How the Angels Spent $450 Million and Became one of the Worst Teams in Baseball

[Brent Maguire]

I didn't know Arte was spending our money since we have a say in what should be done.  Be honest, at the time of the deals everyone was very happy on this board.

I, for one, loved the Pujols deal because of the upfront potential production but realized the deal would suck. I wasn't completely against the Hamilton deal but I knew there were some huge red flags and a deal over 100 million was risky. 

 

I can tell you for a fact that not everybody was happy with the Hamilton deal. 

[Lifetime]

Do you know that for a fact? Perhaps they all have their own primary sources. Nice assertion without any evidence.

it's the same BS that happens every trade season with this or that source saying that this or that team is working on a deal or trade and most of it turns out to be complete BS. Arte signs the checks. One guy starts the rumor and others chime in and feed off of it, all along the way naming some unknown source or "someone familiar with the negotiations". 

 

As owner, he is the ultimate decision maker for any deal big or small. Arte is a big believer in the Angels Baseball family and he uses his personal touch to help lure players to signing with the Angels. It's smart business. Arte isn't going out and targeting players that the GM is not interested in or already involved in discussions with. Arte had to sign off on the deal, like any owner, but his personal involvement in the process doesn't happen until the end. 

[Angel Oracle]

Not happy with 5 years for Hackilton (s/b 3 years tops) and TEN years for Pujols (s/b 7-8 years tops).

I sure hope Arte/JeDi know what they are doing.

Those contracts do make Nibs Nibbler's contract look cheap in comparison.   Now if only he could escape having one bad inning in almost every start.

 

Is Arte predicting massive inflation in this country in the next 3-4 years, and thus those contracts wouldn't look nearly as bad by then?

[Lifetime]

and if they had signed them for fewer years, which wouldn't have netted them but I digress, you'd still be ranting on them and their deals if they were performing like they are now.

[Angel Oracle]

For the current production yes, but at least there would be hope that the end of the contracts wouldn't be as far off.

 

Why do you think that a lot of acquisitions haven't worked out since 2010, after the ones in the 2000s (Figgins, Speizio, FAs signed in 2004, OC signing, Teixiera trade, etc.) seemed to produce much better results? 

What has changed that those acquisitions aren't working out like they did in the 2000s?

That is an important question to be answered.

[Stradling]

and if they had signed them for fewer years, which wouldn't have netted them but I digress, you'd still be ranting on them and their deals if they were performing like they are now.

Yep, I said this in a thread a week or so ago.

[Lifetime]

that wouldn't stop you from declaring them travesties

 

For the current production yes, but at least there would be hope that the end of the contracts wouldn't be as far off.

[gotbeer]

I didn't know Arte was spending our money since we have a say in what should be done.  Be honest, at the time of the deals everyone was very happy on this board.

 

You would be correct.

 

http://angelswin.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=71174&start=1

 

It's actually an amusing read.  I'm still on page 4, and the deal hasn't been finalized yet.

[Brent Maguire]

You would be correct.

 

http://angelswin.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=71174&start=1

 

It's actually an amusing read.  I'm still on page 4, and the deal hasn't been finalized yet.

Well I don't remember people being this positive, including myself. I guess it was the days after that I started having mixed feelings about the signing. 

 

I thought he'd at least produce at a .800 OPS as the absolute worst case scenario. What he's done so far is really scary. 

[Ohtaniland]

I like all this Arte / GM..... he did it, no he did it dialogue. So the story goes...........Arte hired Dipoto based on his 2-month interim GM resume away from Arizona. Then the Diamondbacks hired Kevin Towers and made him VP of Baseball Operations and GM. Yeah they sure thought highly of Dipoto. Then I remember Arte saying that Jerry Dipoto had full authority and Dipoto proceeds to sign Albert Pujols to the worst contract in MLB history. We miss the playoffs again and then Dipoto signs Josh Hamilton to another horrible contract along with a few others. Blanton, Madson and Burnett. Thank goodness Jerry Dipoto only has one year left before he's moved upstairs next to Tony Reagins.

[stormngt]

"Moreno had other ideas. According to Ken Rosenthal, it was Moreno who spearheaded the club's pursuit of Josh Hamilton, and his signing left little financial wiggle room for Dipoto to rebuild the pitching staff. He was going to have to do what he could."

If I am not mistaken, but we didn't pursue Hamilton until after we lost out on Grienke.  Right??

[stormngt]

I agree LT. 

 

I think the Hamilton signing was Dipoto trying to bolster this offense to be upper tier and get by with average pitching. Maybe Arte forced it, maybe he didn't, none of us truly know how it went down. 

Good Post!