WHAT do we have to do to get back on top?

[Team Cooley]

seriously, who has realistically given up on the season?

 

Are you now looking to 2014 and hoping for off season changes or are you holding out like me?

 

If the Dodgers can do it - why can't we? Weren't they worse off than us weeks back?

 

Cheryl

 

[AngelsAndRamsFan]

The Angels only need to go 39-11 to have a chance at making the playoffs.

[Tank]

Inconsistent play, a bullpen that implodes far more than it succeeds, an injured Pujols, and Hamilton being MIA - season over.

[Guest]

It's not going to happen this year, sorry.

[stormngt]

I think she was asking what we have to do to get back on top for next year.  

 

In order to do that we need two starting pitchers.  If we resign  Vargas that would reduce our need by one.  Then we need to finally  (how many years has its been?) to solidify the bullpen.  I would say we need to legit bullpen arms.  From what I hear, we may have that down on the farm with Berg and Alvarez (I think that is what his name is).  Because we are stuck with them and no matter how much AW members complain Pujols and Hamilton are going to be playing so we will need for them to rebound to at least above average middle order players.  They don't have to return to the studs they used to but they both have to produce to where Pujols was last year.

 

We have an abundance of outfielders so Trumbo, PB, Calhoun, and should be on the trade block.  One of them should get us a major league ready starter.  Then depending how Green and Lindsay does we may have Kendrick on the block.  He should also bring us a major league ready starter.  So there is hope.  We just have to stop bringing in the Blantons and Hansons of the world.  And we finally have to do something about the bullpen.

[JB Abell]

The difference is the dodgers pitching has been solid all year and now they have Grienke back. Puig sparked the offense and that was all they needed. The angels are struggling in every area from starting to relief pitching, to leading the league in errors, having tons if injuries and having an incredibly inconsistent offense. Too many holes.

[Angel Oracle]

We need one more starter, assuming Richards continues to pitch like he has recently and Vargas is re-signed.

 

The bullpen needs significant reworking, but NO MORE MADSON TYPE SIGNINGS!

Burnett, Morin, Kohn, DDLR, Coello, Maronde, and Williams would seem to be what they should start 2014 with. 

Frieri and Jepsen are questionable at this point.

[gotbeer]

We can't panic.  Panic will bring panic trades, in which then people will be crying in a few years this person is doing well, and now our guy is hurt waaa waaas.  

 

We need to make moves like the Callaspo trade.  Where we get more value than we are giving up.  

 

I liked this team going into the season.  But we were stung by the injury bug early and to key players.  This team is capable if healthy.

[Corona]

Re-sign Vargas, pick up someone cheap like Maholm or Feldman and maybe Hughes so we have some depth at SP. Sign JP Howell, Trade Trumbo for some more relievers, hopefully Frieri and Burnett are healthy/not garbage. If everyones healthy I believe we're just a few decent pitchers away from being contenders.

[Team Cooley]

I sense "panic mode" setting in.  I see trades coming too.  Its the "if we aren't winning then do something" stage. I'd like to see how we do one more year with everyone healthy. 

 

I  wont to give up but honestly have no urge to go to the park and see any more games. I'm more excited about the fanfest than anything. 

 

Its sad,  win enough games to get into the play offs.  

[VariousCrap]

The key to everything is pitching.  DiPoto lost sight of that this past offseason and the team sucked because of it.  Nothing is more important that pitching.

 

The Angels should resign Vargas and then either trade for a young major league ready starting pitcher or sign Garza.  Richards has given us three solid starts in a row and if he can continue to do that, he has the fifth spot in the rotation next season.

 

Weaver

Wilson

Garza or #3 pitcher via trade

Vargas

Richards

 

I'd have faith in that rotation.

 

 

After the starting rotation is set, the Angels have to fix the bullpen.  I don't care who they trade...Bourjos, Calhoun, Trumbo, Howie, Aybar....just get some solid bullpen arms.

[Team Cooley]

Re-sign Vargas, pick up someone cheap like Maholm or Feldman and maybe Hughes so we have some depth at SP. Sign JP Howell, Trade Trumbo for some more relievers, hopefully Frieri and Burnett are healthy/not garbage. If everyones healthy I believe we're just a few decent pitchers away from being contenders.

i've heard many say trade Trumbo  and I agree, if everyone is healthy- we might have a chance.

[Team Cooley]

I think she was asking what we have to do to get back on top for next year.  

 

In order to do that we need two starting pitchers.  If we resign  Vargas that would reduce our need by one.  Then we need to finally  (how many years has its been?) to solidify the bullpen.  I would say we need to legit bullpen arms.  From what I hear, we may have that down on the farm with Berg and Alvarez (I think that is what his name is).  Because we are stuck with them and no matter how much AW members complain Pujols and Hamilton are going to be playing so we will need for them to rebound to at least above average middle order players.  They don't have to return to the studs they used to but they both have to produce to where Pujols was last year.

 

We have an abundance of outfielders so Trumbo, PB, Calhoun, and should be on the trade block.  One of them should get us a major league ready starter.  Then depending how Green and Lindsay does we may have Kendrick on the block.  He should also bring us a major league ready starter.  So there is hope.  We just have to stop bringing in the Blantons and Hansons of the world.  And we finally have to do something about the bullpen.

 

The Dodgers did it because they pitch, field, and hit A LOT better than the Angels.  This would be like asking why Boston can make the playoffs and Houston can't.

I can't believe we are down there with the Astros. I was cracking jokes last year and now I have to shut up

[Team Cooley]

 Sounds like everyone is looking to  2014. 

[SoWhat]

I'd rather not trade Trumbo, Bourjos, Calhoun, Aybar or Kendrick for a reliever. You never know what you're gonna get from them, relievers are always hot and cold, just look at Valverde, Wilhelmsen, Axford, Lidge, Bailey, Frieri, Hannrahan, etc. I'd rather use those trade chips on two young starters

[VariousCrap]

 Sounds like everyone is looking to  2014. 

 

 

 

There is nothing that can be done to save 2013.  We will be lucky if this team ends the season at .500 or little above that.

[Troll Daddy]

Play better baseball

[Team Cooley]

Play better baseball

HAHA  so simple yet we just can't seem to grasp that concept. 

[seenoevil]

Cut 95 percent of the pitching staff..

 

Trade Howie, Ianetta and Bourjos

[Team Cooley]

ya'll will enjoy this - so hubby comes home, bursts my bubble and says :

 

1)we would have to win all our games but that is improbable

 

2)we won't even make .500 because we don't have the players to play better

 

3)forget wildcard

 

4) stop drinking the PMA koolaid

[EE_]

Forget about the Pujols and Hamilton mistakes. They are dead money. Any production we get from them going forward should be viewed as a bonus. Learn from those mistakes by not repeating them. Quit trying to buy a championship team. It doesn't often work.

 

So we have to operate with a $50 million disadvantage for the next 4 years, a $30 million disadvantage for 4 more years after that.

Is this team not capable of competing with an effective $110 million payroll? Tampa and Oakland are contenders with a ~$60M payroll. We still have a large advantage in payroll over those teams. We also have the advantage of having the best young player in the game.

 

Invest in talent acquisition. If you don't have the best scouts then hire them. If you don't have a top presence in the  Dominican then you do whatever it takes to build it. Everybody will remember the awful Wells trade, but the neglect of the DR development is the worst thing that that regime could have done. Did they really believe that they could allow every other team to pull serious talent from that region while ignoring it themselves and not pay for it?  

 

After you've acquired the talent you don't allow it to be squandered by inferior coaching. The development of pitching, especially at the major league level, has been miserable.

Money used on draft and development is well spent. Had they sunk even the (now small looking) $40M they wasted on the GMJ contract into draft and development in 2007 this would be a very different team. It's tougher now with the new rules but still the best path for sustained success.

 

They can turn it around but not if they continue to be stupid.

[ettin]

We need one more starter, assuming Richards continues to pitch like he has recently and Vargas is re-signed.

 

The bullpen needs significant reworking, but NO MORE MADSON TYPE SIGNINGS!

Burnett, Morin, Kohn, DDLR, Coello, Maronde, and Williams would seem to be what they should start 2014 with. 

Frieri and Jepsen are questionable at this point.

 

You know what AO, the Madson signing wasn't a bad risk move. The problem was that we didn't have enough depth behind him and we kept thinking "when is our bullpen savior" coming and he never did.

 

A low base salary signing for a, formerly ace, relief pitcher coming off of TMJ surgery was a risk move and it didn't pay off. It's just that the rest of the bullpen really didn't meet the standards of a MLB relief corps.

[stormngt]

Re-sign Vargas, pick up someone cheap like Maholm or Feldman and maybe Hughes so we have some depth at SP. Sign JP Howell, Trade Trumbo for some more relievers, hopefully Frieri and Burnett are healthy/not garbage. If everyones healthy I believe we're just a few decent pitchers away from being contenders.

 

Trumbo, a 30+ HR hitter, an all star his second season, team leader in RBI's and all you want is two relievers????

 

I have no problem trading him but we should at least get a major league ready starter or two starting pitching prospects.  

 

Trading Schuck should get us a reliever!

[Corona]

Trumbo, a 30+ HR hitter, an all star his second season, team leader in RBI's and all you want is two relievers????

 

I have no problem trading him but we should at least get a major league ready starter or two starting pitching prospects.  

 

Trading Schuck should get us a reliever!

I was thinking something like Gregorson and a high prospect or something. Nobody is going to give up a good reliever for JB shuck. 

[stormngt]

I sense "panic mode" setting in.  I see trades coming too.  Its the "if we aren't winning then do something" stage. I'd like to see how we do one more year with everyone healthy. 

 

I  wont to give up but honestly have no urge to go to the park and see any more games. I'm more excited about the fanfest than anything. 

 

Its sad,  win enough games to get into the play offs.  

I agree we shouldn't panic, but we can't stand still with this pitching staff.  I can understand standing pat with our offense, but we need pitching help. Hanson isn't good enough and Blanton should never start again.