The Designated Hitter Position.

[Angels 1961]

8 minutes ago, BTH said:

not sure that guy exists on the free agent market, unless you want to move Trout to a corner and bring in a Kiermaier.

Joc Pederson

[CartiHalos]

5 minutes ago, BTH said:

not sure that guy exists on the free agent market, unless you want to move Trout to a corner and bring in a Kiermaier.

Yeah, at that point our options are like, Robbie Grossman or Eddie Rosario (or maybe Bellinger, but...). I'd rather get a decent righty like Pham or Duvall for that price and leave Moniak as our lefty 4th OF.

[CartiHalos]

2 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Joc Pederson

Not loving Joc as an everyday outfield option, both because of his defense and because him + Moniak leaves a large weak spot in the lineup against lefties.

[BTH]

7 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Joc Pederson

his defense is awful

[REDneck]

Good post!

But, I'm going to make a slight exaggeration and refer to the 6 DH's already on the team.

With all the needs that this team has, I don't think we should be fixated on signing a guy that can only hit to league average from the few of your suggestions.

We lost our DH people...let$ not double down on a loss.

Trout, POS Rendon, Adell,Ward, Moniak and anyone else that is signed will need AB at DH.

[Angels 1961]

Justin Turner at his age will want to sign with a contender. I think he ends up with Arizona.

[REDneck]

The DH by design is flexible, so let's utilize it's flexibility and improve in other areas.

Unless you're the Dodgers and can pay your DH 70M a year 10 years from now.

If there was ever a team that needs to utilize the flexibility of the DH....it's the 2024 Angels after losing Ohtani.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by REDneck

[Angels 1961]

1 minute ago, REDneck said:

The DH by design is flexible, so let's utilize it's flexibility and improve in other areas.

Unless you're the Dodgers and can pay your DH 70M a year 10 years from now.

 

Halos need help at catcher and he also can be in mix at DH. 

[CartiHalos]

3 minutes ago, REDneck said:

The DH by design is flexible, so let's utilize it's flexibility and improve in other areas.

Unless you're the Dodgers and can pay your DH 70M a year 10 years from now.

 

That's what I'm trying to suggest in this post, how we can use our new flexibility in an offense forward way that covers multiple facets. Mainly why I'm against JD as an option, but pro-Garver and Soler - we need a backup catcher and corner outfielder anyway.

[REDneck]

1 minute ago, CartiHalos said:

That's what I'm trying to suggest in this post, how we can use our new flexibility in an offense forward way that covers multiple facets. Mainly why I'm against JD as an option, but pro-Garver and Soler - we need a backup catcher and corner outfielder anyway.

Cool man...I just don't want to sign a JDM type, someone who only gets off his ass 4 times a game to hit.

There are options available including as you have suggested a second catcher or platoon OF.

[EDinTUSTIN]

9 hours ago, CartiHalos said:

One of the most interesting question marks the Angels have right now is how they'll handle their newly uncovered DH position.  For the last 4 or so years, it's been Ohtani pretty much every game without much wiggle room. With him moving on to LA, the Angels have a great opportunity to utilize this DH spot right, which could potentially aid the health of some of their players. 

As it stands, the DH spot either belongs to Brandon Drury (according to Fangraphs) leaving Rengifo to take 2nd base, or Jo Adell (according to what I think will happen without supplemental moves.).  However there are many free agents that I think could provide value if the Angels decide to go that direction. I have them ranked here from most desirable to lest desirable, in my opinion.

Mitch Garver - I hate to say it, I'm not a very big fan of Matt Thaiss as our backup catcher.  I think Garver is not only great at hitting the ball (3 different seasons above 135 wRC+), but I really like his ability to draw walks. His 12.8 BB% would have been second on the 2023 Angels behind Nolan Schanuel's absurd (but unqualified) 15.2 BB%, a good boost for a team that finished in the bottom third in BB/Game.  He has the offensive ability to man DH everyday, but the defensive ability to cover Catcher every 5th day or 1B if Nolan needs a break. 

Jorge Soler - Jorge's on here purely because of how elite his 2023 was with the bat. Mind not the fact he's incredibly fun to watch, but he absolutely rakes, consistently finishing in the 80th-99th percentile in stats like xwOBA, Average Exit Velo, Barrel%, and BB%.  He lands higher on this list for me than others because of his ability to cover corner outfield positions if necessary, but I think he'd be a force in the middle of our lineup and super fun to watch.

Joc Pederson - Joc is very similar to Jorge - mashes the ball, lots of 3 true outcomes, but with slightly less production over the years, landing him just below. I still put a lot of stock into his ability to play corner outfield and first, if necessary.

J.D. Martinez - J.D. is on here purely because of how elite his production was last year, and how it was nowhere near an outlier. His entire career all his does is hit - but that's a double edged sword.  He hits VERY well - if I had one nitpick it's the 31 K% and 8 BB% - but that barely matters with how well he hits the ball. The problem is his lack of positional flexibility, and if he's producing at a high level, it will be hard to fit in guys like Trout or Rendon if they need a day at DH. 

Teoscar Hernandez - Teoscar is, to be blunt, like if a worse J.D. Martinez wanted the same AAV on a longer term deal. He has a similar hitting profile, with somehow a worse walk rate and worse in all the batted ball stats. He's a fine fielder in the corner outfield, which helps, but the cost is what's really dragging him down in my eyes.

Gary Sanchez - I threw him on here because it'll be interesting to see if we pursue him *IF* we get Snell.  He isn't even a great defensive catcher or anything, but Snell's numbers with/without him were night and day.  Putting that aside, I like the idea of the backup catcher DHing, but not Gary. It's hard to get past the fact that he was underperforming in Triple A last year, or that his bat hasn't been impressive for like 4 years. Add on top of that he's looking for a deal in the $8M-12M range, and I'm out.

So there are some options and how I feel about them. What do y'all think the right move is? Do you like any of these guys? Did I forget someone? Let me know.

J.D. would be a decent choice, though he is getting a bit long in the tooth. He could play right field on a day that Trout DH's. Thank goodness they won't need to spell Rendon for a game, as he will be on the IL anyway. While JD is certainly not a gold glover in the outfield, he is about on par with what we had last year. If I remember, he has a good throwing arm. I certainly wouldn't want him in right field on a regular basis, but maybe one game a week to give Trout a day off of the field.

[EDinTUSTIN]

6 hours ago, REDneck said:

Cool man...I just don't want to sign a JDM type, someone who only gets off his ass 4 times a game to hit.

There are options available including as you have suggested a second catcher or platoon OF.

JD certainly is no gold glover, but in reality, he is no worse than Renfro was in right field, and like Renfo, he does possess a strong throwing arm. He would be serviceable there for a game per week to allow Trout to DH.

[Jason]

18 hours ago, Erstad Grit said:

Great post. I enjoy your thoughts.

Another option might be totate dh with trout and Rendon assuming both will struggle with health. 

I have assumed that DH is going to be Rendon and Trout filling that full time. 

[Chuck]

@CartiHalos I'm really enjoying your contributions to discussion here at AngelsWin.com. 

You've really hit the ground running. Keep up the good work and Merry Christmas! 

[CartiHalos]

5 hours ago, Chuck said:

@CartiHalos I'm really enjoying your contributions to discussion here at AngelsWin.com. 

You've really hit the ground running. Keep up the good work and Merry Christmas! 

I've been loving being here! Merry Christmas to you too!

[CartiHalos]

14 hours ago, EDinTUSTIN said:

JD certainly is no gold glover, but in reality, he is no worse than Renfro was in right field, and like Renfo, he does possess a strong throwing arm. He would be serviceable there for a game per week to allow Trout to DH.

I seriously don't see him going to a team if he's being expected to play outfield, considering A. He could get the same paycheck to be a full time DH and 2. He has played literally 3 games in the field over the last 2 seasons. Playing MLB level outfield is hard.

[Taylor]

8 hours ago, Jason said:

I have assumed that DH is going to be Rendon and Trout filling that full time

Gross

[greginpsca]

8 hours ago, Jason said:

I have assumed that DH is going to be Rendon and Trout filling that full time. 

When O'Hoppe isn't catching, he can dh to keep his bat in the lineup. Pretty much all the starting 9 could be rotated thru the DH at times. Will really be beneficial in July and August when the guys can get worn down from the heat and humidity.

[Jason]

1 minute ago, greginpsca said:

When O'Hoppe isn't catching, he can dh to keep his bat in the lineup. Pretty much all the starting 9 could be rotated thru the DH at times. Will really be beneficial in July and August when the guys can get worn down from the heat and humidity.

Trout and Rendon will be worn down by the end of May. 

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

Is there anyone we can bring out of retirement?

[Angel Oracle]

On 12/21/2023 at 5:41 PM, CartiHalos said:

That's what I'm trying to suggest in this post, how we can use our new flexibility in an offense forward way that covers multiple facets. Mainly why I'm against JD as an option, but pro-Garver and Soler - we need a backup catcher and corner outfielder anyway.

Soler is horrible in the OF.

[T.G.]

6 hours ago, The Ghost of Bob Starr said:

Is there anyone we can bring out of retirement?

@PattyD22!

[PattyD22]

1 hour ago, T.G. said:

@PattyD22!

Not a chance @T.G..

Maybe @Angel Oracle?

[PattyD22]

On 12/21/2023 at 5:34 PM, Angels 1961 said:

Justin Turner at his age will want to sign with a contender. I think he ends up with Arizona.

Doesn’t every player want to sign with a contender?  

“Contender?  Nah I’d rather play for a shitty team.”
 

[Dgar24]

Good morning and Merry Christmas,

I have Rendon penciled in to DH and corner infield backup. I think I’d try to trade for a third base solution Chapman costs a pick and expensive. Anything to keep Rendon healthy. Use our budget on pitching still plenty out there.