Dave Saltzer

Thank you for a good report. Why don't you come out and hear him again at our Spring Training Fanfest?

Believe it or not, it really doesn't come down to that with every players or even most of the players. I know of several on the Angels and several on other organizations who left money on the table. Most of the offers, especially for the elites are fairly comparable and it more often than not comes down to the fit between the player and the organization.

For a player like this, it's more about what the tone and future of the organization is. Go back and listen to both the Pujols and Hamilton pressers. Both talked about the feel they got from the organization. Both talked about how they liked the direction and the future of the franchise. A GM and owner trying to set the right feel isn't going to bother tearing down another organization (any boss who does that is just showing that in the end, s/he will tear you down in the end if the results aren't met). I would bet that they go into the meeting doing more listening to what the player's goals and desires are and then show how those can best be met by the Angels . . . along with a big check!

Here's a thought that may work in our favor: with the Angels he will be the ONLY Japanese player on the team, making him the center of attention for the Japanese press and will have a very compliant local press core to deal with here. In New York, he will play second fiddle to Kuroda with the Japanese press while having a hyper critical local and national press core. Here, there with be far more drama made of match ups with the Rangers and Yankees with him as the Star. If the money is more or less even, that may make a difference. I hope we get him.

I am just curious where there needs to be this. I am undecided at the moment, but am leaning against it. If it were solely up to the fans then there would be extreme homerism and cases of outrage against ballot box stuffing, etc. If fans are truly so upset, don't go visit the HoF or tune in to the swearing in ceremonies. I get that the way it is right now isn't perfect. Some crusty old guys are not taking their job seriously. But, is that just a case of the individuals failing to do their job rather than a flaw in the system? I honestly don't have a resolution to this. Maybe allowing teams to designate some blog sites to vote on behalf of the fans and some specific bloggers who are more attuned to the fans themselves to vote might work. Or, it might lead to more problems as before. I am really following the arguments from people and don't have a strong opinion either way.

There are multiple facets of leadership. I don't know if Pujols is the kind of guy who would take every player under his wings and mentor him, much like Torii did with Trout. I do remember him demonstrating more on the field leadership trying to pump up the team as he was getting his 50 doubles in 2012. I think adding Baylor specifically was to fill the vacuum created with the departure of Hunter so that Baylor, a former MVP would develop Trout into a current MVP (he should have won both years IMHO) as well as develop someone like Kole Calhoun.

Yep. We didn't beat the teams we should have beaten, and we didn't. I have strong hope for the 2014 season. If we can form a good team identity, we have the players to be a playoff bound team.

At least it wasn't on bigfoot or anything, and I didn't link in the music from the intro to the show . . .

At some point, bloggers are going to have to be added to the BBWA just to keep it going. It would REALLY make things easier and better for everyone, including the sports teams. There will have to be a vetting process. Being a writer is NOT an easy job, and even I am amazed and impressed with the class, dignity, and dedication of all the main writers for the Angels and around the leagues. Try writing about another 5-1 loss every year. It isn't easy. Having said that, some changes need to be made. I don't think that every person with a keyboard should be allowed in, but some who have been around and shown consistent professionalism should be more accepted by the BBWA. As one of those who has worked hard to try and get more and more access and availability, I do have to call these guys out for doing what they did. While they did expose the flaws in the system, they did so by exposing the flaws in the blogosphere by proving some of the concerns from the writers against bloggers. In the end, it may lead to less access for all of us who are trying to go about doing it the right way.

Chuck Richter Brian Ilten Christian Ilten Jonathan Ilten Stoddart Party of 14 (and counting) Scott Stradling Mancini79 + 1.5 Kurt Swanson BaseballMom Brown Troy Eddie Colvin Todd Drollinger Aaron Burkhart +1 Christine Wright Eugene Fields David Byerman +3 Justin Antrim Tiia Antrim Bobby Schiffer +1 Ryan Combe Lori Garrison Martin Robert McDonald Rickey Bobby Calscuf +1 Brittany Taylor George Tarkanian Jim Macklin Adam Knox The Cooley Family Brent Maguire+2 ELEVENSES David Saltzer +1 possibly +2

This is a great program and I am very proud that we are partnering up with them. We will of course continue to work with the Orange County Miracle League to help them too! It's a testament to how great this community is that we can support two incredible baseball charities doing good things in our community. Great job AW!!!

It is a MASSIVE undertaking . . . but the fans seem to appreciate it.

We got him covered.

This is truly a massive undertaking. Lots of work goes into this.

Great job looking deep into the numbers. My biggest take away is that 2014 should definitely be better than 2013!

Really good analysis Greg. Right now, on paper, this team is better both offensively and pitching wise. Subtracting all the starts from Blanton and Hanson and replacing them with Santiago and Skaggs makes this team substantially better. Throw in a Tanaka and a Garza, and we have done a major improvement without having to do a total overhaul. I'm getting excited for 2014!

Bane did an incredible job in 2009 as he did in all of his years. The 2010 draft just wasn't that strong a class as I recall it. Cowart is still a top-tiered prospect and I believe he will return to form this year.

If you haven't been to one of these events, you REALLY should come. It is so much fun. The whole weekend is a blast. Since we are doing this early, players are eager to sign autographs before the games, it's a more relaxed atmosphere. There's fun to be had all weekend long. And the Fanfest Dinner is one of those truly special moments of the year for everyone. Our guest list keeps growing every year, and it's a chance to make a meaningful connection with many within the Angels organization. Having your questions asked and answered is one of those special things that we do for our fans. Get your tickets fast: You really won't want to miss this.

I am proud to be a part of all that has been built here and look forward to all that will be built over the next decade. It is truly an honor to be a part of the best website and best community for Angels fans.

Happy New Year AngelsWin.com! Looking forward to a great year of Angels baseball. May you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

Joe, this is a really good article. I don't think it will take that much money to lock up Trout for a decade. While Trout is poised to break every potential arbitration record, those years would be much cheaper. I'd bet the deal could be done for closer to $300 million (hey, it's only $100 million LESS!). As for those who would argue against committing that much money to one player, two things: 1. Comparing the deal Trout would get versus the ones that Pujols and A-Rod got are different because Trout is so much younger (assuming we signed him to that deal this year) that we would be locking up his prime years. 2. Do we really want to go through another 50+ years arguing about how we failed to sign Trout just like we've spent the past 30 years cursing Bavasi for not signing Nolan Ryan? The money is there to sign Trout, and we would be foolish not to do it.

May all who are celebrating the holiday tonight find peace, comfort, and joy in the true meaning of the holiday.

May all who are celebrating the holiday tonight find peace, comfort, and joy in the true meaning of the holiday.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to the best #AngelsFamily on the internet!

Nice! Welcome Peter Gammons. We do a fine job covering/debating/discussing the Angels here.