Angels interested in Arroyo

[Scott34]

I seriously don't understand why fans like Vargas so much.  Dude wasn't good last year.

[Tyler]

Because he's gritty and a dirtbag.

[nate]

Arroyo has my favorite windup in baseball.  We should sign him.

[tdawg87]

I seriously don't understand why fans like Vargas so much. Dude wasn't good last year.

1. The Angels have a bit of leverage since he is a local guy and could possibly take a discount to sign here.

2. The team needs 2 starters and he fills the 4th spot nicely.

3. He was perfectly good until his freak injury.

4. You're an idiot.

5. Just kidding, but I like Vargas as the number 4 and can't think of much else better for that spot.

[Scott34]

1. The Angels have a bit of leverage since he is a local guy and could possibly take a discount to sign here.

2. The team needs 2 starters and he fills the 4th spot nicely.

3. He was perfectly good until his freak injury.

4. You're an idiot.

5. Just kidding, but I like Vargas as the number 4 and can't think of much else better for that spot.

 

I agree on point 1 and 4.  Not the rest.

[wopphil]

Scott, if you did the math on what simply replacing what Hanson/Blanton "gave" us, with 200 innings of what Vargas could have given us (granted, he didn't throw 200 innings), you'd be shocked at how much better the team's ERA would look.  I'll give you that a 4.00 ERA pitcher is nothing special, but when the alternative is a 5.75 ERA guy, that 4.00 ERA starts to look amazing.  If our starters can average a 4.00 ERA and we improve the pen, our pitching could be good enough to make us competitive. 

[Scott34]

Scott, if you did the math on what simply replacing what Hanson/Blanton "gave" us, with 200 innings of what Vargas could have given us (granted, he didn't throw 200 innings), you'd be shocked at how much better the team's ERA would look.  I'll give you that a 4.00 ERA pitcher is nothing special, but when the alternative is a 5.75 ERA guy, that 4.00 ERA starts to look amazing.  If our starters can average a 4.00 ERA and we improve the pen, our pitching could be good enough to make us competitive. 

 

Well sure, but is 4.00 ERA dude worth 8-10M? No.

[wopphil]

I would say absolutely.  Assuming he gives you 200 innings.  Again, if you could throw out the following rotation, the pitching would be considerable improved:

 

Weaver - 200 innings at 3.30 ERA

Wilson - 200 innings at 3.50 ERA

Vargas - 200 innings at 4.00 ERA

Vargas Clone - 200 innings at 4.00 ERA

Richards - 200 innings at 4.40 ERA

 

That theoretical rotation would combine for an ERA of about 3.85, which would be very solid.  A solid rotation combined with a good offense and good/great bullpen would make the team competitive.  (of course, that assumes Jerry can build a good bullpen). 

[tdawg87]

Well sure, but is 4.00 ERA dude worth 8-10M? No.

Absolutely not, but the market won't allow them to get 5 million dollar contracts. If someone like Ervin Santana and whats-his-face can expect 10 million+ this year, then so can Vargas.

[wopphil]

A starters ERA of 3.85 would have placed 5th in the AL last year, just barely behind Tampa Bay (3.81) and Boston (3.84).  If a team could combine a 3.85 starters ERA with a 3.50 bullpen ERA, the result would be a total team ERA around 3.70, which would have been fifth in the AL last year.  A fifth-place ERA, combined with a good offense (say, a top 3 or 4 offense), would make the Angels a 90+ win team. 

[Chuck]

I like Vargas a lot, as a 4th or 5th starter. I hope we can get him on the cheap.

[xboom28x]

Well sure, but is 4.00 ERA dude worth 8-10M? No.

 

But Hudson would have been?

[ettin]

Absolutely not, but the market won't allow them to get 5 million dollar contracts. If someone like Ervin Santana and whats-his-face can expect 10 million+ this year, then so can Vargas.

 

Tobydawg is right. The influx of new money into MLB teams has created an inflated market where innings-eater types like Arroyo, Vargas, et.al. will get far more than they would have traditionally received. And you thought $7.5 million for Blanton was bad? j/k

[NrM]

He'd also be great for local ads(language warning)

 

I've never seen a website take potty mouth language so seriously.

Thanks for the warning! 

[Scott34]

But Hudson would have been?

 

Hudson is way better than Vargas.

[Scott34]

Absolutely not, but the market won't allow them to get 5 million dollar contracts. If someone like Ervin Santana and whats-his-face can expect 10 million+ this year, then so can Vargas.

 

So trade for young, controlled pitchers

[Make Angels Great Again]

I can't stand his douchey wind up

[Cdaniel]

I still think we should take a shot at Josh Johnson. He won't cost as much and he still has life on his fastball. Might be a really good buy low candidate. I know this isn't liked by a lot of people on this board and health is a concern.

[Inside Pitch]

Well sure, but is 4.00 ERA dude worth 8-10M? No.

 

The question for me would be -- is that 4.00 over 200 innings.  it becomes more of a yes.

Replace 400 innings worth of awful SP with 4.00 ERA starting pitching last year and tell me what the numbers look like.  There would have been an amazing amount of value in simply being able to avoid some of the grenades in the BP.

 

Not advocating signing the guy, just saying that a 4.00 pitcher is much more valuable to the Angels than people think.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Inside Pitch

[Inside Pitch]

Tobydawg is right. 

 

Anti-Semite!

[Stradling]

instigator.

[Hubs]

I'd like to see two of Arroyo, Dan Haren, and Jason Vargas return. Hopefully for less than $20 M combined. They are reliable veterans, all of which have put up 200 IP in the majors, all have had seasons where they've started 30+ games, and all have had ERA's under 4.

 

Also, Vargas, Haren and Arroyo also don't walk a ton of guys, (Haren and Arroyo hardly ever do) and walks = baserunners and more pitches which equals more pitches per inning, which equals less innings per game.

 

Arroyo has had 4 seasons of his last five with ERA's under 3.88. In a bandbox, the most hitter friendly stadium out there. 

 

He is not Joe Blanton 2.0.

[Tank]

he's not my first choice to solve our starting pitching needs, but  i'd take arroyo over blanton or jerome without batting an eyelash. 

 

i'd also make a strong effort to re-sign vargas.

[ten ocho recon scout]

It would be worth it (IMO) just to have AO make death wish references whenever he gets shelled.

[Quinlanforthewin]

This would be a perfect DiPoto signing.