YOUR Angels Offseason Ideas

[Chuck]

Here's mine...

Sign one more bullpen arm, a southpaw, one of Mujica or Howell.

How about Eric Aybar and Zach Borenstein for Daniel Murphy and Rafael Montero. Murphy is our 2B and Yarbrough becomes our replacement for Murphy down the road. The Mets have Wilmer Flores for 2B and are said to be shopping Murphy.

Then trade Howie Kendrick and Mark Sappington for Chris Tillman. Brian Roberts or Alexi Casilla are not the answer and Roberts can't stay healthy. The O's have a pretty deep rotation as far as depth. The O's need to keep pace with everyone else in the AL East.

Sign Bartolo Colon for a 2-year deal with an option for year #3. This takes the A's best pitcher away from them and gives us a solid #3. Despite Colon's age, he's not slowing down anytime soon. He has the best two-seam fastball with life in the game and an incredible cutter.

Sign Rafael Furcal with Romine to back up. Furcal was out all of 2013 due to TJ surgery, but he knows how to work the count, still has some speed to steal as many bases as Aybar would, and bring a veteran with good defense up the middle to make up for the loss of Aybar's D. I'm pretty sure Furcal can be had for pretty cheap.

The bullpen and rotation are fixed, we improved our weakness at 3B and we've added a good young arm that could even get some work as a rookie in 2014 out of the bullpen down the road, or be that guy if an arm goes down.

How it would look.

CF Mike Trout

2B Daniel Murphy

1B Albert Pujols

LF Josh Hamilton

DH Mark Trumbo

RF Kole Calhoun

3B David Freese

C Hank Conger/Chris Iannetta

SS Rafael Furcal

SP Weaver

SP Wilson

SP Colon

SP Tillman

SP Richards

SP Montero (In AAA)

RP Frieri

RP De La Rosa

RP Smith

RP Mujica or Howell

RP Burnett

RP Kohn

RP Williams (long man)

Your turn, Angels fans

[Brent Maguire]

Good work Chuck.

Furcal should not be counted on to be a starter next year. He's declining big time and his injury issues are a huge concern. If Aybar is traded, we should be trying to find at least a league average player.

Kendrick for Tillman is intriguing. I don't love Tillman but he's young and is at least a league average starter. He can replace Vargas as our 4 and he is cheaper.

I would be on board for Colon if he got a 2/20 type of deal. He's still producing and is a completely different case than almost any other player.

As far as what I would do, sign Howell to a 2/5 type of deal. Sign either Ubaldo Jimenez to a 4/40 deal, Colon at 2/20 or Kuroda for whatever he costs. Losing that draft pick would suck but Kuroda makes this rotation look much much better.

Finding the other starter via trade is a little more complicated. I want Trumbo to be traded because I think we can replace his bat easily through free agency if we sign a guy like Corey Hart. A guy I kinda like is Jon Niese. He's signed to a pretty friendly deal and the Mets have Harvey, Wheeler, Synderhoweveryouspellhisname, Montero for the future so Niese is a little more expendable.

Trumbo for Niese and possibly finding a way to get Parnell in a deal would be sweet.

Trout

Calhoun

Pujols

Hamilton

Hart

Kendrick

Freese

Iannetta/Conger

Aybar

Weaver

Wilson

Niese

Colon/Jimenez/Kuroda

Richards

Clearly, the biggest issue here is our payroll. We'd be taking on possibly 20 million dollars in payroll which we don't have. If Arte is willing to go over, great. If not, then you dangle Howie or Iannetta to try to shed some payroll.

This was an out if nowhere hypothetical situation so I'm aware that there are some flaws with some of these moves.

[gotbeer]

Sign a 40 year old steroid user to a 2 year deal?  And people complain about signing a 30 year old to a 4 year deal.

[Chuck]

Sign a 40 year old steroid user to a 2 year deal?  And people complain about signing a 30 year old to a 4 year deal.

 

Colon may be the best starter on our staff. Dude doesn't need roids to compete at a high level. He demonstrated that last season.

 

Plus, we'd have Rafael Montero to be next in line in case a starter goes down.

[Brent Maguire]

Sign a 40 year old steroid user to a 2 year deal? And people complain about signing a 30 year old to a 4 year deal.

What are your suggestions for free agent starters? Everyone is going to have their flaws whether it be money, production or other factors. Colon is old but he's still producing at a pretty high level and he isn't going to cost a ton like some of the other starters.

[Chuck]

I'd be for Ubaldo Jimenez over Colon as well. But I like both!

[gotbeer]

What are your suggestions for free agent starters? Everyone is going to have their flaws whether it be money, production or other factors. Colon is old but he's still producing at a pretty high level and he isn't going to cost a ton like some of the other starters.

 

Until I hear that we can spend more than the Competitive Balance Tax.  We have $6-$14 million to spend.   I really have no idea how we are going to fill our starters.  But I have a real bad Joe feeling in how it's going to end up.  

 

One far out person that no one has mentioned.  Trade Hamilton.  He has 4/$98 remaining on his contract.  Yanks or Texas might have use for an OF'er.   Beltran seems to be the big guy on the FA market, but he's 36, so will depend on his length and amount he's looking for.  If the Angels ate $38 million of it.  That would put Hamilton at 4/$60, which might be enticing to some teams.  More enticing than Crawford at 4/$82.5 million, kemp at 6/$128, and Eithier at 4+1/$71.5 million.  That would free up $15 million to spend, and bring us up to $21-$29 million to spend.  That would make a dent in what we can go after.  

 

Of course with McCann supposedly going to the Yanks, that may increase interest in Iannetta.  

 

Colon, the most I'd do is a 1+1, with the +1 dependent on games started.  But I think anything $10 and under, Oakland would offer a similar deal, so unless the Angels grossly overpay, he will be back with them.  

 

Other starters, looks like the Angels seem to have interest in Arroyo.  But even he looks like he'll get north of $10 a season.  So the starter spot looks like it will be up in the air depending on how much we can spend.  I don't think the Angels will take a player that would cost them a draft pick either.  

 

The other reliever spot, I'd look at Downs.  He might be had for a 1/$2 or $3 or a 1+1, and being a lefty helps.  But a Mujica or Howell wouldn't be bad either, just have to think they would get as much as Smith.  

[Brent Maguire]

I actually think Hamilton could get traded near the deadline this year if he rebounds a bit and the Angels are struggling. 

 

Obviously, I don't want the team to struggle but if he's OPSing above .800 and a team needs his bat, I could see us eating some of the contract and a team will bite on him. 

[gotbeer]

I actually think Hamilton could get traded near the deadline this year if he rebounds a bit and the Angels are struggling. 

 

Obviously, I don't want the team to struggle but if he's OPSing above .800 and a team needs his bat, I could see us eating some of the contract and a team will bite on him. 

 

Last year, his down year.  .889 OPS at Yankee Stadium, .929 OPS at Arlington, .690 OPS at Angels stadium.     Jerry needs to channel his inner car dealer, and sell it.

[Troll Daddy]

Let's hope Hamilton rebounds to the player we all hoped he'd be ... then eat some of his contract and trade him.

Love it

[nikkachez]

Mmm it doesn't make sense for Baltimore to trade Tillman seeing as they're looking to improve their rotation and he's their ace right now. 

[SigBaby]

Non-tender Gutierrez, Hanson, Williams.

Trade Trumbo, Jepsen, Lindsey for Yovani Gallardo and Taylor Jungmann

Trade Ianetta to Jays for prospects

Trade/ release Blanton

Sign Jeff Niemann

Sign Kurt Suzuki

Sign Franklin Gutierrez

 

1. Trout CF

2. Aybar SS

3. Pujols 1b

4. Hamilton DH

5. Kendrick 2b

6. Calhoun RF

7. Freese 3b

8. Conger C

9. Shuck/ Gutierrez LF

 

Suzuki, Jimenez, Green, Shuck/Gutierrez

 

1. Weaver

2. Wilson

3. Gallardo

4. Richards

5. Niemann

 

Frieri

Smith

De La Rosa

Burnett

Salas

Kohn

Maronde

Edited November 24, 2013 by SigBaby

[SigBaby]

I just realized that Bourjos is the next Franklin Gutierrez.

 

Both have speed and are tremendous defensively.

 

Both are injury prone.

 

Both are inconsistent offensively and their K and BB rates are very similar.

 

They put up some very similar offensive numbers, with Gutierrez's breakout year coming with a .280 average and 18 homers, which is pretty much the ceiling for Bourjos

Edited November 24, 2013 by SigBaby

[YouthofToday]

Alderson's posture on Montero was very protective early this offseason. If be surprised if they moved him for somebody who was not at least 1 year away from arbitration.

[Cdaniel]

I'd be for Ubaldo Jimenez over Colon as well. But I like both!

Wouldn't Jimenez cost a draft pick?

[wopphil]

I wouldn't make any move that costs our draft pick.

I would go as high as 5/80 to get Garza.

I would trade Aybar for a cheap starting pitcher, even if not someone with huge upside (because I am not sure we can get that). At this point, we should be right around the cap limit (Garza's $16 mil - Aybar's $9 mil).

Then the only spot left to upgrade would be the pen. I would probably try to wait it out for a Jason Fraser type who, IIRC, signed for about $1-2 mil last year. Otherwise, I'd hope that the additions of Smith and Salas, plus Burnett's return and maybe a surprise season from Alvarez or Morin, would suffice.

[Chuck]

I just realized that Bourjos is the next Franklin Gutierrez.

Both have speed and are tremendous defensively.

Both are injury prone.

Both are inconsistent offensively and their K and BB rates are very similar.

They put up some very similar offensive numbers, with Gutierrez's breakout year coming with a .280 average and 18 homers, which is pretty much the ceiling for Bourjos

And both despite their speed do not steal bags in the big leagues, despite some success in that area in the minors.

[Stradling]

This might be the best thread on the main board right now. We some how got back to being a civil message board. A lot of the other threads are turning this place into Lord of the Flies.

[Blarg]

The White Sox, Yankees and A's have all only signed Colon to one year deals and the most paid out on any of those were the A's last season for $3 million. No one trusts this guy no matter what numbers he puts up and his next failed drug test is 100 games or puts him out of baseball, depending on the circumstances.

 

There is no reason whatsoever for the Angels to trust him or risk a two year deal and I doubt any other team is willing to get into a bidding war for him or offer more than one year, his reputation is that of damaged goods.

[Chuck]

This might be the best thread on the main board right now. We some how got back to being a civil message board. A lot of the other threads are turning this place into Lord of the Flies.

 

As history has shown here, people love to bitch & complain and lean toward talking about things they dislike rather than topics they do like.

 

Boggles my mind.

[Cdaniel]

Sign Arroyo, Hughes and Howell then trade Aybar or HK for major league or near major league cost controlled pitching

[Cdaniel]

I'll probably change my mind 1,000 more times but that's where I'm at today, right now.

[James]

As history has shown here, people love to bitch & complain and lean toward talking about things they dislike rather than topics they do like.

 

Boggles my mind.

Truth, keeps me away most of the time. 

 

I wouldn't mind Bartolo back here at all. Glad they improved third base as it looked impossible when looking at the FA market, Uribe was the best one available. Not a fan of Furcal but depth is needed in SP so I wouldnt be that upset if the right type of arm was acquired in the process.

[SoWhat]

I still don't understand how anybody wants Kohn in the pen next season. Did everyone suddenly forget how shitty the guy is?

[tdawg87]

-Sign Joe Smith (check)

-Sign JP Howell for 2 years/6 million

-Go all in on Tanaka. Sign for 6/54. If they can't get Tanaka, go after Garza for 5/75.

-Trade Howie Kendrick and Michael Kohn to Baltimore for Miguel Gonzalez and Eduardo Rodriguez.

-Sign Kelly Johnson for 2 years/5.5 million to play 2nd.

-Trade Chris Iannetta to Toronto for Marcus Stroman

-Trade Joe Blanton + 6 million to anybody for anything.

-Tender Jerome Williams for 3 million.

-Non-tender Jepsen, Gutierrez, Hanson

 

Total payroll added including Salas and Freese = 12 million (Worst case with signing Garza)

 

2014 Rotation:

 

Weaver

Wilson

Tanaka/Garza

Gonzalez

Richards

Stroman

Williams

Shoemaker

 

Bullpen:

 

Frieri

Smith

DDLR

Burnett

Howell

Williams

Salas

Morin

Alvarez

Shoemaker

 

Lineup:

 

Calhoun

Trout

Pujols

Hamilton

Trumbo

Freese

Aybar

Kelly

Conger

Shuck

Romine

Green

Hester

Edited November 24, 2013 by tdawg87