Offseason To Do List

[Biergott]

Clone Blanton 4 times and secure the number 1 pick for multiple years

[Torridd]

re: the bullpen, I think a lot of it has to do with coaching and usage.  RPs are incredibly volatile from year to year, so guys that look bad one year can be great the next, and vice versa.  You have to be careful what you wish for in wanting the BP completely blown up and rebuilt.  No guarantee it will be any better.

I don't see how, WW.

[Glen]

In order:

 

1.  Sign Trout to an extension.  Show him and the fans that you want him to be the cornerstone of the team for the foreseeable future.

2.  Evaluate the coaching/management and act accordingly.  Release Scioscia, Butcher, and Eppard.  Give Dipoto another year to see what happens.

3.  Bring in two more bullpen arms.  

4.  Get another decent (non-Blantonish) starting pitcher and resign Vargas.

5.  After all of that, do what you can for the offense - 3B in particular.

6.  Trade or release Iannetta, make Conger the primary catcher, and pick up a veteran free agent to be backup.  I hear Mathis may be available.

[NrM]

In this upcoming off season what would be a list of things that Arte and Jerry need to address.  I want to know what people think is the most important.  I'll start. This is by importance.

 

1. Release Joe Blanton

2. Fire Mike Butcher

3. Trade Kendrick and Bourjos for Starting Pitching

4. Resign Jason Vargas

5. Start talking with Trout and his agent about contract extension.

Still have a couple of years on this, but needs to start this year.

 

 

Just to name a few

Everything you listed would still have this team finishing 3rd or 4th next year.

[Ohtaniland]

The criticism on Sosh is absolutely asinine at times!

Can a Manager decline like a player in terms of performing at his best after managing over 2200 games? Maybe he's burned out. I think his last spring training was a good indicator that he is just fulfilling his contractual obligations and doesn't really care for Dipoto.

[Angel Oracle]

Exactly, how many managers stay with one team this long?

There aren't many.

How many of us stay at one job this long, without experiencing some sort of burnout/boredom?

[Brandon]

I see a lot if people here don't understand the concept of club control or the business of baseball, regarding Trout.

You only sign him long term to cut his arb years and essentially get a long term discount, which is still a lot if money to put into someone with one and a half years under their belt.

I'd wait another season or two to talk long term deal. Focus on other areas like pitching.

[NrM]

I see a lot if people here don't understand the concept of club control or the business of baseball, regarding Trout.

You only sign him long term to cut his arb years and essentially get a long term discount, which is still a lot if money to put into someone with one and a half years under their belt.

I'd wait another season or two to talk long term deal. Focus on other areas like pitching.

lol.. hilarious...

 

Trout's future salary will increase every year they wait. They'd be the dumbest org. ever if they wait two more seasons to talk long term deal. By that point, trout would most likely wait till free agency and test the open market.

They should've locked him up last year.

[Ohtaniland]

I see a lot if people here don't understand the concept of club control or the business of baseball, regarding Trout.

You only sign him long term to cut his arb years and essentially get a long term discount, which is still a lot if money to put into someone with one and a half years under their belt.

I'd wait another season or two to talk long term deal. Focus on other areas like pitching.

It makes me laugh how so many people think that they can just grab Arte's checkbook and assign his money. Does everyone think that Anaheim is the perfect situation for Mike Trout? Is Arte really in a big spending mood after getting burned so many times?

Would Trout rather play closer to home or in a newer hitter friendly bandbox stadium like Philly, Baltimore or NY? He could hit 50hrs per season playing in one of those stadiums. Its Arte's money and Trouts life so let them decide what they want to do.

[NrM]

It makes me laugh how so many people think that they can just grab Arte's checkbook and assign his money. Does everyone think that Anaheim is the perfect situation for Mike Trout? Is Arte really in a big spending mood after getting burned so many times?

Would Trout rather play closer to home or in a newer hitter friendly bandbox stadium like Philly, Baltimore or NY? He could hit 50hrs per season playing in one of those stadiums. Its Arte's money and Trouts life so let them decide what they want to do.

Then what is the message board for if we can't discuss these things?

[Brandon]

lol.. hilarious...

Trout's future salary will increase every year they wait. They'd be the dumbest org. ever if they wait two more seasons to talk long term deal. By that point, trout would most likely wait till free agency and test the open market.

They should've locked him up last year.

I see you didn't read my second paragraph

[Brandon]

It makes me laugh how so many people think that they can just grab Arte's checkbook and assign his money. Does everyone think that Anaheim is the perfect situation for Mike Trout? Is Arte really in a big spending mood after getting burned so many times?

Would Trout rather play closer to home or in a newer hitter friendly bandbox stadium like Philly, Baltimore or NY? He could hit 50hrs per season playing in one of those stadiums. Its Arte's money and Trouts life so let them decide what they want to do.

If you're sure he's gone just do what SF is doing with Lincecum

[gotbeer]

1.  Try and sign Trout to a 6 year deal.

2.  Hire Langston for Pitching Coach, Percival for Bullpen Coach, Erstad for Bench Coach, and Salmon for Hitting Coach.

3.  Get a pen arm.  Possibly a closer.  Frieri, Burnett, Williams (LR), Jepsen, Kohn, Coello.  The talent is there.  It's just we need option 2 for them to reach their potential.  

4.  Get a 3/4 starting pitcher, and re-sign Vargas.  Weaver, CJ, Vargas, Richards.  Williams as injury replacement.

5.  Cut bait on Blanton.  

 

Although 3B is becoming more and more of a concern.  It would be less of a concern if Pujols and Hamilton revert to at least a high .700/low .800 ops.

[Amazing Larry]

1.  Try and sign Trout to a 6 year deal.

2.  Hire Langston for Pitching Coach, Percival for Bullpen Coach, Erstad for Bench Coach, and Salmon for Hitting Coach.

3.  Get a pen arm.  Possibly a closer.  Frieri, Burnett, Williams (LR), Jepsen, Kohn, Coello.  The talent is there.  It's just we need option 2 for them to reach their potential.  

4.  Get a 3/4 starting pitcher, and re-sign Vargas.  Weaver, CJ, Vargas, Richards.  Williams as injury replacement.

5.  Cut bait on Blanton.  

 

Although 3B is becoming more and more of a concern.  It would be less of a concern if Pujols and Hamilton revert to at least a high .700/low .800 ops.

I agree with your #3. The talent is there. The Angels just need coaches that have the ability to exploit that talent.

[Angel Oracle]

Is Butcher going to end up staying here as long as Hacker did?

[Docwaukee]

I'll mention is again as I have 1000 times over the last four years. 

 

Fix the damn bullpen.  Make it as lights out as possible.  Give yourself the best possible chance to win close games.  You will need to do so with what is likely going to be mediocre SP.  Offense is less effective in later innings because pen matchups can neutralize certain hitters more easily. 

[Homebrewer]

The first step in "fixing the damn bullpen" is fixing the damn pitching coach.

Second would be developing some arms in the minors.

The latter will take time, the former can be done immediately.

[eaterfan]

I'll mention is again as I have 1000 times over the last four years. 

 

Fix the damn bullpen.  Make it as lights out as possible.  Give yourself the best possible chance to win close games.  You will need to do so with what is likely going to be mediocre SP.  Offense is less effective in later innings because pen matchups can neutralize certain hitters more easily. 

 

The problem with fixing the bullpen is that it's damn hard. Relievers are the least projectable players for a number of reasons.

 

The easiest way to fix the bullpen is probably to limit the number of innings they throw. If you can get 2 starting pitchers who can throw 20 innings more than what we got this year that's 40 fewer innings we are taxing the bullpen. We are either keeping our worse guys off the mound or keeping our better guys fresh.

[Docwaukee]

The problem with fixing the bullpen is that it's damn hard. Relievers are the least projectable players for a number of reasons.

 

The easiest way to fix the bullpen is probably to limit the number of innings they throw. If you can get 2 starting pitchers who can throw 20 innings more than what we got this year that's 40 fewer innings we are taxing the bullpen. We are either keeping our worse guys off the mound or keeping our better guys fresh.

the assumption on limiting the number of pen innings is that the back of your bullpen is better than the first two guys out.  Can you currently differentiate the front from the back?  It's not as much about taxing the bullpen, it's about limiting the number of innings of the guys that just aren't as good.  So yes, ideally you would want 40 less innings from your pen if possible because that would mean fewer innings to first couple of guys out. 

 

But if you cart out Frieri, Jepsen, JC Guttierez and Kohn in the 7th, 8th and 9th, it doesn't matter how deep your starters get unless they throw complete games every time. 

 

Also, projecting bullpens arms is difficult when attempting to choose between similar talents.  There is variation.  Yet my contention is that we could obtain clear upgrades to what we have because they are so bad. 

[ettin]

If you were to base your "who to keep and who goes" decision on 2013 peripheral numbers it becomes clear that Frieri, De La Rosa, Burnett, Coello, Brasier, and Roth would be the ones you'd consider keeping for next season. Williams would be appropriate in the long relief role if he re-signs at a reasonably priced contract (which is also a plus because he gives you an emergency starting pitching choice).

 

Unfortunately players like Kohn and Jepsen are just not putting in the performances that show them as belonging on a MLB team. I'm sure they are really great guys but year after year they just don't quite seem to get to the level that we had hoped they would achieve.

 

Even the ones above that you might consider keeping are mostly non-elite bullpen pitchers. They are all average to above average but they aren't quite at that upper echelon.

 

We need to find another young, controllable bullpen arm that has really great stuff to compete for a late inning role with the likes of Frieri, De La Rosa, Burnett, and Coello next season. If we can obtain one high quality and one above average bullpen arm we would have a much better relief corps.

 

If Frieri, De La Rosa, Coello, and Burnett were in the 6th/7th/8th inning roles it would go a long way towards shutting down our opponents.

[Ohtaniland]

If you're sure he's gone just do what SF is doing with Lincecum

 

That's exactly how Arte should handle Trout.

[stormngt]

To me Arte has proven ONE thing in his time here.

He has money in huge bags and isn't afraid to spend it.

I laugh when people say we can't afford players...I have seen NO reason, no evidence, to believe that money is a consideration for this org.

paying money for a player to play for you is one thing.  Paying money for a player or manager not to coach or play for you is entirely different.  No matter how you see Moreno, he isn't playing with monopoly money.  There is a reason why he became a billionaire.

[mtangelsfan]

Quite honestly, I would trade as many players as possible for younger players, save Weaver and Trout.  Then do everything, I mean everything to sign Trout to a long term contract.  The kid is a generational talent.  The first true one the Angels have produced.

 

I know Hamilton and Pujols are pretty much locked in here, so that just means that others must go (if the trade nets us young value)

 

Also, pretty much all field related personnel, Dipoto, Sosh and all coaches should be dismissed.

 

Bring back Stoneman!!!!

[Homebrewer]

Bring back Stoneman!!!!

 

The guy who said sign Kazmir?

You people amaze me..

[mtangelsfan]

Yes, the GM who made this team competitive for almost a decade.  The one who had the farm system in great shape.  The one who brought this team a championship.

 

Yeah, him.