian said. “What was done the past offseason, who they worked with, what they did in-season, time in the weight room, time in the trainer’s room,” Minasian said. “What their recovery was like. What their routine is. It’s going through each individual player. And it’s not only the guys that were hurt, but the guys that were healthy, and why did they stay healthy? Is there some type of adjustment we can make as an organization to keep guys on the field?”

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NOTES

Minasian said right-hander Chris Rodriguez is the only one of the players who finished the season on the injured list who is questionable to be ready for spring training. Rodriguez, who had a strained lat, “could be out for an extended period,” Minasian said, adding that there was no specific setback, but “rehab-wise, it just wasn’t feeling great.” …

The Angels have not yet made decisions on the status of the coaches for next season, Minasian. That will be determined during this week’s reviews. …

Minasian said the Angels have been working on changing their policies with regard to their minor leaguers, but they have “nothing to announce today.”

View the full article

[BTH]

24 minutes ago, AngelsWin.com said:

The first question is how much money the Angels will have to spend, and Minasian said he and owner Arte Moreno haven’t yet agreed on the budget. The Angels also don’t yet know what the luxury tax threshold will be because a new collective bargaining agreement is coming in 2022.

In 2021, though, the Angels spent about $180 million on their major league payroll. They currently have five players signed for about $109 million in 2022, with a relatively small arbitration class that is led by catcher Max Stassi and reliever Mike Mayers. All of the Angels’ arbitration-eligible players will likely make less than $10 million total. Figuring another $15 million or so for all the pre-arbitration players, and the Angels could have around $50 million to spend on new players.

$50 million isn't gonna be enough to make this team a championship team, unless they get significant internal improvements (which I wouldn't count on)

Arte needs to expand the payroll from where it has been, otherwise this team will be in the same place it is every year.

[Blarg]

Look at the Mets starting rotation this season and in April they were World Series bound. They just fired their manager.

Raising the payroll isn't any sure fire route to a championship team. 

[tdawg87]

6 minutes ago, Blarg said:

Look at the Mets starting rotation this season and in April they were World Series bound. They just fired their manager.

Raising the payroll isn't any sure fire route to a championship team. 

We should keep doing the same thing then because that has been very successful.

[Blarg]

Spending large amounts of money on the wrong personell seems to be what the Angels have been doing for quite a while now.

[Justin]

If you are unable to develop your own pitching, unwilling to tank/rebuild to acquire other teams' good young pitching, and unwilling to overpay for free agent pitching, what options are left? 

[jsnpritchett]

Not that it's a huge difference, but the Angels have $111.2M committed to 5 guys next year (Trout, Rendon, Upton, Fletcher, Othani), not $109M.  If they really do stick to a hard-line budget, that difference could end up being the difference between bringing in a decent mid-career bullpen guy and going with someone like an Oliver Ortega (literally just listing the 1st random rookie reliever that popped into mind).

[Vlad27Trout27]

I'll give Perry another year to see how he dose.I do wish that he, Maddon, and Arte sit and spend there money wisely. I would love that Ace or mutiple aces, but we can also add a better development teams, Improve analytical and even the scouting. Looks at the giants, this is what did. Improved their analytical department, Scouting and development, and they were the best team in baseball. Hopefully we see something similar.   

[Vegas Halo Fan]

3 hours ago, Blarg said:

Raising the payroll isn't any sure fire route to a championship team. 

Albert Pujols. C. J. Wilson. Josh Hamilton. The list goes on and on.

[Angel Oracle]

Waiting for a GM that doesn’t just go step in step with big splash Arte

Uhh Arte, scouting and development, proper conditioning, pitching, and defense are important too!

Otherwise, get ready for Javy Baez and his totally awesome .302 career OBP.

Arte Moreno might as well be a carnival barker.

Edited October 5, 2021 by Angel Oracle

[BTH]

On 10/4/2021 at 4:36 PM, AngelsWin.com said:

The Angels have not yet made decisions on the status of the coaches for next season, Minasian. That will be determined during this week’s reviews. …

The reviews should be done by now, so when do we find out what the determination was?

[Hubs]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:41 PM, Angel Oracle said:

Waiting for a GM that doesn’t just go step in step with big splash Arte

Uhh Arte, scouting and development, proper conditioning, pitching, and defense are important too!

Otherwise, get ready for Javy Baez and his totally awesome .302 career OBP.

Arte Moreno might as well be a carnival barker.

No to Javy if he's got that low of a career OBP.

I do think one of the five big FA shortstops will end up here, or they will have a reunion with Simmons.

I'd rank them

1. Seager

2. Story

3. Semien

4. Baez

5. The Cheater

 

 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

On 10/4/2021 at 5:21 PM, Blarg said:

Look at the Mets starting rotation this season and in April they were World Series bound. They just fired their manager.

Raising the payroll isn't any sure fire route to a championship team. 

Neither is signing second and third tier pitchers, we have proved that many times. We all know what Einstein said about doing the same over and over again and expecting different results.

Edited October 11, 2021 by Ace-Of-Diamonds

[AngelStew43]

24 minutes ago, Hubs said:

No to Javy if he's got that low of a career OBP.

I do think one of the five big FA shortstops will end up here, or they will have a reunion with Simmons.

I'd rank them

1. Seager

2. Story

3. Semien

4. Baez

5. The Cheater

 

 

I would put the Cheater right under Seager, if you're talking about Correa.  

[WicketMaiden]

2 hours ago, Trendon said:

The reviews should be done by now, so when do we find out what the determination was?

When you notice them serving you at Wendy's.

[AngelStew43]

The good thing about this FA market is, that if we add a big ticket SS to go along with our returning offense, we would go from the bottom third in runs scored, to the top third.  

Can't win if you don't score.  

I just can't see a place for Upton to play on the 2022 Angels, unless we trade Marsh or Adell, and if we do that, I don't think we would receive enough in return, creating another depth problem in future seasons.  

It would sting a bit, but perhaps we could move Upton's contract if we were to attach a top prospect like Adams or Jackson to the deal.  

[jsnpritchett]

18 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

Neither is signing second and third tier pitchers, we have proved that many times. We all know what Einstein said about doing the same over and over again and expecting different results.

He didn't say that:

https://www.businessinsider.com/misattributed-quotes-2013-10

[Taylor]

It's going to be several years before this team is a division leader again. The best we can do is hope for a Wild Card spot next year.

[Hubs]

Stew, yes, I mean Correa. He's probably the most talented of the bunch, but I think all of the players that cheated on the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021 Astros should be banned from the game.

I hated the Ian Kinsler signing, because he was a thorn in our sides for so many years, and a bit of an asshole. but I can't abide by people who knowingly cheated in the way the Astros did in 2017 and 2018, and have been continuing to do to in 2019 and 2021.

People question Story's home and road splits, but I don't think Correa or Altuve or Bregman or any of the cheating Astros will be the same player somewhere else without the legal scouting reports and the illegal buzzers or cameras or whatever they heck they're doing.

They're all cheaters and should be thrown out. If they can ban John Coppolella (SP) for international signings that skirted the rules, they can certainly ban players who knowingly cheated, then were caught and struggled, and then magically, they're all hitting again?

BUZZERS are better than Trash Cans after all.

[Taylor]

8 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

He didn't say that:

https://www.businessinsider.com/misattributed-quotes-2013-10

That was a fun read. I noticed a certain poster's signature on there:

Quote

10."If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain." — not Winston Churchill

 

Churchill never said this, according to the Churchill Centre and Museum in London. In fact, Paul Addison of Edinburgh University mentions this: "Surely Churchill can't have used the words attributed to him. He'd been a Conservative at 15 and a Liberal at 35! And would he have talked so disrespectfully of Clemmie, who is generally thought to have been a lifelong Liberal?"

Instead, Francois Guizot coined the phrase in the 19th century. "Not to be a republican at 20 is proof of want of heart; to be one at 30 is proof of want of head."

 

[UndertheHalo]

9 minutes ago, Taylor said:

It's going to be several years before this team is a division leader again. The best we can do is hope for a Wild Card spot next year.

You never know.  Baseball is weird enough that the Angels could definitely win the division next year. 

[Stradling]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:41 PM, Angel Oracle said:

Waiting for a GM that doesn’t just go step in step with big splash Arte

Uhh Arte, scouting and development, proper conditioning, pitching, and defense are important too!

Otherwise, get ready for Javy Baez and his totally awesome .302 career OBP.

Arte Moreno might as well be a carnival barker.

Haha. 

[Revad]

7 hours ago, jsnpritchett said:

He didn't say that:

https://www.businessinsider.com/misattributed-quotes-2013-10

I’ll echo Taylor:  interesting read.  And I did notice a reference to PT Barnum.  I’m not suggesting Arte is a clown.  I’m not.

[Jeff Fletcher]

On 10/4/2021 at 6:00 PM, jsnpritchett said:

Not that it's a huge difference, but the Angels have $111.2M committed to 5 guys next year (Trout, Rendon, Upton, Fletcher, Othani), not $109M.  If they really do stick to a hard-line budget, that difference could end up being the difference between bringing in a decent mid-career bullpen guy and going with someone like an Oliver Ortega (literally just listing the 1st random rookie reliever that popped into mind).

SIGNED: OF Mike Trout ($35.45M), 3B Anthony Rendon ($36M), OF Justin Upton ($28M), RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani ($5.5M), 2B David Fletcher ($4M). TOTAL: $109.95M

[UndertheHalo]

Justin Upton isn’t even that old.  How many guys around baseball are older and still very productive.  That the Angels can’t get anything out of so many guys after they’re like 32 is extremely annoying.  Seems like a big problem if you’re going to bother signing players to extensions.