AngelsWin.com

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com Founder
Over the past 16 seasons, starting in 2004, we’ve watched 2,592 games together since the launch of the website Angels”WIN”.com. Over that time, the Angels have compiled 1389 Wins vs. just 1203 losses, boasting a .536 winning percentage. 
While the past few years haven’t been so kind to us, on AngelsWin we have much to reflect on and be excited for in the future as fans. Since ’04 we have witnessed greatness in the form of player achievements, been blessed with two different MVP’s, acquired the first two-way player since Babe Ruth, signed a World Series champion & generational player, we FINALLY beat Boston in the playoffs, been to the postseason seven times and boy does the future look bright in Trout, Ohtani, Rendon & Adell…oh my! 
Be that as it may, it’s not all about the W/L. Over the past 16 seasons, we’ve gotten to share some of the finest sports moments together on our community forum. We have had the opportunity to celebrate the victories on & off the field, both in season, postseason and during the offseason. We’ve also witnessed tragedies and experienced loss together. Essentially, this is what binds and merges the words “Angels” & “Win” together. 
A wise man once said to look at the long view in life because yesterday, today and tomorrow could all unfold quite differently. After winning the World Series in 2002, only to follow that up with a disappointing season in ’03, I felt it was time to build a home for Angels fans that could experience the pure joy of ’02 but go through the difficulty of a season like 2003 together. So the construction of AngelsWin began shortly after the disastrous ’03 campaign ended and we launched in February of 2004.
Reflecting back on the past 16 seasons together at AngelsWin.com, I’m pleased that our website & online community has exceeded my expectations. The friendships, the memories, the events, the good and the bad both on & off the field … we’ve been able to experience it all together. Like friends.  Like family.  #AngelsFamily
That in the end is the ultimate WIN.
So here’s to another decade and a half of winning, Angels fans. 

If you haven't registered for an account at AngelsWin.com and joined the community discussions yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today here!
View the full article

New Angels manager Joe Maddon, right, spent part of his Tuesday evening at the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope in Tustin, helping to feed and clothe hundreds of homeless families. Maddon’s Respect90 organization has coordinated events at each of the stops where he’s managed before. (Photo by Jeff Fletcher, SCNG staff)

New Angels manager Joe Maddon, left, spent part of his Tuesday evening at the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope in Tustin, helping to feed and clothe hundreds of homeless families. Maddon’s charitable foundation, Respect90, organized a dinner and provided socks, shirts and backpacks to the kids and their parents. (Photo by Jeff Fletcher, SCNG staff)
Sound The gallery will resume inseconds Show Caption of
Expand TUSTIN — The turnaround that Joe Maddon is trying to lead with the Angels is nothing compared to what is facing the people he met on Tuesday night.
Maddon spent part of his evening at the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope, helping to feed and clothe hundreds of homeless families.
Maddon, whose Respect90 organization has coordinated events at each of the stops where he’s managed, walked away from this event impressed.
“This might be the best I’ve seen,” Maddon said. “It’s a complete program. It’s not just about a meal. It’s not just about some counseling. It’s about getting people back on their feet and keeping families together and sending them back to the workforce with a lot of dignity and feeling good about themselves.”
The Village of Hope is a full-service facility for homeless families, offering dormitory-style living, with a communal dining area and medical facilities. Jim Palmer, the president of the Orange County Rescue Mission, said it is “the most comprehensive facility in the country for homeless women and children.”
The facility can house 265 people, and it was nearly at capacity on the night that Maddon’s group came by.
Respect90 – so named because Maddon asks his players to respect the game by running hard all 90 feet to first base – was created five years ago because of Maddon’s desire to give back to the communities where he’s lived. While managing the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs, he held events in Tampa, Chicago and his hometown of Hazelton, Pa. Maddon had been looking for a place in Orange County since he was hired by the Angels in October, and this event came together in just three weeks, Palmer said.
The dinner was catered by Louie’s By the Bay, a Newport Beach Italian restaurant.
As kids and their parents munched on pasta, salad and cheesecake, Maddon spent 45 minutes bopping around the room, shaking hands and taking pictures and meeting the people.
“It’s really awesome because so often support is through a check we get in the mail,” Palmer said. “To have someone of his caliber and heart say ‘I want to come down and talk to folks and be part of their lives,’ that’s outstanding.”
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“They may be struggling a little bit, but they are on their way back,” Maddon said. “The kids are really bright. The kids converse really well. The grown-ups are grateful and polite.”
A few of them were even Angels fans, wanting to engage Maddon with talk about how the team was looking as it prepares for spring training in less than two weeks.
“The pitching has to answer the bell,” Maddon told reporters. “The pitching is going to dictate our success or not success. You can anticipate a certain level of play from the offense and the defense and the position players. Whatever we can extrapolate from the pitching staff will take us to the playoffs and beyond. My goal is to be in the playoffs this year, not next year.”
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By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
This series will attempt to identify other potential front-line starters that the Angels can possibly trade for and we will continue the series looking at the Detroit Tigers SP Matthew Boyd.
Facts
Contract Status - Matthew is in his first year of arbitration in 2020 and has avoided the process by signing a contract for $5.3M. If he continues to perform, as he did in 2019, he will likely make something close to $9M in 2021 and, in his last year of arbitration control, something on the order of $12M-$14M in 2022. Based on his 2019 performance those would be affordable numbers, making him a likely candidate to be kept for all three seasons of his control.
Repertoire - Four-Seam Fastball (50.9%, 92.4 mph), Slider (34.8%, 80.0 mph), Change Up (6.0%, 79.5 mph), Curve Ball (5.3%, 74.2 mph), and Sinker (3.1%, 90.0 mph)
Statcast Information - Boyd features a five-pitch mix but relies heavily on his four-seam fastball and slider in-game. Although he gets decent strikeouts with the former and it has above average spin rate, it is the latter that was his bread and butter out-pitch in 2019, particularly and counter-intuitively, against right-handed hitters (RHH):

And versus left-handed hitters (LHH):

As you can see, Matthew deals with RHH's more often using his slider, change up, and four-seam fastball, whereas against LHH's he has relied more on the use of his slider, two-seam and four-seam fastballs.
Boyd's pitch frequency, velocity, and placement (horizontal and vertical break) are visualized below:

As a starter that relies so heavily on two pitches, Matthew emphasizes the use of his four-seam fastball nearly 50% of the time. Between the four-seam and his slider, they account for almost 86% of his arsenal which is probably not ideal. In 2019, his change up had pretty good exit velocity (80.2 mph), creating softer contact off the bat. With his slider he ran a 41.8% K%. The two-seam fastball and curve ball were, unfortunately, quite hittable (at least against RHH's), particularly the latter.
Boyd might be better served by mixing in one or more of the other three pitches in his repertoire to keep hitters on their toes. Against RHH's this might be his curve ball or, more probable, change up and versus LHH's increasing the use of the two-seam fastball could prove useful.
Injury History Risk - Low (No recorded injury history)
Three-Year History -

As you can see, Boyd posted an excellent K/9 rate of 11.56 combined with a solid 2.43 BB/9 rate in 2019. That is solid #2 type numbers that were, unfortunately, marred by a #7 type 1.89 HR/9 rate, resulting in 39 home runs given up and a 4.56 Earned Run Average (ERA) for the season.
Matthew, at least in 2019, was like the Adam Dunn of pitchers; he either struck them out, forced them to put the ball in play, or coughs up a home run. It is an interesting statistical profile insofar that he ran such a good strikeout to walk ratio, yet couldn't keep it in the park.
Also here is Boyd's batted ball data:

Matthew can find additional success by: 1) finding a way to keep the ball inside the park more, 2) joining a team with better defense to reduce the damage of balls put into play, and 3) selectively utilizing, based on what type of hitter (LH or RH), his secondary offerings to improve his strikeout results and reduce his Hard% and Med% contact even further.
Why?
The Tigers are probably not going to compete during the remaining three years of Matthew's arbitration control and, thus, likely have no real need to keep him and could, instead, flip him for young MLB players and prospects as part of a full rebuild of their roster.
For the Angels, Boyd represents a player with some front-line upside (those 2019 strikeout numbers were tremendous) but at a mid-rotation price, due to his below average ERA numbers over the last three seasons. In fact it may be possible to acquire him without giving up Brandon Marsh, although it would not be shocking to hear that Detroit has made that ask.
Basically, Matthew is in this grey zone right now where the Tigers could hold on to him and hope he improves further or they could cash him in now, coming off a good peripherals season, and probably get good value out of him, despite his home run and balls in play averages.
Proposed Trade
So the first thing we should do here is discuss Boyd's approximate surplus value.
Over the last three years, Matthew has averaged approximately 2.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) per season. Realistically, because he advanced in both velocity and strikeouts per 9 innings last season, there is reason to believe he has improved enough that his Depth Charts projection of 3.0 WAR and ZiPS projection of 3.1 WAR are accurate for 2020 and, probably, the subsequent two seasons.
Based on a 3 WAR per season projection over the 2020-2022 time frame, and assuming $9.5M per WAR for 2020 with a 7% jump per year, Boyd's total surplus value is approximately $60M give or take a few million.
Typically that number is enough to pull down a pretty good prospect. However, the mitigating factors in this assessment are Matthew's below average ERA's over the last three years and his elevated home run rate. These numbers will make any team hesitant to pay full asking price and rightfully so probably.
That being said, this may be the Tigers best opportunity to sell high on Boyd. Additionally, although Detroit may demand a top prospect, they will probably be willing to spread their risk across multiple players and/or prospects, as they rebuild toward their new future.
So a trade with the Angels may consist of the following players and prospects:
Angels trade MIF Luis Rengifo, SS Jeremiah Jackson, SP Jose Soriano, and OF Trent Deveaux to the Tigers in exchange for SP Matthew Boyd
For the Tigers, they get a controllable MLB-ready player to put in their middle infield and three longer-term plays in Jackson, Soriano, and Deveaux. All four of these players have significant upside and provide an opportunity for Detroit to hit on at least one of them moving forward.
The Angels of course get three years of a MLB mid-rotation starter that has flashes of front-line ability (and flashes of back-end ability too) and has no injury history which should translate into a durable innings-eater, similar to Bundy and Teheran.
Of course the Tigers could go after more MLB-ready players with long-term control such as Matt Thaiss, Jose Suarez, or Taylor Ward as well. They would probably request a mix of some sort and spread the risk out among at least three players/prospects, in order play the odds on the development side of the equation.
Conclusion
Matthew Boyd represents a durable left-handed starting option for a Major League team with the potential for upside based on his slightly improved velocity and strong K/BB ratio in 2019. He has three years of arbitration-control, no injury history to speak of, and can improve further through the implementation and increased use of a third effective pitch against both sides of the plate.
For the Angels, if the price is right, acquiring Boyd would add a quality starter to their rotation and, if Matthew can rein some of those home runs back into the stadium and utilize the Angels excellent team defense, potentially a sub-4.00 ERA starter over the next three seasons of his control.
This will be a costly acquisition but probably not a bank-breaking one, particularly because the Angels have several MLB-ready players and prospects that Detroit could use as part of their rebuild effort and so there is a potential match to be made here if the Tigers back-off of any demand for Jo Adell or Brandon Marsh in trade discussions.
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New Angels manager Joe Maddon, right, spent part of his Tuesday evening at the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope in Tustin, helping to feed and clothe hundreds of homeless families. Maddon’s Respect90 organization has coordinated events at each of the stops where he’s managed before. (Photo by Jeff Fletcher, SCNG staff)

New Angels manager Joe Maddon, left, spent part of his Tuesday evening at the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope in Tustin, helping to feed and clothe hundreds of homeless families. Maddon’s charitable foundation, Respect90, organized a dinner and provided socks, shirts and backpacks to the kids and their parents. (Photo by Jeff Fletcher, SCNG staff)
Sound The gallery will resume inseconds Show Caption of
Expand TUSTIN — The turnaround that Joe Maddon is trying to lead with the Angels is nothing compared to what is facing the people he met on Tuesday night.
Maddon spent part of his evening at the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope, helping to feed and clothe hundreds of homeless families.
Maddon, whose Respect90 organization has coordinated events at each of the stops where he’s managed, walked away from this event impressed.
“This might be the best I’ve seen,” Maddon said. “It’s a complete program. It’s not just about a meal. It’s not just about some counseling. It’s about getting people back on their feet and keeping families together and sending them back to the workforce with a lot of dignity and feeling good about themselves.”
The Village of Hope is a full-service facility for homeless families, offering dormitory-style living, with a communal dining area and medical facilities. Jim Palmer, the president of the Orange County Rescue Mission, said it is “the most comprehensive facility in the country for homeless women and children.”
The facility can house 265 people, and it was nearly at capacity on the night that Maddon’s group came by.
Respect90 – so named because Maddon asks his players to respect the game by running hard all 90 feet to first base – was created five years ago because of Maddon’s desire to give back to the communities where he’s lived. While managing the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs, he held events in Tampa, Chicago and his hometown of Hazelton, Pa. Maddon had been looking for a place in Orange County since he was hired by the Angels in October, and this event came together in just three weeks, Palmer said.
The dinner was catered by Louie’s By the Bay, a Newport Beach Italian restaurant.
As kids and their parents munched on pasta, salad and cheesecake, Maddon spent 45 minutes bopping around the room, shaking hands and taking pictures and meeting the people.
“It’s really awesome because so often support is through a check we get in the mail,” Palmer said. “To have someone of his caliber and heart say ‘I want to come down and talk to folks and be part of their lives,’ that’s outstanding.”
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“They may be struggling a little bit, but they are on their way back,” Maddon said. “The kids are really bright. The kids converse really well. The grown-ups are grateful and polite.”
A few of them were even Angels fans, wanting to engage Maddon with talk about how the team was looking as it prepares for spring training in less than two weeks.
“The pitching has to answer the bell,” Maddon told reporters. “The pitching is going to dictate our success or not success. You can anticipate a certain level of play from the offense and the defense and the position players. Whatever we can extrapolate from the pitching staff will take us to the playoffs and beyond. My goal is to be in the playoffs this year, not next year.”
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By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
There are only two words you need to remember for 2020 in Right Field:
Jo Adell.
Certainly Brian Goodwin will factor into the playing time, perhaps even more than we anticipate, but the light will be shining on the Angels top prospect as he is nearly a lock to be called up early in the season, perhaps even cracking the Opening Day roster.
As Jeff Fletcher recently noted, the Halos may not even be concerned about his service time due to the fact that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will have to be negotiated prior to the 2022 season and one of the hot topics is player service time, due to some high profile cases, including the current, ongoing one, Kris Bryant is fighting. The potential result of a new CBA could be a complete rework of player service time that would possibly redefine Adell's overall years of control. Realistically, the Angels will probably error on the side of caution and wait until they gain the additional year of control which also, per Fletcher, should not be to long after the season begins.
Regardless, Jo appears to be ready for the challenge of playing full or part-time in right field for the Angels in 2020. Below is a snapshot of his batter splits in the Minors over the last three seasons per Baseball-Reference.com:



Each season he has shown pretty consistently equal splits against both sides of the mound, perhaps favoring LHP slightly which is not surprising and points to Jo being an everyday player and potential star in the making if it all breaks right.
However, fans should temper their expectations for the Halos young star. Adell, currently, has some swing and miss to his game that could translate into his first couple of years in the Majors. Basically, he may struggle with strikeouts early on in his career as he adjusts to big league pitching and he would certainly not be the first to do so in the history of baseball careers.
More to the point, the Steamer projection system, across 600 plate appearances (PA's), only sees a .241/.295/.405 slash line, good for an 85 wRC+ from Adell in 2020. However, Dan Szymborski's 2020 ZiPS projection sees more:

Certainly Jo has the talent to exceed that Steamer slash line (or even the ZiPS line) but every player has variance in their total performance and migrating to the Majors can prove to be a challenge for any young player. That being said, Adell's floor appears high, as his right field defense should be solid and, with his power, he is very likely to contribute hitting-wise, probably, in the back of the order, in regard to total run production.
Luckily, too, if Adell struggles, the veteran Brian Goodwin, who himself had a nice year of production in 2019, can bridge the gap, picking up the remainder of the games that Jo does not play. Additionally, the Angels have Michael Hermosillo who can also accrue playing time, particularly very early in the season, probably, hitting against left-handed pitching, which he excels at, creating a nice platoon with either Goodwin or Adell, as needed. It should be noted that Steamer believes both Brian and Michael will not exceed Jo's projected wRC+, as the projection system has them pegged at 83 and 73 wRC+, respectively. Remember that projection systems are generally conservative, so the author believes all three of them can exceed those projections handily.
Also, to be clear, the Angels might best be served by signing a player to man first base that has some outfield experience in case one or all of our right field options falter, to ensure production remains steady, but that may be a luxury Eppler cannot afford right now which is understandable considering that team payroll is creeping toward the Luxury Tax limit for 2020 ($208M).
Names like Mancini, Bell, and Castellanos would add additional firepower and depth to the 2020 Angels squad but are probably not in the cards, giving young prospects like Jared Walsh, Matt Thaiss, and Taylor Ward or an established veteran, like Tommy La Stella, more time at the position next season, foregoing the additional depth another outside acquisition might bring, that can split time at the cold corner and in the outfield.
Kole Calhoun served the Angels well for multiple seasons in right field, but the position is about to be given a super-shot of adrenaline for the next several seasons and it could not have come at a better time with the Halos positioning themselves to make a real run at the A.L. West Division.
We here at Angelswin.com are very excited to see what Jo Adell can do in 2020 and beyond!

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
There are only two words you need to remember for 2020 in Right Field:
Jo Adell.
Certainly Brian Goodwin will factor into the playing time, perhaps even more than we anticipate, but the light will be shining on the Angels top prospect as he is nearly a lock to be called up early in the season, perhaps even cracking the Opening Day roster.
As Jeff Fletcher recently noted, the Halos may not even be concerned about his service time due to the fact that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will have to be negotiated prior to the 2022 season and one of the hot topics is player service time, due to some high profile cases, including the current, ongoing one, Kris Bryant is fighting. The potential result of a new CBA could be a complete rework of player service time that would possibly redefine Adell's overall years of control. Realistically, the Angels will probably error on the side of caution and wait until they gain the additional year of control which also, per Fletcher, should not be to long after the season begins.
Regardless, Jo appears to be ready for the challenge of playing full or part-time in right field for the Angels in 2020. Below is a snapshot of his batter splits in the Minors over the last three seasons per Baseball-Reference.com:



Each season he has shown pretty consistently equal splits against both sides of the mound, perhaps favoring LHP slightly which is not surprising and points to Jo being an everyday player and potential star in the making if it all breaks right.
However, fans should temper their expectations for the Halos young star. Adell, currently, has some swing and miss to his game that could translate into his first couple of years in the Majors. Basically, he may struggle with strikeouts early on in his career as he adjusts to big league pitching and he would certainly not be the first to do so in the history of baseball careers.
More to the point, the Steamer projection system, across 600 plate appearances (PA's), only sees a .241/.295/.405 slash line, good for an 85 wRC+ from Adell in 2020. However, Dan Szymborski's 2020 ZiPS projection sees more:

Certainly Jo has the talent to exceed that Steamer slash line (or even the ZiPS line) but every player has variance in their total performance and migrating to the Majors can prove to be a challenge for any young player. That being said, Adell's floor appears high, as his right field defense should be solid and, with his power, he is very likely to contribute hitting-wise, probably, in the back of the order, in regard to total run production.
Luckily, too, if Adell struggles, the veteran Brian Goodwin, who himself had a nice year of production in 2019, can bridge the gap, picking up the remainder of the games that Jo does not play. Additionally, the Angels have Michael Hermosillo who can also accrue playing time, particularly very early in the season, probably, hitting against left-handed pitching, which he excels at, creating a nice platoon with either Goodwin or Adell, as needed. It should be noted that Steamer believes both Brian and Michael will not exceed Jo's projected wRC+, as the projection system has them pegged at 83 and 73 wRC+, respectively. Remember that projection systems are generally conservative, so the author believes all three of them can exceed those projections handily.
Also, to be clear, the Angels might best be served by signing a player to man first base that has some outfield experience in case one or all of our right field options falter, to ensure production remains steady, but that may be a luxury Eppler cannot afford right now which is understandable considering that team payroll is creeping toward the Luxury Tax limit for 2020 ($208M).
Names like Mancini, Bell, and Castellanos would add additional firepower and depth to the 2020 Angels squad but are probably not in the cards, giving young prospects like Jared Walsh, Matt Thaiss, and Taylor Ward or an established veteran, like Tommy La Stella, more time at the position next season, foregoing the additional depth another outside acquisition might bring, that can split time at the cold corner and in the outfield.
Kole Calhoun served the Angels well for multiple seasons in right field, but the position is about to be given a super-shot of adrenaline for the next several seasons and it could not have come at a better time with the Halos positioning themselves to make a real run at the A.L. West Division.
We here at Angelswin.com are very excited to see what Jo Adell can do in 2020 and beyond!

As the Angels head toward the first workout of spring training on Feb. 12, we are providing a breakdown of how they stand with their roster. Players acquired this winter include the method of their acquisition in parentheses. This week, the bullpen. (Previously: the rotation):
2019 RECAP
The Angels’ bullpen was a strength at times in 2019, but the failure of the starters to get deep in games – or Manager Brad Ausmus’ reluctance to let them try – forced the bullpen to handle a heavy workload. Cody Allen began the season as the closer and struggled so much that he was released in June. Hansel Robles emerged to become the closer and the Angels’ best overall pitcher, posting a 2.48 ERA. Ty Buttrey had a 2.45 ERA in late June, but it ballooned to 6.93 the rest of the season. He insisted it was just a mechanical issue, and not fatigue. Cam Bedrosian tweaked his slider and was consistently effective all season. They also got solid work out of Noé Ramírez, who had 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. One of the most disappointing performances came from Justin Anderson, who looked to be a potential back-end reliever in 2018, but regressed to a 5.55 ERA.
HOW IT LOOKS RIGHT NOW
The Angels’ best hope for improvement might be Keynan Middleton, who missed almost all of 2019 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. When he returned, Middleton gave up one run in 7-2/3 innings, showing an improved changeup that could become a key pitch for him. Assuming Middleton can pitch the way he did before surgery, he could be a part of a dominating late-inning trio, with Robles and Buttrey. Bedrosian could also be in the mix. Noé Ramírez will be back with the potential to fill a key multi-inning relief role. After that, the Angels have Anderson, Mike Mayers (waiver claim from Cardinals) and non-roster invitee Neil Ramírez (free agent from Blue Jays) to compete for middle relief spots. Matt Andriese (trade from Diamondbacks) is coming to camp as a starter, but he’s been a reliever most of the past two years, so he is likely to be in the bullpen if he doesn’t crack the rotation.
THE NEXT LAYER
Right-hander Kyle Keller (trade from Marlins) has pitched just 10-2/3 innings so far in the majors, and he still has options, so he figures to be one of the relievers who move up and down, with a chance to stay in the majors if he pitches well. Luke Bard, Taylor Cole and Parker Markel (trade from Pirates) also have options, making them likely candidates for the Anaheim-Salt Lake shuttle. Félix Peña, who was a reliever when the Angels acquired him, also could get some work in the bullpen if he doesn’t remain a starter.
MOVE THEY COULD MAKE
Every pitcher mentioned so far is a right-hander. Lefty Ryan Buchter was non-tendered by the Oakland A’s, after posting a 2.98 ERA in 64 games. Although the new three-batter rule will make it more difficult for pitchers like him to be used as situational lefties, Buchter has held righties to a .210 average, along with .187 against lefties. He also has a career average of 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings, which is just what the Angels like to see.
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A new rule would allow the Angels some unprecedented flexibility in how they bring two-way player Shohei Ohtani back from Tommy John surgery.
General manager Billy Eppler said Friday that teams now have the option of having a two-way player pitch in the minors, for purposes of rehabbing an injury, without going on the injured list.
That means Ohtani could continue to hit for the Angels in between outings in the minors.
Because Ohtani would not be on the injured list, he would remain a part of the Angels’ 26-man active roster while he’s gone, so they’d essentially be playing one man short in those games.
The Angels have said they plan to manage Ohtani’s innings this season, because he hasn’t pitched a full season since 2016 in Japan. They have not said exactly how they’ll do that, and they probably won’t detail the plan until the start of spring training.
One option on the table, however, would be for Ohtani to simply start his season as a pitcher late. If the Angels don’t want him to pitch in games until, say, May 1, they could essentially have him make his “spring training starts” in the minors in April, without losing his bat during that time.
If the Angels did that, they would probably only need to send Ohtani out for his last two or three starts, when he would need to get his pitch-limit up to a point that couldn’t be reached simply with a simulated game with the major-league team.
It’s still uncertain if that’s the approach the Angels will take. They could also prepare Ohtani for opening day, but have him skip starts throughout the season to manage his innings.
Ohtani had been scheduled to finish his pitching rehab in October, but that work was put on hold when he had September knee surgery, so Ohtani actually finished in December. Since then, he’s been throwing lightly, just to keep his arm in shape, Eppler said.
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By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
This series will attempt to identify other potential front-line starters that the Angels can possibly trade for and we will continue the series looking at the New York Mets, SP/RP Seth Lugo.
Facts
Contract Status - Seth has entered his first year of arbitration control, in 2020, and settled with the Mets for a yearly salary of $2M for next season. After that he will have the additional, standard two years of arbitration control for a total of three years of team control. If he does return to a starting role, it would not be surprising to see his 2021 salary jump to somewhere in the $4.5M-$5.5M range and in his last year to something approaching the $8M-$9M realm.
Repertoire (2019 as a Reliever) - Four-Seam Fastball (34.8%, 94.5 mph), Curve Ball (23.4%, 79.6 mph), Two-Seam Fastball (22.2%, 94.0 mph), Slider (13.3%, 87.9 mph), and Change Up (6.1%, 87.8 mph)
Statcast Information - Seth has a nice five-pitch mix with his four-seam, two-seam (sinker), and curve ball being the best three of the group. In particular his curve ball has an incredible amount of spin, sitting at 3,285 rpm, which is pretty ridiculous. Those three primary weapons helped Lugo to have a very good season throwing 80 IP out of the bullpen and could serve him well if he moves back to the rotation as he, himself, has indicated he wants to do.
Although Lugo's change up and slider have interesting characteristics, they have not developed into put away weapons yet. The other three, however, generate high strikeout rates and poor contact, against both sides of the plate, making Seth a good candidate to return to a starter role.
Despite the fact that Seth threw in relief in 2019, take a look at this Statcast graphic below of all his four-seam fastballs in the zone last year:
 

The results? A 43.2 K% with a corresponding .173 Batting Average Against, across 81 plate appearances. Pretty sick numbers even in a relief role!
Outside of the zone?
 

Results are, expectedly, even better, as Seth struck out 51.4% of the hitters and held them to a ridiculous 0.074 Batting Average Against, across a modest 37 plate appearances!
To be clear, moving to a starting or long-man relief role would likely result in a lower average velocity and decreased effectiveness of his four-seam and other pitches but when you start at such an amazing level it may not be too noticeable.
Injury History Risk - Medium-High (Spondylolisthesis, partial tear of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), and right shoulder impingement)
Three-Year History -
 

As you can see, Seth's K-BB% has significantly increased year-to-year over the past three seasons. Certainly, over the last two years, his move to the bullpen can be directly attributable to that improvement but it is also partly due to the increased use of his exceptional curve ball and the upgraded performance of his four-seam fastball. Additionally, his pitch mix usage has fooled batters more, creating poor contact off the bat, particularly against LHH's.
Also here is Lugo's batted ball data:
 

Seth creates a fair amount of ground ball contact with a lot of balls getting pulled or hit up the middle. Additionally, his line drive contact has gone down year-to-year, again, in-part, due to the move to the bullpen but also attributable to his improved four-seam fastball and curve ball.
Why?
Already this off-season the Mets have added a lot of back-end and relief pitching through free agency.
Behind the Mets starting four of deGrom, Syndergaard, Stroman, and Matz, they recently signed Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello on one-year deals to supplement the rotation. Additionally, the Mets signed reliever Dellin Betances to an already strong back-end four of Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson, and Brad Brach. This leaves little room in the rotation or the bullpen for both Lugo and Robert Gsellman, although if the Mets placed both of them into late inning roles they would have a very frightening relief corps.
However, Seth has made it abundantly clear that he wants to be a starter, in his words an "ace" for the Mets or another team. Lugo had been a starter his entire career up until the 2016-2017 off-season where he played for Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and ended up with a partial tear of his UCL.
This forced him to miss the first two months of the 2017 season until June where he continued pitching out of the rotation for a total of 101.1 IP, across 18 starts and 19 games. Even in this abbreviated season with his lingering arm injury he still had solid peripherals. Certainly the move to the bullpen has only strengthened his numbers but it seems pretty clear that Lugo could still thrive in a starting role, particularly with his broad arsenal and above average four-seam, curve ball, and sinker.
All of this lends itself to the idea that someone like Lugo might be available in a trade and his ability to work as a starter or reliever would probably spark interest from multiple teams. In particular, the Angels seem well-suited to placing him in a six-man rotation where they could ease him back into a starting role, allowing him to find his groove in Anaheim.
Proposed Trade
Because the Mets have utilized Seth as a reliever, his surplus value as a trade chip is slightly depressed versus what you could market his worth for as a starter.
However, no matter how you parse it, Lugo does have desirability and New York knows this. In terms of surplus value, Seth probably has close to $35M due to his aforementioned three years of team control and the value he can bring out of the bullpen, even if he fails as a starter.
That surplus value is probably two good prospects (think Top 10) or one good prospect plus two mid-tier prospects. Alternatively it could be a Major League-ready player like Luis Rengifo plus a lower-level prospect, for example.
Realistically, looking at the Mets current projected roster they have pretty good position players around the diamond. However, it has been rumored that they might be shopping Jed Lowrie and Dominic Smith, which could create potential depth needs. If they are concerned about Rosario at SS they might like a player such as Luis Rengifo to platoon a bit with him since Amed hits LHP so well but RHP very poorly, which Luis is better at hitting. Alternatively, they might like to have someone like Taylor Ward who could play some 3B and 1B and in the outfield corners. Both Ward and Rengifo still have options so the Mets could move them up and down as needed throughout the season.
Beyond those two players though, New York may prefer to restock their dwindling farm system instead. In that case they would be targeting two of our Top 10 prospects, probably and we would be offering something from the group of Jordyn Adams, Jose Soriano, Chris Rodriguez, Jerimiah Jackson, Matt Thaiss, Jahmai Jones, Jose Suarez, Jaime Barria, or Patrick Sandoval, in addition to the aforementioned Luis Rengifo and Taylor Ward.
So a trade might look something like this:
Angels send SS/2B Luis Rengifo and OF D'Shawn Knowles to the Mets in exchange for SP/RP Seth Lugo
Alternatively, if they prefer pitching in return, more, they might prefer a grouping like this instead:
Angels send SP Jose Suarez and OF Jordyn Adams to the Mets in exchange for SP/RP Seth Lugo
Finally, if the Mets want to go prospect heavy, they could prefer the following:
Angels send OF Jordyn Adams, SS Jeremiah Jackson, and OF Trent Deveaux in exchange for SP/RP Seth Lugo
Conclusion
Seth Lugo is similar to Carlos Martinez, insofar that their injury risk profiles are elevated. Certainly a partial UCL tear is nothing to trifle about but at the same time, Lugo has a tantalizing five-pitch mix with an absurdly high spin rate on his curve ball, able to successfully attack batters on both sides of the plate and the UCL tear is nearly four years in the rear view mirror.
More importantly, based on the reports, he wants to not only be a starter but be an ace for any team and it appears that the Mets will not likely have that position available for him in 2020 because they are already six starters deep, unless they trade someone, which could very well include Seth.
For the Angels, obtaining three years of a competent pitcher would be very useful and they could have Lugo start, be a long man, or pitch in high-leverage relief, the door really is wide open. As a starter, Seth would certainly not be throwing at a higher relievers velocity but the low-to-mid nineties should still allow him to operate in the 3.00-4.00 ERA range, particularly with his nasty curve ball and quality sinker to pair up with his good four-seam fastball.
Seth will not come cheap but any good pitcher is going to cost the Angels in MLB-ready players or prospect capital and if the price is right, he represents a mid-rotation option with the potential for upside, based on his Statcast data and results to-date.
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Jeff Luhnow believed he was smarter than baseball. That belief was suspended on Monday, as was Luhnow.
He is no longer the general manager of the Houston Astros, who, in winning the World Series in 2017 and the American League pennant in 2019, tried to spook the game.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Luhnow for one season. In an eruption of conscience rarely seen in owners, Jim Crane fired Luhnow.
Manager A.J. Hinch got the same suspension and dismissal. The Astros were fined $5 million and lost their top draft choices in 2020 and 2021.
That will not be enough for baseball people who wanted Luhnow suspended permanently.
When John Coppolella, the Braves’ general manager, misreported signing bonuses for international players and made separate deals with agents, he was banned for life.
When Chris Correa, a functionary in the Cardinals’ office, hacked into Houston’s computer networks because he knew where Luhnow was burying his data, he went to the slammer for 46 months and also was banned for life.
Manfred could have been far tougher. He could have taken an entire draft class or two away from the Astros, or fined them the equivalent of the national TV money they’d receive. But he cited the Astros’ cooperation, as opposed to Coppolella’s obstruction.
The next casualty almost surely will be Alex Cora, who was Houston’s bench coach in 2017 and Boston’s 2018 manager. The Red Sox beat Houston in that AL Championship Series and the Dodgers in the World Series.
Cora helped design the Astros’ plan to relay the signs electronically to a trash can-banger in the dugout, whose signals told the hitter what pitches were coming.
Since the banger could not transmit the nature of the pitch’s movement or velocity, it’s difficult to believe this really helped the Astros, as Manfred acknowledged. Their strikeouts plunged in 2017, but apparently the signals were garbled in Game 4 of that World Series, when they got one hit on Alex Wood’s 84 pitches.
Houston struck out two fewer times per game in 2017 than in 2016. But the 2017 and 2018 Astros had better hitting numbers on the road than at home.
Manfred said the players were the prime movers in Garbagegate, but couldn’t justify suspending them. He threw the book at Hinch for hiding his knowledge of it. He reprimanded Luhnow for lack of institutional control, saying there was no evidence he knew. It would take major gullibility to assume he didn’t.
“I am deeply disappointed that I wasn’t informed of any conduct,” Luhnow said in a statement, “because I would have stopped it.”
Luhnow descended upon baseball like a mall developer upon a family farm. He worked for McKinsey, the powerful consulting firm. There, he met the son-in-law of Cardinals president Bill DeWitt, and legend has it that his mastery of fantasy-league baseball helped him get inside the door, where he ascended from the scouting department.
Once in Houston, Luhnow began firing scouts and managers and wound up with perhaps the strongest roster in baseball. But Bobby Heck, one of the fired scouts, was responsible for drafting George Springer and Carlos Correa, and Jose Altuve and Dallas Keuchel were already there.
Luhnow’s regime released J.D. Martinez and drafted Mark Appel with the top pick instead of future MVP Kris Bryant. To be fair, he pulled off the audacious trade for Justin Verlander that led to a championship.
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Astros’ AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow suspended, then fired for sign-stealing Dodgers sign former All-Star Alex Wood to one-year deal Brian Goodwin is Angels’ only unsigned arbitration-eligible player Dodgers reach contract agreements with Cody Bellinger, 4 others Hoornstra: MLB punishing alleged sign stealers is more difficult than banging a trash can Luhnow also traded for spouse-beater Roberto Osuna. He didn’t recognize that he couldn’t close the clubhouse to reporters because Verlander didn’t like one of them. He didn’t disapprove when assistant GM Brandon Taubman could make a jackass of himself in a post-win celebration, or when pro scouting consultant Kevin Goldstein encouraged scouts to steal signs with their cameras. He thought baseball would prosper with fewer minor league teams, an idea from the McKinsey playbook.
In the end, he was undone by a decision to leave Michael Fiers off the 2017 postseason roster. Fiers was 10-8 for the season and led Houston in innings, and the Astros were 8-2 in his no-decisions. Everyone forgot it but Fiers, now with Oakland. He told The Athletic about the inner workings.
It’s fashionable to scoff at baseball’s unwritten rules and ethics, made up by Boomers who disavow “fun.” Luhnow thought he could skirt the written rules, too, even after Manfred warned him.
The Dodgers will bask in their aggrievement, but no sign-stealing made them hit .205 in that series.
No, the real issue is whether the punishment fell short of the crime and whether the Astros would do it again even if they knew the penalties. And they probably would. If cheating is your thing, cheat loud.
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By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
In 2020, Justin Upton will be entering his 14th professional season in Major League Baseball at the tender age of 32 years young. He is one of those guys, like Brett Anderson, that you feel like they have played forever and should be old men but they still have kick and life left in them as they progress through the seasons.
Certainly, last year is one of those seasons that Justin would prefer to forget.
In 2019, Upton ended a 10-year streak of playing 130 games or more each season, playing in only 63 Major League games to the tune of a weak wRC+ of 92, which also broke his streak of posting at least a wRC+ of 105 over that same time period.
Uncharacteristically, Justin suffered from ailments, including a quad and knee injury, that ultimately limited his playing time and forced him to end his season early to receive treatment. The good news is that he appears to be recovering well and is projected to return to good health prior to Spring Training.
This is good because the Angels really need Upton to recover to form. His offensive woes in 2019, most likely tied directly to his injuries, can be seen in his three-year hitting history, below:
Justin Upton's Three-Year (2017-2019) Hitting History

It should be noted that Justin has a career wRC+ of 120, so, other than last year, he has been above his own average during his tenure with the Angels. Really last year seems to be an injury-related abnormality.
In that light, assuming Upton recovers well and is healthy to start the 2020 campaign, it would not be unexpected to see his numbers regress to his career mean and see a more productive season (say a wRC+ in the 115 to 125 range) out of the Angels left fielder.
This brings me to one important note. Justin has been strikingly poor against LHP the last two seasons. Quite honestly when the author looked this up during mid-season 2019, it was stunning to see how bad the numbers were, as it was unexpected:
Justin Upton's Five-Year (2015-2019) Hitting History Vs. LHP

In fact, over the last five years, he has had three really bad offensive seasons (2015: wRC+ of 58 , 2018: wRC+ of 66, and 2019: wRC+ of 47) against them. On the flip side he had better years in 2016 and 2017 where he had a wRC+ of 100 and 202, respectively, both on elevated BABIP numbers (.300 and .369, individually). He has been wildly inconsistent against lefties and the trend is worrisome.
To be clear poor production against LHP is not going to hurt the 2020 Angels too much. In fact, the Angels can mitigate this by simply having a back-up outfielder such as Goodwin, Hermosillo, or even Ward, pick-up some of Justin's at-bat's against them. The Angels could even acquire another bat to play 1B with some outfield experience to split time between the two positions to pick up some of the slack.
One thing Upton has done well, consistently, is hit RHP:
Justin Upton's Five-Year (2015-2019) Hitting History Vs. RHP

People do not realize or want to recognize what an accomplished hitter Justin has been in his thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball. Recently, on Twitter, @MLB asked the question, "Who is the best left fielder of the 2010's?", and Upton came in last, vote-wise, which is a shame but is a by-product of his relatively low profile in baseball. Certainly Braun, Gordon, and Yelich are great players but Ryan has a PED's history, Alex was a strong defender but not nearly as good of a hitter, and Christian may go down as the best LF of all-time but he picked up the most recency bias in the voting process, perhaps deservedly so.
The point is that Upton has been a durable power-hitter across his entire career and heading into his age 32 season, there is no reason to believe that 2020 will be any different for him, from an offensive perspective.
Defensively, it might be the same or it might begin getting progressively worse. By both FanGraphs and Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), Justin has been below average, mostly via unforced errors and an imprecise throwing arm. His range has been about average as well as his Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). Basically as he continues to age, his defense will get worse and his tendinitis issue from last season may or may not contribute to his defensive performance moving forward, only time will tell.
It is this potential for worsening defensive skills that will ultimately drive Upton to the designated hitter spot once Pujols contract expires or he retires. Basically, Brandon Marsh, one of our really good young prospects, took a huge stride forward near the end of the Minor League season in the Arizona Fall League and he will almost assuredly be ready to play in the Majors next year or the year after.
So these next two seasons will be the last that the Angels place Justin in left field, based on what happens with Pujols. Once that change occurs the Angels will have an incredible outfield of Trout, Adell, and Marsh, which should be very exciting for Angels fans as all three have really dynamic tools and Mike Trout is, of course, Mike Trout.
Upton is owed $72M over the next three seasons. When Eppler signed him the Angels were, in-part, paying for his durability and for the most part he has been on the field pretty consistently minus last season. This is actually a trend across many of the players that Eppler is acquiring as evidenced by the Bundy trade and the Teheran signing.
Having good players produce on a regular basis is what carries teams successfully through 162-game seasons as well as having excellent team depth at every position. Justin is a good example of this quality, consistent production.
Finally, if Brandon Marsh has a breakout season in 2020 or 2021, there is always a possibility that the Angels might try to trade Upton, particularly if Justin also has an excellent season and the Halos are, for some reason, out of contention. This seems really unlikely and is further complicated by the fact that Upton has a no-trade clause, perhaps making this a moot conversation, but if the player and management agree a move is best for everyone involved, it could be a long-shot possibility, but highly doubtful.
The expectation should be that Justin Upton will continue to play at an above average level for the next three seasons and, when Pujols is gone, take over full-time designated hitter duties, perhaps with a touch of left field, first base, and pinch hitter appearances until he, too, leaves after the 2022 season is complete and the Angels move forward with young prospects like the aforementioned Marsh and possibly others like Jordyn Adams or Trent Deveaux for example.
Next up is the Right Field article of the Primer Series.
View the full article
 

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
This series will attempt to identify other potential front-line starters that the Angels can possibly trade for and we will continue the series looking at the Cincinnati Reds, SP Tyler Mahle.
Facts
Contract Status - 2020 will be the last season of pre-arbitration control for Tyler. After that he has the three standard years of arbitration control, for a total of four years of team control before hitting free agency.
Repertoire (2019) - Four-Seam Fastball (56.7%, 93.6 mph), Curve Ball (22.6%, 80.6 mph), Split-Finger Fastball (13.5%, 87.4 mph) and Cut Fastball (6.6%, 90.2 mph)
Statcast Information - Mahle has a below average spin rate on his four-seam fastball. However, his curve ball has above average spin (2,595 rpm). Exit velocity, across all of his pitches, has averaged 88.3 mph to-date in his Major League career. Since 2017, his K% has risen steadily from 15.2% in that year to 23.2% in 2019 with a corresponding drop in BB% from 12% in 2017 to 6.1% last season, resulting in a solid 17.1% K-BB% for 2019. Below is a Statcast graphic of his pitch type and frequency use, including his pitch grouping:

Also here is his 2019 Statcast Plinko graphic showing how often he uses his pitches in various pitch counts:

As you can see he generally starts hitters off with a four-seam fastball or, to a lesser extent, curve ball. Unless he gets behind he generally tries to randomize his pitch repertoire after that, only going to the four-seam when desired or he really needs a strike.
Keep this graphic in mind as we discuss Tyler's repertoire further in this article.
Injury History Risk - Low (Right shoulder tenderness and hamstring strain)
Three-Year History -

It should be noted that in 2017, Mahle pitched only 20 innings in the Majors but also threw an additional 144.2 IP down in the Minors. This is also true to a lesser degree in 2018 and 2019 where he tossed an additional 29.2 IP and 9.0 IP, respectively, beyond his Major League IP.
Also here is Mahle's batted ball data:

Similar to Carlos Martinez, Tyler puts the ball on the ground a lot but he does give up the long ball on occasion. When his pitches get put into play they tend toward the left side and up-the-middle in terms of location with approximately 25% to the right side of the mound.
Why?
Before the Castro signing, the Angels would probably have targeted SP Tyler Mahle and C Tucker Barnhart, but the latter is almost certainly out of the picture, at least for now. Certainly there are other players such as RP Raisel Iglesias that the Halos could inquire on but the Reds want to compete and Mahle is likely one of their more available players beyond 2B/CF Nick Senzel, who will cost to much to acquire and is not a need.
On our end the Reds would probably have the greatest interest in one of Andrelton Simmons, David Fletcher, Luis Rengifo, one of our young starters (Canning, Suarez, Barria, and/or Sandoval), or one of our bullpen arms (Robles, Buttrey, Ramirez, et. al.). Since it appears Simmons, Fletcher, Canning, Sandoval, Robles, Buttrey, and Ramirez are here to stay, probably, the Angels likely have Rengifo, Suarez, Barria, and any number of prospects not named Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh to deal.
As a not-so-subtle aside, it has also been reported that the Cincinnati Reds had expressed sincere interest in acquiring, now-signed, Didi Gregorious and, more recently, the Indians Francisco Lindor.
Clearly Cincinnati wants to upgrade over Freddy Galvis, whom they recently exercised a 2020 option on, and Rengifo (and Lindor obviously) would certainly be that, allowing them to move Galvis into a middle infield utility role behind whomever the shortstop ends up being. Additionally, the Reds recently signed Mike Moustakas to play at the keystone and Votto and Suarez man first and third base, respectively, as well, which means SS is the only open hole to fill.
Also, on December 30th, 2019, the Reds signed Japanese export CF Shogo Akiyama from the Seibu Lions on a 3-year deal. This move now leaves top prospect Nick Senzel without a clear positional home.
What this might mean is that Senzel will become the centerpiece of a trade for the aforementioned Lindor. Nick plays center field and second base and, despite the fact that Cleveland traded for two arbitration-controlled seasons of DeShields and signed Hernandez on a 1-year deal, could fit in nicely to the Indians long-term plans at either of those two positions or even third base if Ramirez moves over to the keystone.
Alternatively, if the Reds lose out on Lindor, they could still look to upgrade at shortstop which is where the Angels have a potential solution in young Luis Rengifo. Adding him to their roster could provide, at the minimum, a platoon solution where Rengifo picks up most of the at-bat's versus RHP or he could even enter a full-time role, allowing Galvis to become the utility player he truly is.
Finally, the third option is a three-team trade between the Indians, Reds, and Angels, centered around a Lindor-Senzel-Rengifo based deal (Angels would act as more of a facilitating third party to the primary trade). Multi-team trades can get really complicated but there is a scenario where the Indians might have interest in Rengifo, to replace the loss of Lindor, while the Reds would get the heavily-prized Francisco and the Indians, of course, pick up Nick, while the Angels acquire Tyler Mahle or maybe someone like Brad Hand from the Indians.
Proposed Trade
A trade might be as basic as this:
Angels trade SS Luis Rengifo to the Reds in exchange for SP Tyler Mahle
The Reds have four core members (Castillo, Bauer, Gray, and DeSclafani) for their 2020 rotation with the 5th spot open to competition. Certainly Mahle could be that fifth starter but they could, instead, use him as a trade chip to fill their SS hole or even flip him for an everyday outfielder. Six years of Luis for four years of Mahle is a pretty equitable trade, so the rough valuations seem relatively close.
Alternatively the trade could expand into a three-team event between the Reds, Indians, and Angels, it might go down like this:
Angels trade SS Luis Rengifo and OF Jordyn Adams to the Indians
Reds trade SP Tyler Mahle to the Angels and 2B/CF Nick Senzel to the Indians
Indians trade SS Francisco Lindor and OF Daniel Johnson to the Reds and RP Brad Hand to the Angels
Here the Angels are using their organizational depth in the outfield and middle infield to supplement the value of the primary pieces of the trade with Nick Senzel going from the Reds to the Indians and Francisco Lindor going back to the Reds. Basically the Angels are giving up twelve years of player control over two young assets for five years of player control (plus one additional team option on Hand) of two experienced assets and the addition of a modest amount of payroll.
There are different permutations to a two-team and a three-team scenario but both the Reds and the Indians have some interesting assets the Angels might want to acquire including Carlos Santana (high OBP 1B), Tyler Mahle, Tucker Barnhart, Brad Hand, and Carlos Carrasco for example.
Conclusion
Many of you reading may be wondering why should the Angels pursue Tyler Mahle?
The answer lies in what appears to be his new secret weapon he used sparingly in 2019, his split-fingered fastball:

This new pitch struck out opposing hitters at a 23% clip and held them to a .110 ISO, good for a wRC+ of 73. It produced a 62.5% GB% which is significantly higher than his other pitches (he was already a ground ball pitcher to begin with). All of this was on a modest .315 BABIP and a pretty crazy 85.2% Z-Contact% (this means hitters made contact in the strike zone) which tells an observer that he trusted the pitch enough that he wanted hitters to make contact, even if it was down the heart of the plate!
Basically, other than a couple of home runs and doubles, the pitch produced ground ball outs and singles, limiting opponent's offensive production from both sides of the plate, particularly left-handed hitters whom Tyler had struggled with previously.
Putting any heavy ground ball pitcher into an infield defensive environment like what exists in Anaheim is pure gold and it should not be to hard for the Angels pitching coaches to take a pitcher like Tyler and convince him to throw his split-fingered fast ball on a more regular basis to balance out his quality four-seam fastball and curve ball.
The bottom line is that Mahle has clearly developed and improved his mechanics, repertoire, and overall ability to pitch during the last three seasons and he appears primed to take another step forward in 2020. His growing ability to put the ball on the ground, via increased use of his split-fingered fastball, would fit well in Anaheim as a mid-rotation starter or possibly even a #2 type.
View the full article

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
This series will attempt to identify other potential front-line starters that the Angels can possibly trade for and we will continue the series looking at the Cincinnati Reds, SP Tyler Mahle.
Facts
Contract Status - 2020 will be the last season of pre-arbitration control for Tyler. After that he has the three standard years of arbitration control, for a total of four years of team control before hitting free agency.
Repertoire (2019) - Four-Seam Fastball (56.7%, 93.6 mph), Curve Ball (22.6%, 80.6 mph), Split-Finger Fastball (13.5%, 87.4 mph) and Cut Fastball (6.6%, 90.2 mph)
Statcast Information - Mahle has a below average spin rate on his four-seam fastball. However, his curve ball has above average spin (2,595 rpm). Exit velocity, across all of his pitches, has averaged 88.3 mph to-date in his Major League career. Since 2017, his K% has risen steadily from 15.2% in that year to 23.2% in 2019 with a corresponding drop in BB% from 12% in 2017 to 6.1% last season, resulting in a solid 17.1% K-BB% for 2019. Below is a Statcast graphic of his pitch type and frequency use, including his pitch grouping:

Also here is his 2019 Statcast Plinko graphic showing how often he uses his pitches in various pitch counts:

As you can see he generally starts hitters off with a four-seam fastball or, to a lesser extent, curve ball. Unless he gets behind he generally tries to randomize his pitch repertoire after that, only going to the four-seam when desired or he really needs a strike.
Keep this graphic in mind as we discuss Tyler's repertoire further in this article.
Injury History Risk - Low (Right shoulder tenderness and hamstring strain)
Three-Year History -

It should be noted that in 2017, Mahle pitched only 20 innings in the Majors but also threw an additional 144.2 IP down in the Minors. This is also true to a lesser degree in 2018 and 2019 where he tossed an additional 29.2 IP and 9.0 IP, respectively, beyond his Major League IP.
Also here is Mahle's batted ball data:

Similar to Carlos Martinez, Tyler puts the ball on the ground a lot but he does give up the long ball on occasion. When his pitches get put into play they tend toward the left side and up-the-middle in terms of location with approximately 25% to the right side of the mound.
Why?
Before the Castro signing, the Angels would probably have targeted SP Tyler Mahle and C Tucker Barnhart, but the latter is almost certainly out of the picture, at least for now. Certainly there are other players such as RP Raisel Iglesias that the Halos could inquire on but the Reds want to compete and Mahle is likely one of their more available players beyond 2B/CF Nick Senzel, who will cost to much to acquire and is not a need.
On our end the Reds would probably have the greatest interest in one of Andrelton Simmons, David Fletcher, Luis Rengifo, one of our young starters (Canning, Suarez, Barria, and/or Sandoval), or one of our bullpen arms (Robles, Buttrey, Ramirez, et. al.). Since it appears Simmons, Fletcher, Canning, Sandoval, Robles, Buttrey, and Ramirez are here to stay, probably, the Angels likely have Rengifo, Suarez, Barria, and any number of prospects not named Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh to deal.
As a not-so-subtle aside, it has also been reported that the Cincinnati Reds had expressed sincere interest in acquiring, now-signed, Didi Gregorious and, more recently, the Indians Francisco Lindor.
Clearly Cincinnati wants to upgrade over Freddy Galvis, whom they recently exercised a 2020 option on, and Rengifo (and Lindor obviously) would certainly be that, allowing them to move Galvis into a middle infield utility role behind whomever the shortstop ends up being. Additionally, the Reds recently signed Mike Moustakas to play at the keystone and Votto and Suarez man first and third base, respectively, as well, which means SS is the only open hole to fill.
Also, on December 30th, 2019, the Reds signed Japanese export CF Shogo Akiyama from the Seibu Lions on a 3-year deal. This move now leaves top prospect Nick Senzel without a clear positional home.
What this might mean is that Senzel will become the centerpiece of a trade for the aforementioned Lindor. Nick plays center field and second base and, despite the fact that Cleveland traded for two arbitration-controlled seasons of DeShields and signed Hernandez on a 1-year deal, could fit in nicely to the Indians long-term plans at either of those two positions or even third base if Ramirez moves over to the keystone.
Alternatively, if the Reds lose out on Lindor, they could still look to upgrade at shortstop which is where the Angels have a potential solution in young Luis Rengifo. Adding him to their roster could provide, at the minimum, a platoon solution where Rengifo picks up most of the at-bat's versus RHP or he could even enter a full-time role, allowing Galvis to become the utility player he truly is.
Finally, the third option is a three-team trade between the Indians, Reds, and Angels, centered around a Lindor-Senzel-Rengifo based deal (Angels would act as more of a facilitating third party to the primary trade). Multi-team trades can get really complicated but there is a scenario where the Indians might have interest in Rengifo, to replace the loss of Lindor, while the Reds would get the heavily-prized Francisco and the Indians, of course, pick up Nick, while the Angels acquire Tyler Mahle or maybe someone like Brad Hand from the Indians.
Proposed Trade
A trade might be as basic as this:
Angels trade SS Luis Rengifo to the Reds in exchange for SP Tyler Mahle
The Reds have four core members (Castillo, Bauer, Gray, and DeSclafani) for their 2020 rotation with the 5th spot open to competition. Certainly Mahle could be that fifth starter but they could, instead, use him as a trade chip to fill their SS hole or even flip him for an everyday outfielder. Six years of Luis for four years of Mahle is a pretty equitable trade, so the rough valuations seem relatively close.
Alternatively the trade could expand into a three-team event between the Reds, Indians, and Angels, it might go down like this:
Angels trade SS Luis Rengifo and OF Jordyn Adams to the Indians
Reds trade SP Tyler Mahle to the Angels and 2B/CF Nick Senzel to the Indians
Indians trade SS Francisco Lindor and OF Daniel Johnson to the Reds and RP Brad Hand to the Angels
Here the Angels are using their organizational depth in the outfield and middle infield to supplement the value of the primary pieces of the trade with Nick Senzel going from the Reds to the Indians and Francisco Lindor going back to the Reds. Basically the Angels are giving up twelve years of player control over two young assets for five years of player control (plus one additional team option on Hand) of two experienced assets and the addition of a modest amount of payroll.
There are different permutations to a two-team and a three-team scenario but both the Reds and the Indians have some interesting assets the Angels might want to acquire including Carlos Santana (high OBP 1B), Tyler Mahle, Tucker Barnhart, Brad Hand, and Carlos Carrasco for example.
Conclusion
Many of you reading may be wondering why should the Angels pursue Tyler Mahle?
The answer lies in what appears to be his new secret weapon he used sparingly in 2019, his split-fingered fastball:

This new pitch struck out opposing hitters at a 23% clip and held them to a .110 ISO, good for a wRC+ of 73. It produced a 62.5% GB% which is significantly higher than his other pitches (he was already a ground ball pitcher to begin with). All of this was on a modest .315 BABIP and a pretty crazy 85.2% Z-Contact% (this means hitters made contact in the strike zone) which tells an observer that he trusted the pitch enough that he wanted hitters to make contact, even if it was down the heart of the plate!
Basically, other than a couple of home runs and doubles, the pitch produced ground ball outs and singles, limiting opponent's offensive production from both sides of the plate, particularly left-handed hitters whom Tyler had struggled with previously.
Putting any heavy ground ball pitcher into an infield defensive environment like what exists in Anaheim is pure gold and it should not be to hard for the Angels pitching coaches to take a pitcher like Tyler and convince him to throw his split-fingered fast ball on a more regular basis to balance out his quality four-seam fastball and curve ball.
The bottom line is that Mahle has clearly developed and improved his mechanics, repertoire, and overall ability to pitch during the last three seasons and he appears primed to take another step forward in 2020. His growing ability to put the ball on the ground, via increased use of his split-fingered fastball, would fit well in Anaheim as a mid-rotation starter or possibly even a #2 type.
View the full article

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
In 2020, Justin Upton will be entering his 14th professional season in Major League Baseball at the tender age of 32 years young. He is one of those guys, like Brett Anderson, that you feel like they have played forever and should be old men but they still have kick and life left in them as they progress through the seasons.
Certainly, last year is one of those seasons that Justin would prefer to forget.
In 2019, Upton ended a 10-year streak of playing 130 games or more each season, playing in only 63 Major League games to the tune of a weak wRC+ of 92, which also broke his streak of posting at least a wRC+ of 105 over that same time period.
Uncharacteristically, Justin suffered from ailments, including a quad and knee injury, that ultimately limited his playing time and forced him to end his season early to receive treatment. The good news is that he appears to be recovering well and is projected to return to good health prior to Spring Training.
This is good because the Angels really need Upton to recover to form. His offensive woes in 2019, most likely tied directly to his injuries, can be seen in his three-year hitting history, below:
Justin Upton's Three-Year (2017-2019) Hitting History

It should be noted that Justin has a career wRC+ of 120, so, other than last year, he has been above his own average during his tenure with the Angels. Really last year seems to be an injury-related abnormality.
In that light, assuming Upton recovers well and is healthy to start the 2020 campaign, it would not be unexpected to see his numbers regress to his career mean and see a more productive season (say a wRC+ in the 115 to 125 range) out of the Angels left fielder.
This brings me to one important note. Justin has been strikingly poor against LHP the last two seasons. Quite honestly when the author looked this up during mid-season 2019, it was stunning to see how bad the numbers were, as it was unexpected:
Justin Upton's Five-Year (2015-2019) Hitting History Vs. LHP

In fact, over the last five years, he has had three really bad offensive seasons (2015: wRC+ of 58 , 2018: wRC+ of 66, and 2019: wRC+ of 47) against them. On the flip side he had better years in 2016 and 2017 where he had a wRC+ of 100 and 202, respectively, both on elevated BABIP numbers (.300 and .369, individually). He has been wildly inconsistent against lefties and the trend is worrisome.
To be clear poor production against LHP is not going to hurt the 2020 Angels too much. In fact, the Angels can mitigate this by simply having a back-up outfielder such as Goodwin, Hermosillo, or even Ward, pick-up some of Justin's at-bat's against them. The Angels could even acquire another bat to play 1B with some outfield experience to split time between the two positions to pick up some of the slack.
One thing Upton has done well, consistently, is hit RHP:
Justin Upton's Five-Year (2015-2019) Hitting History Vs. RHP

People do not realize or want to recognize what an accomplished hitter Justin has been in his thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball. Recently, on Twitter, @MLB asked the question, "Who is the best left fielder of the 2010's?", and Upton came in last, vote-wise, which is a shame but is a by-product of his relatively low profile in baseball. Certainly Braun, Gordon, and Yelich are great players but Ryan has a PED's history, Alex was a strong defender but not nearly as good of a hitter, and Christian may go down as the best LF of all-time but he picked up the most recency bias in the voting process, perhaps deservedly so.
The point is that Upton has been a durable power-hitter across his entire career and heading into his age 32 season, there is no reason to believe that 2020 will be any different for him, from an offensive perspective.
Defensively, it might be the same or it might begin getting progressively worse. By both FanGraphs and Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), Justin has been below average, mostly via unforced errors and an imprecise throwing arm. His range has been about average as well as his Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). Basically as he continues to age, his defense will get worse and his tendinitis issue from last season may or may not contribute to his defensive performance moving forward, only time will tell.
It is this potential for worsening defensive skills that will ultimately drive Upton to the designated hitter spot once Pujols contract expires or he retires. Basically, Brandon Marsh, one of our really good young prospects, took a huge stride forward near the end of the Minor League season in the Arizona Fall League and he will almost assuredly be ready to play in the Majors next year or the year after.
So these next two seasons will be the last that the Angels place Justin in left field, based on what happens with Pujols. Once that change occurs the Angels will have an incredible outfield of Trout, Adell, and Marsh, which should be very exciting for Angels fans as all three have really dynamic tools and Mike Trout is, of course, Mike Trout.
Upton is owed $72M over the next three seasons. When Eppler signed him the Angels were, in-part, paying for his durability and for the most part he has been on the field pretty consistently minus last season. This is actually a trend across many of the players that Eppler is acquiring as evidenced by the Bundy trade and the Teheran signing.
Having good players produce on a regular basis is what carries teams successfully through 162-game seasons as well as having excellent team depth at every position. Justin is a good example of this quality, consistent production.
Finally, if Brandon Marsh has a breakout season in 2020 or 2021, there is always a possibility that the Angels might try to trade Upton, particularly if Justin also has an excellent season and the Halos are, for some reason, out of contention. This seems really unlikely and is further complicated by the fact that Upton has a no-trade clause, perhaps making this a moot conversation, but if the player and management agree a move is best for everyone involved, it could be a long-shot possibility, but highly doubtful.
The expectation should be that Justin Upton will continue to play at an above average level for the next three seasons and, when Pujols is gone, take over full-time designated hitter duties, perhaps with a touch of left field, first base, and pinch hitter appearances until he, too, leaves after the 2022 season is complete and the Angels move forward with young prospects like the aforementioned Marsh and possibly others like Jordyn Adams or Trent Deveaux for example.
Next up is the Right Field article of the Primer Series.
View the full article