Troutstanding

Except Hamilton was riddled in red flags and Upton isn't. 

All FA acquisitions carry some degree of risk. Some carry more than others. Hamilton risk > Upton risk, by a lot. 

Except Hamilton was riddled in red flags and Upton isn't. 

It's hard to say since he's only had two full seasons... But with his age, upside, high floor, defensive ability, the fact that he's ginger... I'd say something like 5/100. 

It's hard to say since he's only had two full seasons... But with his age, upside, high floor, defensive ability, the fact that he's ginger... I'd say something like 5/100. 

In my opinion your outlook only makes sense if Simmons is a FA after 2016. The upgrade defensively is much more pronounced at SS than 3B, also. 

Oh, this is the answer to losing Trevor Gott?
-AW

In the first inning and any time there is less than two outs, the clean up hitter will have a chance to bring in Trout (and/or Escobar) anyway... unless Pujols GIDP, which admittedly is a real possibility. I think by batting Upton 3 and Pujols 4 you would be taking away RBI and lead off chances from Upton and giving them to Pujols. I'd rather not have Pujols (atrocious with RISP and terrible OBP last season) with those things. I do understand the appeal of splitting up Trout and Pujols but I don't think it would be more effective than having the spots filled by who are IMO new-textbook appropriate players for the spots.

It's December 11th... Jesus Christ.

It's December 11th... Jesus Christ.

It's December 11th... Jesus Christ.

It's December 11th... Jesus Christ.

It's December 11th... Jesus Christ.

Last I checked, the general manager was a guy called "Eppler"

I really hope not.
 
Pujols is an ideal #3 hitter. The number 3 hitter comes up with 2 outs and no one on base more than anyone... perfect time for a homerun is with 2 outs. #3 spot in the lineup leads off an inning less often than any other spot. I don't want Albert leading off innings. #4 hitter leads off more often than any spot beside #1.
 
Also the spot in the lineup that creates the most leverage offensively is the #2 spot... where Mike Trout should bat as long as he is a member of the team.

I'll check that article out later when I get home, but look at this:
 
Calhoun 2015: 6 DRS, 13.8 UZR, 
Heyward 2015: 22 DRS, 20.2 UZR
 
Now keep in mind that Heyward has done this for years.  Calhoun had his best year last year by far. In a park as big as the Angels have I wouldn't underestimate the value of adding Heyward.  Also consider the fact that for the Angels this year, RF had only about 40 more put outs than LF.  And that was WITH the terrible fielding the Angels got from LF and the GG fielding from RF.  Meaning Calhoun got to more balls than average and the LF platoon got to less than they should have.  Meaning the total chances they got were basically even.  Meaning the value between LF and RF isn't as great as some might perceive it to be.  
 
In addition to all of this your valuation of Heyward's offense is way off.  According to fangraphs, Heyward's offense was ranked 30th this year.  That means if all players were distributed equally he would still be the best hitter on one team and would be the second best hitter on every other team.  This is all coming from a guy who just played his age 25 season.   How many players have their best seasons that young??  Not very many.  If they did we wouldn't talk about players primes.  He has likely not even come close to what he is truly capable of doing with the bat.  In one of my previous posts I showed his trends.  If you go by career numbers only and don't factor in age or other factors then you end up signing guys like Pujols, Hamilton, Wells, etc.  You want to pay for (and actually get) the best years of someones career?  Here is the chance.

What makes you think that Calhoun would suffer so greatly by moving to left field? In any case Heyward is a better defender than Calhoun. 

$200 mil doesn't buy you MVP caliber any more. 
Keirmaier isn't a valid comparison to Heyward for a multitude of reasons. 

Pujols is an above average defensive first basemen whether he is worth his salary or not. 

That article seemed to have been written by someone not totally familiar with the Angels team. 

That article seemed to have been written by someone not totally familiar with the Angels team. 

I only believe ideas posted by loriasucks

So after some processing on this:
 
The Angels gave up too much. Don't care if Simmons plays like a stud here and Newcomb and Ellis both flame out. Both guys could have been used as the center piece of packages that could have filled other, more glaring holes. Aybar, even in his age, was also a fairly valuable commodity and I honestly don't see how the Angels had to give up BOTH of their top prospects AND throw in money for good measure. To me it seems like Eppler panicked. 
 
However, run prevention is incredibly important, and something most fans undervalue. A good defense goes a long way to helping out a pitching staff. People are so caught up in Simmons' mediocre offensive capabilities that they are completely overlooking his incredible defensive value. This move wasn't made with offense in mind. It isn't as though Eppler believes this is what the offense needed to be competitive. Simmons is literally the best defensive player in baseball. Period. He is going to greatly help the pitching staff, especially guys like Richards. And while shortstop wasn't a hole for 2016, it WAS a hole for 2017 and beyond. Now it isn't.

Okay guys... Simmons isn't "marginal." Not by a long shot. He's possibly the best defender of all time... He's an upgrade, a big one, and with 5 years of club control to boot. He's very valuable. Yes I get that we gave up a lot, too much even, but to say that Simmons is a "defensive specialist" is insulting to the guy who has no match defensively. It's not like he's completely inept with the bat either. He's a 85 OPS+ hitter with the best defense you've ever seen. 4 to 5 WAR is expected. He's 26 and coming into his prime. He's worth a lot. 

Okay guys... Simmons isn't "marginal." Not by a long shot. He's possibly the best defender of all time... He's an upgrade, a big one, and with 5 years of club control to boot. He's very valuable. Yes I get that we gave up a lot, too much even, but to say that Simmons is a "defensive specialist" is insulting to the guy who has no match defensively. It's not like he's completely inept with the bat either. He's a 85 OPS+ hitter with the best defense you've ever seen. 4 to 5 WAR is expected. He's 26 and coming into his prime. He's worth a lot.