OC Register: Shohei Ohtani’s agent believes Angels are ‘really close to being a dynamic team’

[AngelsWin.com]

CARLSBAD — Six weeks after Shohei Ohtani made a comment that many interpreted as a challenge to the Angels front office, his agent said he feels confident that general manager Perry Minasian is trying to build a winner.

“I was with Perry yesterday, and I know one of the things that he’s really set out to do is to put together a competitive team,” Balelo said amid a scrum of reporters at the GM meetings on Wednesday morning. “He is all about it. And I think that’s wonderful.

“You always have a plan as a GM or a front office to go out and target certain players, and let’s just hope that some of the players they’re targeting they get, and they strengthen the team, and they’re complementary pieces to help what’s already there.

“They’re really close to being a really dynamic team. There’s just a few things that they need to do. And to keep them all healthy. Because they’re pretty close.”

The Angels have had a losing record for six years in a row, which has certainly frustrated not only their fans, but baseball fans who have wanted to see Mike Trout in the playoffs. Ohtani’s emergence as a star this season added a second element to the narrative that the Angels are “wasting” generational players by losing.

In the final week of the season, when Ohtani was asked about staying with the Angels long-term, he said, though his interpreter: “I really like the team. I love the fans. I love the atmosphere of the team, but more than that I want to win. That’s the biggest thing for me.”

Minasian responded a few days later that he didn’t feel any extra motivation to improve the team because of Ohtani’s comments. He said all players should want to win, and so does the front office.

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Ohtani is signed for $5.5 million for 2022, and then he’s arbitration eligible for one more season before he could become a free agent.

Minasian has refused comment on possible extension talks with Ohtani, and Balelo did the same on Wednesday.

“We just don’t talk about deals, talk about extensions,” Balelo said. “Usually you’ll find out about it at the end. It’s just the way we roll.”

Balelo added that Ohtani is “extremely happy there. He likes being a part of the Angel organization. We’ll see where it shakes out.”

NOTES

Agent Scott Boras said during his traditional media scrum that Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has recovered from August hip surgery. “He’s doing great,” Boras said. “He’ll be ready to go in spring training.”

More to come on this story.

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[Second Base]

[Taylor]

Is a dynamic team better than a magical team?

cc: @Angelsjunky @True Grich

[Second Base]

Seriously though, I've felt the Angels haves been on the cusp of being a really good team since 2018....

And it all follows the same general timeline.

April - Wow, they look good! 

May - Pitching is decent and that's good enough. 

June - They've got some work to do but they're right there. Anything is possible. 

July - We need pitching! Trade deadline is coming up! 

August - Well that sucks. Another losing season, and another unfruitful deadline. Our pitching sucks. 

September - The kids coming up from AAA are showing some flashes. 

October - Look at all that money coming off the books! And look at all those free agents!

November - We are going to sign every front of the rotation starter!!!!

December - We'll get a TOR starter and a mid rotation starter. That's more reasonable.

January - We'll get two mid rotation starters. 

February - It's ok we only got a couple back end inning eaters we overpaid for. Really, all we need is stability. It'll be fine. 

March - Baseball is back! I predict we'll go 162-0 because of our awesome pitching!

-----

Wash, rinse, repeat.

[Torridd]

I agree with him.

[Bronson]

The fool. Better get Ohtani extended before he catches on.

[AngelsLakersFan]

Did he really use the word ‘dynamic?’

[Angelsjunky]

Well, he's right. But I think they need five good players: one middle infielder, two starters, and two relievers. Throw in a cheap back-up catcher, or go with Matt Thaiss.

[Angel Oracle]

On 11/10/2021 at 4:57 PM, Second Base said:

Seriously though, I've felt the Angels haves been on the cusp of being a really good team since 2018....

And it all follows the same general timeline.

April - Wow, they look good! 

May - Pitching is decent and that's good enough. 

June - They've got some work to do but they're right there. Anything is possible. 

July - We need pitching! Trade deadline is coming up! 

August - Well that sucks. Another losing season, and another unfruitful deadline. Our pitching sucks. 

September - The kids coming up from AAA are showing some flashes. 

October - Look at all that money coming off the books! And look at all those free agents!

November - We are going to sign every front of the rotation starter!!!!

December - We'll get a TOR starter and a mid rotation starter. That's more reasonable.

January - We'll get two mid rotation starters. 

February - It's ok we only got a couple back end inning eaters we overpaid for. Really, all we need is stability. It'll be fine. 

March - Baseball is back! I predict we'll go 162-0 because of our awesome pitching!

-----

Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

[HanfordGuy]

DEFINITION FOR DYNAMIC (1 OF 1)

adjective Also dy·nam·i·cal.

1.) pertaining to or characterized by energy or effective action; vigorously active or forceful; energetic: the dynamic president of the firm.

2.) Digital Technology.

(of data storage, processing, or programming)

affected by the passage of time or the presence or absence of power: Dynamic memory must be constantly refreshed to avoid losing data. Dynamic websites contain web pages that are generated in real time.

[HanfordGuy]

On 11/10/2021 at 12:50 PM, AngelsWin.com said:

Agent Scott Boras said during his traditional media scrum that Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has recovered from August hip surgery. “He’s doing great,” Boras said. “He’ll be ready to go in spring training.”

[greginpsca]

20 hours ago, HanfordGuy said:

I hope so. If not, he will make longtime Angel fans forget the name, Gary Gaetti.

[UndertheHalo]

Ya maybe.  Or maybe not.  Ok.  Good talk. 

[ukyah]

rendon is going to crush next year. i'll put money on it.

[jsnpritchett]

 

[Taylor]

Ohtani hasn't learned how to be a real American yet. Real Americans find loopholes so they don't have to pay taxes.

[Angelsjunky]

The most important factor in being a dynamic team is staying healthy. As we fret over hot stove issues, this is the big elephant in the room. As minimal baseline, the Angels need 300 games from Trout, Rendon, and Ohtani - and hopefully more (I just picked a number that represented two of them being healthy all season, or all three for two-thirds of the season each).

If the Angels experience another cataclysm like Trout and Rendon in 2021, it will be awfully hard to be dynamic.

[OldAndInTheWay]

21 hours ago, greginpsca said:

I hope so. If not, he will make longtime Angel fans forget the name, Gary Gaetti.

Aka, "Rat Face".