Dave Saltzer

going back to ?

Just answering the question in the title thread . . . He gets his car insurance at Geico.

Good analysis. This was a clear win, even if I will miss seeing the Trumbombs in Anaheim.

Why not just go after Walker and make the trade a 3-way with the Angels trading Trumbo to the Rays and getting Walker from the Mariners?

Here are some of my notes from today's press conference with Joe Smith and Jerry Dipoto:
 
Joe Smith is happy to be here. His girlfriend works out here. The biggest factor for him signing with the Angels was the inclusion of a third year and the chance to play near his girlfriend.
 
Jerry Dipoto targeted him early and made an early offer. Other teams were interested, but the Angels were made solid offers early on that made the decision easier.
 
For Dipoto, getting Smith, who throws side-arm was an important factor to give the bullpen a different look. Smith throws 89-92, which Dipoto believes will pair up well with the young power arms in the pen.
 
Dipoto is not done. Third base and the bullpen were two areas that the Angels identified as needing improvement at the outset of Spring Training. He knows about the starting pitching, and believes that there are many days left to get the starting pitching worked out. He did not see the moves made for Freese and Smith as limiting the moves for starting pitching.
 
The Angels have not finalized all non-tenders yet. Expect more later today.
 
The Angels still expect Burnett to be fully healthy by the start of Spring Training. They will know more in January after he starts throwing.
 
The Angels are now focusing more on starting pitching. They do not appear to be looking to make another major improvement in the bullpen (they see Burnett as that other improvement), but will consider any opportunity to improve the club.
 
Smith started throwing sidearm in college at the advice of his coach at the time.
 
Smith really improved once they started letting him pitch complete innings. At first low risk situations, but now is capable against righties and lefties equally and in high leverage situations.
 
Smith sees the Angels as a perpetually contending team, and the chance to play with a team that is contending, where the expectation was to win every game was important for him.
 
Smith came across as a decent person. He handled himself well in the interview, gave thorough and long answers, and should play a big part in restoring the bullpen to a source of strength. 
 
All-in-all, I'm very happy that the Angels signed Smith. There were several other teams interested, so, I see this signing as a being well within the going market rate for a pitcher of his caliber who can generate ground balls and strikeouts, gives the bullpen a different look, and can pitch an inning in high leverage situations.

Here are some of my notes from today's press conference with Joe Smith and Jerry Dipoto:
 
Joe Smith is happy to be here. His girlfriend works out here. The biggest factor for him signing with the Angels was the inclusion of a third year and the chance to play near his girlfriend.
 
Jerry Dipoto targeted him early and made an early offer. Other teams were interested, but the Angels were made solid offers early on that made the decision easier.
 
For Dipoto, getting Smith, who throws side-arm was an important factor to give the bullpen a different look. Smith throws 89-92, which Dipoto believes will pair up well with the young power arms in the pen.
 
Dipoto is not done. Third base and the bullpen were two areas that the Angels identified as needing improvement at the outset of Spring Training. He knows about the starting pitching, and believes that there are many days left to get the starting pitching worked out. He did not see the moves made for Freese and Smith as limiting the moves for starting pitching.
 
The Angels have not finalized all non-tenders yet. Expect more later today.
 
The Angels still expect Burnett to be fully healthy by the start of Spring Training. They will know more in January after he starts throwing.
 
The Angels are now focusing more on starting pitching. They do not appear to be looking to make another major improvement in the bullpen (they see Burnett as that other improvement), but will consider any opportunity to improve the club.
 
Smith started throwing sidearm in college at the advice of his coach at the time.
 
Smith really improved once they started letting him pitch complete innings. At first low risk situations, but now is capable against righties and lefties equally and in high leverage situations.
 
Smith sees the Angels as a perpetually contending team, and the chance to play with a team that is contending, where the expectation was to win every game was important for him.
 
Smith came across as a decent person. He handled himself well in the interview, gave thorough and long answers, and should play a big part in restoring the bullpen to a source of strength. 
 
All-in-all, I'm very happy that the Angels signed Smith. There were several other teams interested, so, I see this signing as a being well within the going market rate for a pitcher of his caliber who can generate ground balls and strikeouts, gives the bullpen a different look, and can pitch an inning in high leverage situations.

Here are some of my notes from today's press conference with Joe Smith and Jerry Dipoto:
 
Joe Smith is happy to be here. His girlfriend works out here. The biggest factor for him signing with the Angels was the inclusion of a third year and the chance to play near his girlfriend.
 
Jerry Dipoto targeted him early and made an early offer. Other teams were interested, but the Angels were made solid offers early on that made the decision easier.
 
For Dipoto, getting Smith, who throws side-arm was an important factor to give the bullpen a different look. Smith throws 89-92, which Dipoto believes will pair up well with the young power arms in the pen.
 
Dipoto is not done. Third base and the bullpen were two areas that the Angels identified as needing improvement at the outset of Spring Training. He knows about the starting pitching, and believes that there are many days left to get the starting pitching worked out. He did not see the moves made for Freese and Smith as limiting the moves for starting pitching.
 
The Angels have not finalized all non-tenders yet. Expect more later today.
 
The Angels still expect Burnett to be fully healthy by the start of Spring Training. They will know more in January after he starts throwing.
 
The Angels are now focusing more on starting pitching. They do not appear to be looking to make another major improvement in the bullpen (they see Burnett as that other improvement), but will consider any opportunity to improve the club.
 
Smith started throwing sidearm in college at the advice of his coach at the time.
 
Smith really improved once they started letting him pitch complete innings. At first low risk situations, but now is capable against righties and lefties equally and in high leverage situations.
 
Smith sees the Angels as a perpetually contending team, and the chance to play with a team that is contending, where the expectation was to win every game was important for him.
 
Smith came across as a decent person. He handled himself well in the interview, gave thorough and long answers, and should play a big part in restoring the bullpen to a source of strength. 
 
All-in-all, I'm very happy that the Angels signed Smith. There were several other teams interested, so, I see this signing as a being well within the going market rate for a pitcher of his caliber who can generate ground balls and strikeouts, gives the bullpen a different look, and can pitch an inning in high leverage situations.

NP Ettin. Trying to give you guys the straight scoops on things. I'll leave it to Alden, Fletcher and DiGi to give you all the exact quotes and put it all into an article. But, I thought I'd give you my take-a-way items. Yes, I know about the Jepsen tendering thing, but two things: 1) I'm never going to tweet something like that out faster than Alden--He's a twitter ninja. 2) Since they said that they would have final decisions out to us later, I thought I would hold off until everything became official.

Here are some of my notes from today's press conference with Joe Smith and Jerry Dipoto:
 
Joe Smith is happy to be here. His girlfriend works out here. The biggest factor for him signing with the Angels was the inclusion of a third year and the chance to play near his girlfriend.
 
Jerry Dipoto targeted him early and made an early offer. Other teams were interested, but the Angels were made solid offers early on that made the decision easier.
 
For Dipoto, getting Smith, who throws side-arm was an important factor to give the bullpen a different look. Smith throws 89-92, which Dipoto believes will pair up well with the young power arms in the pen.
 
Dipoto is not done. Third base and the bullpen were two areas that the Angels identified as needing improvement at the outset of Spring Training. He knows about the starting pitching, and believes that there are many days left to get the starting pitching worked out. He did not see the moves made for Freese and Smith as limiting the moves for starting pitching.
 
The Angels have not finalized all non-tenders yet. Expect more later today.
 
The Angels still expect Burnett to be fully healthy by the start of Spring Training. They will know more in January after he starts throwing.
 
The Angels are now focusing more on starting pitching. They do not appear to be looking to make another major improvement in the bullpen (they see Burnett as that other improvement), but will consider any opportunity to improve the club.
 
Smith started throwing sidearm in college at the advice of his coach at the time.
 
Smith really improved once they started letting him pitch complete innings. At first low risk situations, but now is capable against righties and lefties equally and in high leverage situations.
 
Smith sees the Angels as a perpetually contending team, and the chance to play with a team that is contending, where the expectation was to win every game was important for him.
 
Smith came across as a decent person. He handled himself well in the interview, gave thorough and long answers, and should play a big part in restoring the bullpen to a source of strength. 
 
All-in-all, I'm very happy that the Angels signed Smith. There were several other teams interested, so, I see this signing as a being well within the going market rate for a pitcher of his caliber who can generate ground balls and strikeouts, gives the bullpen a different look, and can pitch an inning in high leverage situations.

Amen.
I was literally going to sit down and write something very much the same as what Chuck wrote, but he beat me to it. His eloquence is better than mine.
Happy Thanksgiving AngelsWin.com. We all have a lot to be thankful for, and may you all have a happy holiday filled with family, friends, good food and merriment.
And, for those who are Jewish, Happy Hanukkah.

That was only for the live Tim Salmon chat, which at the time was pretty damn awesome! Since then he just rolls up and talks to fans at our fanfest for 45 minutes in person.

Doc, did you see my interview with Jonathan Van Eaton? Another great story like this. And, Van Eaton is a reliever who could move quickly in the system. Keep him on your radar too.
 
I'm excited to see Monster in action.

We should be, but too many on here aren't.

Bullshit. In the pre steroid age a players prime was about 26-32.

This is where I am today, although I am a little bit more upset about losing Grichuk.

In a nutshell, this is exactly how I view this trade today.

Ettin,
 
Thank you for the reasoned response. My point about the whole Trout in CF vs. LF thing is that people's opinions here aren't necessarily consistent. If playing Trout in CF makes him happier or more willing to stay here, that's an issue. Some of the people radically criticizing this trade have in the past been very opposed to playing Bourjos in CF over Trout. This trade ends that debate.
 
Trumbo may still be traded, but should net a better haul in a trade. I wouldn't necessarily trade him unless it gets us a solution to our pitching needs because he still is our insurance on Pujols at 1B.
 
Freese had back issues. Bourjos has hamstring issues and is coming off of wrist surgery. Both have been shown to be as problematic to a career as the back issues are. Freese is not a long-term solution at 3B. I still see Cowart as that solution. Freese is better than what he have currently for 3B and better than what we had last year. If he is healthy, then it could be a better deal for us. The same risk issues are a concern for STL as they are for us, which is why Bourjos alone wouldn't net us too much.
 
I want to wait until the whole offseason is over until judging the whole thing. I'm not greatly in favor of this trade, but am not overwhelmingly opposed to it either. I see it as a first step. Personally, I am unhappy to see both Bourjos and Grichuk go, as both are great guys, but that's baseball.

I have a question for all those who are opposed to this deal: Can I find a post from you talking about playing Trout in CF instead of Bourjos? Remember the whole controversy about displacing Trout from CF, his preferred position? If you think/thought Trout should go back to CF, most of your rage on this deal is deflated because the best part of Bourjos' value was tied to his defense in CF. If he's not in CF, then his value is diminished. 
 
I am a big fan of both Peter Bourjos and Grichuk. Really like both guys, and have known them since they first came into our system. I had a sneaky suspicion that Grichuk would be included in this deal. On a personal note, I will be sad to see them playing elsewhere, although I am happy that they are going to a good organization.
 
However, I am a bigger fan of the ANGELS. I want to see the Angels win over any one player.
 
I will hold off on evaluating this trade until I see all the moves that Dipoto makes. As Chuck has argued, this move frees up a potential Aybar/Kendrick/Trumbo move to get pitching. I hope Freese bounces back, but also see him as a placeholder until Cowart develops.
 
Unlike some, I am not going to go into a fullblown panic over the move until I see the whole picture. I see this as the first step in a sequence of moves. Give it some time and have patience.

I have a question for all those who are opposed to this deal: Can I find a post from you talking about playing Trout in CF instead of Bourjos? Remember the whole controversy about displacing Trout from CF, his preferred position? If you think/thought Trout should go back to CF, most of your rage on this deal is deflated because the best part of Bourjos' value was tied to his defense in CF. If he's not in CF, then his value is diminished. 
 
I am a big fan of both Peter Bourjos and Grichuk. Really like both guys, and have known them since they first came into our system. I had a sneaky suspicion that Grichuk would be included in this deal. On a personal note, I will be sad to see them playing elsewhere, although I am happy that they are going to a good organization.
 
However, I am a bigger fan of the ANGELS. I want to see the Angels win over any one player.
 
I will hold off on evaluating this trade until I see all the moves that Dipoto makes. As Chuck has argued, this move frees up a potential Aybar/Kendrick/Trumbo move to get pitching. I hope Freese bounces back, but also see him as a placeholder until Cowart develops.
 
Unlike some, I am not going to go into a fullblown panic over the move until I see the whole picture. I see this as the first step in a sequence of moves. Give it some time and have patience.

I have a question for all those who are opposed to this deal: Can I find a post from you talking about playing Trout in CF instead of Bourjos? Remember the whole controversy about displacing Trout from CF, his preferred position? If you think/thought Trout should go back to CF, most of your rage on this deal is deflated because the best part of Bourjos' value was tied to his defense in CF. If he's not in CF, then his value is diminished. 
 
I am a big fan of both Peter Bourjos and Grichuk. Really like both guys, and have known them since they first came into our system. I had a sneaky suspicion that Grichuk would be included in this deal. On a personal note, I will be sad to see them playing elsewhere, although I am happy that they are going to a good organization.
 
However, I am a bigger fan of the ANGELS. I want to see the Angels win over any one player.
 
I will hold off on evaluating this trade until I see all the moves that Dipoto makes. As Chuck has argued, this move frees up a potential Aybar/Kendrick/Trumbo move to get pitching. I hope Freese bounces back, but also see him as a placeholder until Cowart develops.
 
Unlike some, I am not going to go into a fullblown panic over the move until I see the whole picture. I see this as the first step in a sequence of moves. Give it some time and have patience.

I really enjoyed this article Jess. Good job! We definitely need more articles like this around here just to keep the mood up.
I would actually be torn to see Trumbo go in a trade. I think he still has more that he can do with the bat and would like to see him show it locally. He signed my eldest son's first autograph, so my boys will miss him. And, we went to the same high school (although years apart) so, he has some significance to me.
For me, it would all depend on the haul we got for him. Unlike many, I do not underestimate his value (never did, going back all the way when we ranked him highly as a prospect when so many did not). But, winning cures everything g and if we get some of the pitching that we desperately need to make the post season, I would reluctantly do the trade.

I really enjoyed this article Jess. Good job! We definitely need more articles like this around here just to keep the mood up.
I would actually be torn to see Trumbo go in a trade. I think he still has more that he can do with the bat and would like to see him show it locally. He signed my eldest son's first autograph, so my boys will miss him. And, we went to the same high school (although years apart) so, he has some significance to me.
For me, it would all depend on the haul we got for him. Unlike many, I do not underestimate his value (never did, going back all the way when we ranked him highly as a prospect when so many did not). But, winning cures everything g and if we get some of the pitching that we desperately need to make the post season, I would reluctantly do the trade.

I knew that twitter handle looked familiar haha. Good idea, Mike. Love that trade scenario. 

Permanently banned?

Here are some of my thoughts on the Don Baylor signing as the new hitting coach:
 
*Don Baylor brings a presence to the Angels that has been missing, especially with loss of Torii Hunter. The 2013 team lacked a real identity, and as a result, never really gelled until that late run in August/September. In the press conference with Mike Scioscia and Don Baylor, Mike Scioscia talked about the presence that Baylor would bring, and how much respect people in the game have for him. For that reason alone, I like the signing.
 
* When asked about areas that the Angels need to improve, Baylor talked about getting the team out of the gate better. He has talked with Mike Scioscia about that and what changes need to happen in Spring Training in order for this to occur. Over the past 4 years, the Angels have not been well above .500 on June 1st. They need to change that. As fans, we know that games early in the season count as much as games late in the season in the standings, and I'm hoping to see an end to that streak.
 
*Don Baylor is not going to be the manager. In the press conference, he made that clear, saying "I am a coach, not a manager on his [Mike Scioscia's] club". All those of you who think he's gunning for a managerial job or anything else are misreading the tea leaves.
 
*Don Baylor is excited and happy to be back home, with the Angels. Several times in the press conference he talked about wanting to be back in Anaheim (he lives locally), the fond memories he has with the team, the relationships he has with some people (which includes Mike Scioscia through their work together raising money for cystic fibrosis). I always want a player/coach/manager who wants to be here. He said he jumped at the opportunity to be here. He said he could have waited to see what managerial jobs would have opened up after the World Series, but wanted this one and took it. It wasn't an issue of years as to why he left AZ (he has a 2-year deal here, which was the same as in AZ).
 
*Don Baylor's hitting philosophy is about putting the ball in play, hitting up the middle, and making things happen. He does not like strikeouts, and specifically talked about guys thinking it's okay to strike out "100. 110, 120, 130 times". He wants to put the ball in play, get runners on the move, and making things happen. He said that most pitchers today "pitch away" but that our hitters will "get their opportunities to turn on an inside pitch."
 
*Regarding Mike Trout, Baylor remembers him from the Futures Game, when Trout was the youngest player on the team. He said "I've got to get him in there." He took notes on Trout and thinks that any club that has him is lucky.
 
*Regarding Josh Hamilton, Baylor believes that he is a key to the offense and will be working with him. He knows and has seen what Hamilton can do when he gets his swing going, and he will be working with him. 
 
*Baylor's coaching style seems flexible to the player. He will try things for a while, but won't keep pounding the same things over and over if it's not working.
 
*Baylor will be contacting the players in the offseason to introduce himself and go over some things and will be reviewing tape of when things were going well for players in order to get ready for Spring Training.
 
*Baylor and Scioscia have a good relationship that they've built both on and off the field. Baylor will be a sounding board for Scioscia, which I think will help Scioscia be more successful.
 
*Baylor is very respectful. When talking about how excited he was to be back, he talked about how it was as exciting as when he was brought over with Grich and others by "Mr. Autry". I really appreciate a man, even at his age, still being appropriate like that. Far too many people forget that, and it shows the type of man, character, and respect that Baylor has.
 
*The funniest thing was when Baylor was talking about negotiating with his former closer who is now the GM of the team. That must have been an interesting conversation. However, Baylor was Dipoto's pick in both Arizona and now with the Angels. I think this shows that Dipoto's influence on the team is growing and will be more apparent this year.
 
All-in-all, I'm very excited about this signing. I really like that Baylor wants to be here and the presence that he will bring. He's connected to the community and is highly regarded by players throughout the game. I'm eager to see what he can do to straighten the offense out so that we do get out of the gate better and that turn it around in 2014. This team does not need a major overhaul, and with some tweaking should contend next year.