Angels sign Brandon Drury (2 years, $17 million), DFA Oliver Ortega

[BTH]

12 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

Interesting, nice catch.  I haven't seen anything though that indicates he has a 4th year - I think that would have been caught by now?

You’d figure it would've been caught by now, but what brought my attention to this was that an O’s reporter reported that Tyler Nevin was granted a 4th option year, which took me down a rabbit hole, and now has me wondering if Thaiss was granted a 4th option year.

I’d imagine it’d be pretty easy for Fletch to find out, since people working in the front office must know— and he presumably has sources in the front office.

Edited December 22, 2022 by Trendon

[Just Sayin]

They would be fools to let Rengifo go.  If they dump/demote Adell and/or Moniak to Salt Lake City, Rengifo “could” start in left field and not hurt you defensively.  

In fact he can plug into a lot of places defensively.  I can live with his shortcomings on defense because I like his bat in the lineup.....DAILY.  I like his hustle.  Hitting coaches did a nice job with him last season and give him credit for buying in on what the hitting coaches were selling. 
 

I’ve read some comments here regarding there now being a shortage of left handed hitters.  Being a switch hitter alone should keep him around.  Looking forward to seeing what he does in ‘23.

Switch hitter who can play multiple positions defensively.  What’s not to like about Rengifo? Honestly I’m kinda shocked that dealing him is even being discussed. 

[tdawg87]

6 hours ago, Just Sayin said:

They would be fools to let Rengifo go.  If they dump/demote Adell and/or Moniak to Salt Lake City, Rengifo “could” start in left field and not hurt you defensively.  

In fact he can plug into a lot of places defensively.  I can live with his shortcomings on defense because I like his bat in the lineup.....DAILY.  I like his hustle.  Hitting coaches did a nice job with him last season and give him credit for buying in on what the hitting coaches were selling. 
 

I’ve read some comments here regarding there now being a shortage of left handed hitters.  Being a switch hitter alone should keep him around.  Looking forward to seeing what he does in ‘23.

Switch hitter who can play multiple positions defensively.  What’s not to like about Rengifo? Honestly I’m kinda shocked that dealing him is even being discussed. 

Yeah I think trading Rengifo is a mistake at this point. We added IF depth for a reason. Trading some of it away is counterproductive. 

[Stradling]

If we sign a starter I’d be fine if they packaged Rengifo and Suarez for a good SS with some club control. I like both players a lot, I’m concerned about Rengifo’s on base skills. 

[Warfarin]

14 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

Yeah I think trading Rengifo is a mistake at this point. We added IF depth for a reason. Trading some of it away is counterproductive. 

Yeah, I think Rengifo's versatility is a bonus and I think it's unlikely they trade him.  That said, Rengifo seems to grade out as below average at every position he plays - so in that sense, how useful is his versatility if he plays multiple positions somewhat poorly?

Anyway - I am not for trading him, as we definitely need depth on this club, but I WOULD consider moving him if it led to acquiring a true SS.  Then Fletcher can truly just be a backup MI, Drury can play 2B, and Urshela will mainly be responsible for the corner IF spots, with occasional coverage in the middle infield as needed.  Of course, if injuries strike, there would still be great versatility - Drury can always be swung out to play 1B/3B, Fletcher can take over either middle infield spot, etc.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

6 hours ago, Just Sayin said:

Rengifo “could” start in left field and not hurt you defensively.

Ward is going to play LF, right?

[Warfarin]

3 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

Ward is going to play LF, right?

I'm assuming he meant a spot start in LF, not a regular starter.  Ward is slated to be our starting LF, yes.

[Angels 1961]

I wonder if Angels would have any interest in Jorge Mateo. Great glove and speed with some power. Trade Rengifo for SP or help in BP. 

[Erstad Grit]

2 hours ago, Warfarin said:

Yeah, I think Rengifo's versatility is a bonus and I think it's unlikely they trade him.  That said, Rengifo seems to grade out as below average at every position he plays - so in that sense, how useful is his versatility if he plays multiple positions somewhat poorly?

Anyway - I am not for trading him, as we definitely need depth on this club, but I WOULD consider moving him if it led to acquiring a true SS.  Then Fletcher can truly just be a backup MI, Drury can play 2B, and Urshela will mainly be responsible for the corner IF spots, with occasional coverage in the middle infield as needed.  Of course, if injuries strike, there would still be great versatility - Drury can always be swung out to play 1B/3B, Fletcher can take over either middle infield spot, etc.

Tim Anderson would seem like the best choice for that scenario 

[Jeff Fletcher]

12 hours ago, Trendon said:

@Jeff Fletcher

Is it confirmed that Matt Thaiss is out of options?

He spent more than 20 days in the minors in 2020, 2021, and 2022, which would typically mean he’s out of options, but I saw something that said that days on optional assignment weren’t counted in 2020 because of the shortened season.

If that were the case, then shouldn’t he have a fourth option year?

Thaiss is out of options. 
 

The rule was you get a fourth option if you’ve exhausted your three while having fewer than five “full” seasons, basically excluding complex leagues and short seasons. 
 

The issue with Jaime Barría was that 2020 didn’t count as a “full” season, so he had only four. (The definition of a full season per the arbiter’s ruling is a little complicated, so you can Google my story from March 2021 if you’re interested.)

Thaiss was drafted in 2016, so he’s already got 17, 18, 19, 21 and 22, even if you don’t count 20.

He’s out of options. 

[Warfarin]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/angels-continue-adding-depth-sign-brandon-drury/

Nice Fangraphs article on Drury and depth.

Quote

So far this offseason, they’ve been aggressive in bringing in the type of talent that complements their superstars while avoiding any long-term commitments that could complicate the sale of the club

Quote

With questions surrounding both corner infield positions, the quartet of utility infielders now on the roster gives Los Angeles multiple contingency plans in case of emergency. That kind of competent depth should help the Angels avoid the kind of midseason swoon that sunk their season this year.

 

[Hubs]

1 hour ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Thaiss is out of options. 
 

The rule was you get a fourth option if you’ve exhausted your three while having fewer than five “full” seasons, basically excluding complex leagues and short seasons. 
 

The issue with Jaime Barría was that 2020 didn’t count as a “full” season, so he had only four. (The definition of a full season per the arbiter’s ruling is a little complicated, so you can Google my story from March 2021 if you’re interested.)

Thaiss was drafted in 2016, so he’s already got 17, 18, 19, 21 and 22, even if you don’t count 20.

He’s out of options. 

and will then be the primary backup catcher. 

[Stradling]

20 minutes ago, Hubs said:

and will then be the primary backup catcher. 

I really can’t see a scenario where that is the case.  If so he will be DFA’d and Wallach will get a chance.

[Jeff Fletcher]

29 minutes ago, Hubs said:

and will then be the primary backup catcher. 

Don't be so sure of that. If O'Hoppe is better, he'll get the job. If Thaiss gets claimed, so be it. The Angels have DFA'd a ton of guys over the years and most of them don't get claimed, and how many of the ones who did have you actually missed?

By the way, I looked up the story on Barria....

Quote

 

The players were among a handful who were the subject of a grievance over the way the MLB option rules are interpreted. Players can typically be optioned in three separate years, regardless of how many times they are optioned within those years. However if a player has used up his three option years before he’s been active for five full seasons, in the majors or minors, he can be optioned for a fourth year.

A “full season” is defined as 90 days on an active roster, but the entire 2020 season lasted less than 90 days, so the issue was whether that counted.

The arbiter ruled that any player who had at least 34 days in the big leagues in 2020, which pro-rates to 90 days, was considered to have a full year, and the other players in the grievance weren’t. Barria was on the Angels’ roster for 29 days in 2020.

 

By my calculations, Thaiss was on the big league roster for 20 days in 2020, so it would not count as a full season, but it doesn't matter because he still had full seasons in 17, 18, 19, 21 and 22.

[jsnpritchett]

37 minutes ago, Hubs said:

and will then be the primary backup catcher. 

 

16 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I really can’t see a scenario where that is the case.  If so he will be DFA’d and Wallach will get a chance.

I still think there's a scenario in which O'Hoppe wins the starting gig in spring training, Stassi becomes the backup, and Thaiss gets dumped. 

[Blarg]

13 hours ago, Just Sayin said:

Hitting coaches did a nice job with him last season and give him credit for buying in on what the hitting coaches were selling. 

The Angels dumped their hitting coaches. 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/angels-announce-coaching-hires.html#:~:text=The Angels announced three new,Hezel as assistant pitching coach.

Just sayin. 

[Taylor]

1 minute ago, Blarg said:

The Angels dumped their hitting coaches. 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/angels-announce-coaching-hires.html#:~:text=The Angels announced three new,Hezel as assistant pitching coach.

Just sayin. 

So does that mean Rengifo is going to revert to his pre-2022 performance?

[Dtwncbad]

I could be wrong, but I can’t bring myself to believe the Angels will have Thaiss on the mlb roster as their second catcher.

As of now, I just don’t think they view him as solid enough at the position to do that.

[Blarg]

Maybe he is good enough to be an interim for half the season as they prep O'Hoppe in AAA. Picking up a true backup sets O'Hoppe back a complete year because they won't carry 3 catchers. 

[Blarg]

36 minutes ago, Taylor said:

So does that mean Rengifo is going to revert to his pre-2022 performance?

Sure would be nice if we knew the future. 

[tdawg87]

37 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

I could be wrong, but I can’t bring myself to believe the Angels will have Thaiss on the mlb roster as their second catcher.

As of now, I just don’t think they view him as solid enough at the position to do that.

I agree. He might be an emergency catcher, but I don't think he's realistically the 2nd guy. At least I hope he's not.

[BTH]

I think the Angels massively mis-managed Thaiss.

IMO, after 2020 when they first tried it, they should’ve worked him out at 2B and LF in addition to 1B/DH.

If they had done that, he would’ve gotten a lot of playing time at 2B/3B/LF to show what he had.

His rookie season wasn’t that bad offensively. But then 2020 happened, he converted to C in 2021, and never got extended MLB time to show what his bat could do.

[T.G.]

or maybe... Thaiss just isn't good enough to be a major leaguer.

[Hubs]

I like Thaiss left handed bat. He won't be worse than Suzuki offensively, and I think he will be good enough defensively at C and as a third backup at 1st... But maybe O'Hoppe wins the job and Stassi is the backup. I was shocked when they called him up for the final games.

I imagine we'll see Thaiss for 40-50 games minimum in 2023 as a backup C and lefty bat off the bench. But O'Hoppe will be up at some point later in the year.  

We'll see.

[Warfarin]

1 hour ago, jsnpritchett said:

 

I still think there's a scenario in which O'Hoppe wins the starting gig in spring training, Stassi becomes the backup, and Thaiss gets dumped. 

I think the chances of this are growing.  We'll see.  If we enter ST without another catcher added, I would actually say the most likely outcome is O'Hoppe becomes the starter.  I think the next most likely situation would be Wallach gets added temporarily.  I think the least likely scenario is Thaiss is the 2nd catcher.