Dave Saltzer

A great idea, but I think they really want to get younger and form another nucleus like they had in the late 90s to develop together. So, i don't see them wanting to give up such a good prospect just to jettison Ellbury's contract. Which one would you take if you could pick one to offset the trade?

Most likely they would, but his contract is longer (signed through 2020 with an option to buy out), more money tied up, and his production isn't potentially as good. I don't want LF tied up forever. They'd have to pay a lot more money to move Ellsbury, and I don't see them wanting to do that.

I don't think Gardner and his contract have the value that the Yankees are paying either. But, this is a case where they could improve through subtraction (both in salary and opening up a position), and probably might be willing to make a move similar to what I'm proposing so that they can fulfill other goals. They can easily replicate what they are getting from Gardner and Refsnyder internally (sadly they'd be a big improvement for us), shed payroll, stay under the luxury tax, and fill their other needs. We may have to fine-tune the details a bit, but, it's an idea of an interesting target for us to consider.

They are comfortable for his option at 3B as far as I can tell. They aren't going to get a much better combination at that position for his cost (if only we had offered Beltre the 6th year guaranteed that he wanted to sign with us--imagine how much better we would have been!). As for his defense at 2B, they'd point to his lack of instincts, footwork, and glove work to safely man 2B.

My bet is that Jones opens the season at IE (High A) and goes to AA by the middle of the season. Hermosillo will start in AA. While it's a long ways to the majors, guys who get on base and have speed tend to make it more than guys who don't. Their skills don't tend to drop as much from level to level. Both are young and still likely to grow in their skill sets quite a bit. I know that the Angels are very high on Jones and I'm a bit more optimistic about Hermosillo than other national observers.

I cannot in any way see Scioscia and the front office letting Escobar play 2B. His defense is barely tolerable at times at 3B, and at 2B, would cost the team too many wins.

The risk is offset by adding Refsnyder (and the risk back to them is offset with Alcantara). Even if he slips a little more (which I doubt since he's still 32, will be hitting in front of Trout and Pujols and has maintained his OB skills even if his power dropped a bit), he'd still be a big upgrade offensively for us. And, most importantly, he only has 2 years guaranteed left, so we're off the hook in 2 years, or we can pick up the option if it is worth it.

I don't want to tie up the dollars and years it would take to land Cespedes when we have Jones and Hermosillo in the pipeline (I believe Hermosillo is underrated by many). Gardner fits our timeline and allows us to use money to shore up other problems. I don't think we have the talent to land Braun. As for Puig, the Dodgers have a huge problem. They want teams to pay what he's worth for his potential talent, not what his actual talent has been, and won't deduct anything for his serious clubhouse issues. I've talked with several scouts who have said that the Dodgers are unrealistic in what they want for him. Until they drop their price, it will be nearly impossible to move him according to what I've been told. I've also been told if they really wanted to move him, they could have at several points, and chose not too. I really doubt that they would trade him across town to us.

Last year was a down year for Gardner and he posted a .261/.351/.362 slash line. How much better would that be than what we've seen since 2013?

I agree. I want Marte to get around 250-300 ABs and maybe become a replacement at 3B. If he's really killing it again, we could consider moving him to 1B and trading Cron, but I'm not ready to make that call right now.

I agree, I'm a bit higher on Rodriguez because I saw him in the minors, thought he'd have more power, and he finally showed it this year, swinging like he did in the minors. I've read some articles on him saying that he went back to his original swing (which the Angels changed--which could make it harder to sign him), and he rediscovered the power this year. But, your options are fine and in many ways, they place an upper limit on how much we should pay for any of these 2B players. Of the two, I'd prefer Coghlan, but you raise good ideas as well.

I would want both Bailey and Chacin back, in that order. I get what people are saying about Hellickson, but, we need more pitching depth. Remember, after next year, Nolasco is gone, so Tropeano and/or Heaney already will be needed. Meyer could stay in the pen. And, we always will need an extra few arms, so, I'd rather have Hellickson at a reasonable deal (I think 4/$64 is fair and reasonable). We just have so many questions about our pitching that I'd rather have too much over too little.

1) That's why I thought Refsnyder and Gardner might be the better combo. The Yankees have much better internal and external options to replace both, and rather than giving up salary, which might hamper their ability to pursue a high-end bullpen piece, they'd rather give up pieces to get more salary relief. I agree talent wise, it's not a fair trade. But, throw in the salary relief that they will get, and we may have the workings of a deal. 2) Agree that there is a ceiling of where I'd go regarding Hellickson, but, if we could get him at 4/$64, I'd do it. 3) Again, agree that all things have an upper price limit. However, we need to solve 2B for the foreseeable future, so, we need someone for 3-4 years at that position. 4) Bullpens have so many variables that it is hard to determine what would be the best fit. But, we need to throw money at the problem.

We could put Meyer in the pen at first and Skaggs in the rotation. I just figured we'd still need some surplus pitching, and with all the injuries, would like Hellickson as well as Skaggs and Meyer. I know that Hellickson is a #3 type pitcher, but there aren't any better FA options and we don't have the talent on the farm to swing a deal for a better pitcher. Even with Hellickson, I'd also pursue some other pickups to have the depth. I don't want to go through another season wondering if we can even get anyone to throw the ball across the plate. We need more depth and versatility.

Okay folks, take this for what it is. It's an early look at a different way to rebuild the Angels this offseason. We all know the needs and the limitations. We can't solve all of our problems with money, and even if we could, the talent just isn't there to buy. We are going to have to be creative, and, we are going to have to accept some limitations if we are going to make the team better overall. It's been a while since I've been writing, and I'm trying to ease my way back into it, but I thought I'd put something on here to start the discussion going forward. So, here are some thoughts I've had. I get it that I will be criticized for some of the trades (not necessarily working out), but I'd at least suggest them. And, we can argue about the money a bit more later. First Move: Trade Mike Morin and Victor Alcantara to the Yankees for Bret Gardner and Rob Refsnyder. Why we'd do it: It solves left field and gives us a starting point for second base. Gardner can leadoff, Escobar drops to second, and Trout now has a much better chance to hit with more runners on base. More importantly, Gardner's contract is for 2 more years, at which point Jones or Hermosillo should be ready to take over the position. If they need a little more seasoning, Gardner's contract has an option for 2019, which we could easily exercise. In a pinch, Gardner could play CF to give Trout a day off. As for Refsnyder, the scouting reports on his defense at 2B are mixed, but I will be honest, mostly not good. I haven't seen him play there enough to really comment on it. He's young, so maybe he can be improved with reps. I don't expect him to be elite, but if he can be average, that would be a step up from what we've had, especially if he can produce offensively (his bat is supposed to be worth it). Plus, with a subsequent move (see below), I will be able to limit his defensive liabilities if they can't be overcome through improvement. He wouldn't be my starter, but, he should get between 200-300 ABs over the course of a season. And, for those who want to harp on Refsnyder's defensive limits, I have to ask how many of you would be willing to try converting Cowart into a 2B? If you are comfortable with him manning the position, I think Refsnyder would be at least as good at 2B as Cowart, if not better defensively. Why the Yankees would do it: They want to shed some salary and need to add some power to their lineup. They have several OF prospects who could easily replace Gardner, or they could go after a more elite OFer with power to replace him. They need bullpen help (as do we, and I know, we're trading away bullpen assets--but we need LF and 2B help more, and bullpen arms might be easier to find than those positions). Yes, I get it that they'd say that it's not fair value, but Gardner is coming off a down year, Refsnyder essentially has no home in their lineup (he's blocked at both 2B and the OF), so, they may be happy to shed payroll to improve elsewhere. Alcantra and Morin both have upside, and could easily bolster a major league pen in the long run. Yankees fans might not be happy with the move initially, but when they get a big splash somewhere else, they probably will forget about the trade very quickly. They need to shed payroll and get younger if they want to become again. They won't get fair value without eating salary, and I think they'd rather have the payroll flexibility than get fair value back for these two players. Second Move: Sign Jeremy Hellickson. The Angels have the highest protected pick this year. We need to utilize the security that it provides. Of the top free agent pitchers this year, the one I'd pursue, and the one I think Eppler will pursue is Hellickson. I think he can be had for the most reasonable deal in terms of dollars and years (Rich Hill may be a shorter deal, but more dollars and more risk due to his age). I could be wrong on this, as most teams may want to jump in on him, but, he would be my preferred choice. At some point, I'd walk away from the deal and pursue Nova, but would much prefer to sign Hellickson because he has a better track record. Third Move: Sign Sean Rodriguez to Play 2B. I always like Rodriguez as an Angels prospect and always thought that he would produce some power. And, I've always liked how flexible Rodriguez has been defensively. The Angels will need to get more overlap out of their roster so that one injury doesn't become too critical. We have no depth at 2B anywhere near ready. With Rodriguez and Refsnyder, we'd have some backup. Plus, he can also play 3B, OF, and 1B in a pinch. Look at how much losing Cron hurt the team last season. Not that it was the reason why the team was so bad, but, it certainly didn't help. With a roster of Rodriguez, Marte, Pennington, and Cowart, we'd have much more flexibility around the entire infield and wouldn't have such a tremendous drop in production if an injury occurs. Fourth Move: Spend all Remaining Money on Boosting the Bullpen. Most likely, Street and Bedrosian will return next year fully healthy to form a nice end to the bullpen. But, the 6th and 7th innings could sure use some help, especially, if Morin is traded. While I think Middleton could be ready for a role in the pen by the end of the season, we need more help now. We can argue about which arms to pursue, and I'll let plenty of people discuss that. I will trust the FO to try and get the most out of the remaining funds. Since a lot of that will depend on how much we spend based on the three previous moves, it's a bit difficult to speculate these moves. Conclusion Overall, I think all of these moves are affordable for the Angels this offseason. Sure, we might have to add a little more to get the trade done with the Yankees, but I think it's a good start on the idea. They aren't totally dealing from a position of strength (as mentioned, Gardner did have a down year--even though he still got on base well), and Refsnyder is blocked. They can't add too much payroll, and would be better off shedding some payroll. I believe that these moves fit with most of Eppler's comments about still wanting to improve getting on base and his familiarity with players from the AL East. It would definitely make the Angels an improved team, one that would be far more competitive than last year's team. Proposed New Rotation Richards Hellickson Shoemaker Nolasco Meyer Proposed New Lineup 1. Gardner, LF (L) 2. Escobar, 3B (R) 3. Trout, CF (R) 4. Pujols, DH (R) 5. Calhoun, RF (L) 6. Cron, 1B (R) 7. Bandy, C (R) 8. Rodriguez, 2B (R) 9. Simmons, SS (R)

There are others, but here's another that I'm keeping track of, and will be posting an interview I did with . . . Jonah Wesely. There are several others.

Thanks. Everyone should listen to this as he gives a good analysis of several of out top draft picks this year who had already moved on by the time I got there. They weren't being challenged enough in Orem (players like Thaiss, Justus, and Zimmerman). I encourage everyone to watch this interview.

He's been one of my sleeper prospects for a while. I was heading out to catch him for an interview today, but got held up and won't be able to make it before the game. I will try to get there on Saturday to get an interview with him. Anyone interested in meeting up? Alex Meyer is scheduled to start the game as well.

Jamai Jones is coming up in a little bit. Nick Flair, Nate Bertness, Sam Pastrone, Jonah Wesely, and Jose Rojas. All definitely worth getting to know as future players.

Seeing how many of the Angels players were able to identify the song, why not "Dancing Queen"? Or, for an aging veteran" Glory Days". And, my friend Kevin's suggestion "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?". That would take some big cajones to walk out to Culture Club.

Right now, it is early and speculation so far (translated: a lot can happen between now and next June), but according to several, he is far and away the best prospect out there at this time. Two plus-plus pitches, one developing plus pitch, mid to upper 90s heat, so I'm told. Someone is likely to use an early pick on him.

I have talked with several scouts who are very high on this year's Hunter Greene. At this point they see him going in the top 5 picks.

Let's face it, this team is toast this year. And, we need some comic relief around here. As I was sitting at the game today, I was wondering what would be the worst song ever for a player--something that no one would ever want to walk out to. Hell, at the rate they are playing, if they had any decency, they'd take our best suggestions and do it for a game as a slump buster! So c'mon Angelswin, don't let me down. What's the best (worst) you can do?

I believe that Hermosillo is quite underrated and definitely would put him in the top 30.

I'm heading back out of town and am looking to sell my Thursday, August 4th tix for $200, which is well below face. These are incredible seats, directly behind home plate, and I will include the prepaid parking. Please send me a PM if interested by Saturday.