Dave Saltzer

Getting excited for Baseball!

Congrats to the Shoemakers. Ever since Matt came to our Fanfest, he is one of our guys. Like Calhoun and Morin and all the others, I take tremendous pride in seeing our guys do well and hope life brings them nothing but success and happiness. A first child, and every child, is a blessing.

Definitely take the time to read "The Bullpen Gospels" and it's sequels. You will laugh out loud and really feel for th struggles of the guys in the Minors.

I am very happy with this signing, but still want Moncada in the fold as well.

Here is a different take on the HoF voting. This was the first year that I was able to participate in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America's (IBWAA) Hall of Fame voting. I took the responsibility very seriously. I am still debating whether or not to publish the names of the players for whom I voted. I respect Jeff Fletcher as a reporter very much, and respect his decision to publish the names of those he voted for to get into Cooperstown, as well as those reporters who do not, and will continue to reflect on my decision to reveal my ballot.

A good writer can't sell print without a publicist. Thanks for helping make the big bucks on here Geoff!

Wow! I want him signed by the Angels.

Let's see, Freese is a FA next year, and we have no real replacement for him in the system. There aren't that many high profile 3B available, and if we went the FA route, we'd pay well over $10 million/year to sign one. With his bat speed and base speed, he's got huge upside. Assuming his mental makeup is good, he looks like he could zip through our Minor Leagues like Trout did. Pair him up with Trout, bat him second, that could be very dangerous. 

IMHO, we have to go all-in to sign him.

For a lot less money, and for a lot more interest to Angels fans, why not go out to many (if not all) of our Minor League affiliates, such as the IE 66ers, the Orem Owlz, and the Salt Lake Bees? Minor League baseball is a hell of a lot of fun, less expensive, and fan friendly. You could also hit all the Cal League parks (and see why you NEVER put home plate facing west--I'm looking at you Lancaster). Either of those are realistic trips, and can be done on a budget.

I really do NOT see the point in this. We can get similar, if not better, production from the guys we have than from Drew for a LOT less money. If we aren't going to somehow spend the money on Scherzer (and trading Wilson to stay under the luxury tax), we'd be far better off holding onto the money and using it in the season and/or near the trade deadline to shore up any needs we have throughout the season. 

Pass on Drew.

Pass on Boras.

Great story and great job indeed!

What position does that leadoff hitter take, DH?

Depends . . . most likely OF with Hamilton getting the lion's share at DH. When facing tougher lefties, Hamilton would sit and Pujols would DH.

This is why I wanted the Angels to focus on getting a leadoff hitter this offseason, so that we can do exactly this. I'd love to see Calhoun bat 2nd, Trout 3rd, and Pujols 4th, if we had a legit leadoff hitter.

I still hope we land one or both of Moncada and Lopez. Our farm system needs and infusion of talent, and they look to have quite a bit of talent.

Hey guys, I just want to point out that you should be listening to Sam Farber on the Beast 980. He is the former play-by-play man for the Angels Cal League affiliate, and really knows our system inside and out. Congrats to him on getting the radio gig and the interview with Jerry Dipoto.

Did Glenn do a point/counterpoint piece on the wisdom of getting married?

Congrats Glen.

Not that I'm entirely opposed to signing Lester, but I want to go on the record and say that if we're going to commit that kind of money (let's say 6/$150 million), I think a better use of the money would be to sign Moncada and Lopez and still have $50+ million available, even after signing penalties. Long term, those are better moves.

If we can get one or both of these top Cuban prospects, we need to do it. I know about the penalties, but, our farm is truly in need of some top tied D talent and we need to start building for a future team around Trout. If we are going to be a perennially contending team, that means that we will always be drafting near the bottom of the pack and will have one of th lowest spending amounts. With such restrictions, it makes far more sense to binge every few years and get some waves of talent to rise up to the parent club so that we can may tain our winning ways. For the cost of one Hamilton, we could have one Baldoquin, one Moncada, and, one Lopez, with money to spare. It's a better risk, and depending how these deals are structured, they might not have the same impact on the luxury tax that signing of Hamilton will have.

Count me in for signing these two guys (Moncada and Lopez).

Thank you Victor. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Thank you for doing such a great job every year bringing us all the baseball that we need.

Why shouldn't it have been picked up? It was a great article, and Part 2 is coming out now! Good job Robert!

From what I hear, I really do hope we break the bank on him. We need to fill 3B long term, and this is the year to go big on developing talent instead of signing a big named FA.

They can sign Moncada still...and they might as well just pony up and do it. They're effectively out of doing much in the International market the next 2 years, so spend away right now.

Agreed. I don't believe that money would count towards any luxury tax, and would still be a far bigger bargain than trying to sign a comparable FA. Since we've already blown our allotment for the international market, we might as well go in all the way on it and sign Moncado.

I would love to add Moncado on top of this signing. 

Wow! This guy looks solid. At least worth 3 Rondons.

Robert,

I love reading your articles! You've been a great addition to the site. Hope to see you at Fanfest next year!

Even though the Royals didn't win, I still congratulate them for pushing it all the way to Game 7--and a 1 run game at that with the tying run at 3B in the 9th. It doesn't get much better than that. They can hold their heads high.