Angels Official Website: Disappointing roster, farm ask tough queries of Halos

[AngelsWin.com]

Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton have had off years, promising prospects are mostly in the lower Minor League levels, basically every aspect of the big league club has struggled, many of the moves the front office made have backfired, and the Angels could finish with 90 losses for the first time in 14 years. Where do they go from here?

View the full article

[NrM]

Trumbo was so full of shit in that last paragraph. It was like he took it straight out of sciosca's text book

[YouthofToday]

"That's very little wiggle room for a payroll that figures to stay in the range of $140 million to $160 million."

Wait, according to many here it's "not my money." Scoreboard win for rational thinking people who knew this line was a complete crock of sh*t.

Trumbo's statement in the piece was conpletely delusional.

This franchise is basically f*cked unless the Albert Pujols and Hamilton become MVP caliber players again. Which basically means we are screwed.

It's going to be tough being an Angels fan for the next decade. Especially when Trout leaves to sign with the Yankees for $300 million after 2017.

[jsnpritchett]

This franchise is basically f*cked unless the Albert Pujols and Hamilton become MVP caliber players again. Which basically means we are screwed.

 

 

I think you need to make more posts where you talk about "Albert Pujols."  That never gets old......

[mtangelsfan]

"The way we'll look at this offseason is we have a lot of components to this team that have struggled, but there's a championship core there," Dipoto said. "And now we have to figure out, amongst ourselves as we collaborate throughout the offseason, what are the moves that we can make that will improve this?"

 

Dipoto still believe the Angels "have a lot of championship components, particularly on our everyday club,"

 

That is way more delusional than anything Trumbo said. 

[wopphil]

I think some people tend to forget that there is an element of luck to building a good roster. Just look at the Pirates, for example. They have turned what were probably unexpected seasons from Locke, Liriano and Burnett into a contending team.

The Angels will similalry require some good luck going forward. But they have a great core of players in place, and I think they could be good again as early as next year if they get the right combination of shrewd moves, and a little luck. If, for example, they move Kendrick, the difference between getting a guy who performs like Pat Corbin or a guy who performs like Brandon Beachy (tons of talent, but big arm problems) could be the difference between contending and not contending.

[DMVol]

"The way we'll look at this offseason is we have a lot of components to this team that have struggled, but there's a championship core there," Dipoto said. "And now we have to figure out, amongst ourselves as we collaborate throughout the offseason, what are the moves that we can make that will improve this?"

 

Dipoto still believe the Angels "have a lot of championship components, particularly on our everyday club,"

 

That is way more delusional than anything Trumbo said. 

I don't disagree with him....the everyday lineup can be pretty good, with a healthy and reasonably productive Pujols and a reasonably productive Hamilton....if you keep the rest of the everyday lineup together (that may be unrealistic), it's potentially not bad....the trick is fixing the pitching....and that's not going to be easy....

[mtangelsfan]

Not bad is a far cry from championship caliber.  Also, that lineup might work if we had a top five pitching staff................

[YouthofToday]

Burnett was fantastic last year and always had the talent. Liriano always had the talent yet injury issues lingered.

Locke is a total where in te world did THAT come from situation.

[DMVol]

Not bad is a far cry from championship caliber.  Also, that lineup might work if we had a top five pitching staff................

Championship caliber is kind of a non sequitur....getting to the playoffs is the key....the Cards in 06 and 2 years ago, the Angels in 02, all were wild card teams that got hot....Building a "championship caliber team" seems to get lost in do or die playoff scenarios with guys like Jeff Weaver in 06 and Freese two years ago stealing the spotlight.....I don't think you need a top five pitching staff, assuming the everyday lineup is reasonably productive, to make the playoffs....

[kevinb]

I hope the roster stays intact so that Trumbo and the team can hang out more and see if we can go for some kind of record next year.

[gotbeer]

I don't see anything wrong with what Dipoto or Trumbo said.  The core is there.  But right now, they are the 2001 team.  We need them to come together and play like a team, and not individuals and become the 2002 team.  They need to step back, take a look at their mess, and decide as a team they are much better than this.  I don't see any bases loaded, no outs, "I let my team down, but the next guy had my back" attitude.  

 

Right now, I see a lot of "we's" as in we didn't perform, but there doesn't seem to be any "I's" as in I didn't come through.  

[mtangelsfan]

I don't see it GB.  The 2001 team still had Anderson, Salmon, Erstad, Glaus, Molina, Eckstein and a decent pen.

 

This team has Trout and Weaver.

[Angel Oracle]

I don't see it GB. The 2001 team still had Anderson, Salmon, Erstad, Glaus, Molina, Eckstein and a decent pen.

This team has Trout and Weaver.

And very small resemblance to a real bullpen, that is the TRUE 800 lb elephant in the room.

[Lifetime]

GB is right, there is a good core there. Trout, Bourjos, Kendrick, Pujols, Aybar, Hamilton, Conger, Calhoun is a pretty solid core even if the big guys don't live up to their reputations. The difficulty is going to be fixing the pitching without removing some of that good core. We have a couple good SP but the rest of the staff is mediocre, particularly in the pen. That's not an easy fix especially when the farm isso thin with promotable or tradeable talent. 

[Stradling]

I disagree with the notion that the team is in trouble for the next decade. I see no reason this group of players can't turn it around offensively. We don't need Hamilton and Pujols to be what they were, we need them to be somewhere between what they have been in the past and what they showed this year. After that we need to fix the pitching. This can be done relatively quickly.

[Docwaukee]

My biggest problem with what JD said is that he continues to throw the term 'championship' around. 

This team is on pace for 91 losses and showing no indicators of improvement.  Sometimes, when a team is out of it and the pressure is off, and they bring up a bunch of young guys, you see a boost.  They have nothing right now. 

 

Even if they do have a lot of 'championship' components, those components are broken.  Not 'someone grab a little crazy glue and some duct tape' broken, but '**** man, I can't even tell what that was supposed to be' broken. 

 

And the non 'championship' components are so bad it's mind blowing with no internal and very little external options for improvement that will likely take at least something away from other areas. 

 

Did everything possible go wrong?  just about

Can they be a lot better even with what they currently have?  Sure. 

 

But don't show me the gif of that horse being carried away in the tractor and tell me he's just taking a quick nap before he wins the Derby. 

[Docwaukee]

I disagree with the notion that the team is in trouble for the next decade. I see no reason this group of players can't turn it around offensively. We don't need Hamilton and Pujols to be what they were, we need them to be somewhere between what they have been in the past and what they showed this year. After that we need to fix the pitching. This can be done relatively quickly.

 

I agree with this.  There are still somewhat realistic scenarios for this team to be good.  The doomsday decade scenario is pretty unrealistic for a big market team unless there is sheer and utter incompetence throughout the entire front office for that time. 

[Angel Oracle]

I'm hoping for somewhere around 85 wins next season, which would of course require being smarter with constructing the pen, re-signing Vargas, Richards to be consistent enough, and finding a 5th starter that can at least keep his ERA from going past 4.50. 

 

Maybe then by 2015, they will contend again.   But NO MORE HIGH PRICED VETERANS for the next several years!

[stormngt]

Angels official website talks about Scioscia and Dipoto job's in jeopardy.  Translation:  they are both toast at the end of the year.

[Lifetime]

That's an article from a beat writer stormin. It's not like it's some kind of official word from the FO just because it's posted on the "official" website. 

[stormngt]

They went from 75 wins in 2011 to 99 in 2002.  A lot can change in a year.  Pujols and Hamilton does not need 1000 ops years, but need to be in the 800's.  Add Trumbo and full year of PB and Aybar and TWO starting pitchers and a quality bullpen and this team is a championship team. 

 

It seems like the problematic issue over the last four years is the FO building a credible bull pen.  

[stormngt]

That's an article from a beat writer stormin. It's not like it's some kind of official word from the FO just because it's posted on the "official" website. 

 

I know its not the official word from the FO.  However, this site is always optimistic.  They wouldn't be talking about SOSH's job and Dipoto's job in jeopardy if the FO didn't want it leaked out.  

[Lifetime]

I know its not the official word from the FO.  However, this site is always optimistic.  They wouldn't be talking about SOSH's job and Dipoto's job in jeopardy if the FO didn't want it leaked out.  

Yes they would. Again, it's just beat writer speculation that they could be in jeopardy, nothing more. 

[DMVol]

...It seems like the problematic issue over the last four years is the FO building a credible bull pen.....  

That is probably the number 1 problem....but signing or trading for aging hitters like Wells, Pujols (although he has at least been decent when healthy) and Hamilton hasn't helped matters either....number 3 is probably lack of pitching developement in the minors....the good pitchers from our farm have been traded in the Kaz, Haren and Greinke deals....