John Taylor

I'd be okay with bringing him in, maybe not for 5 years though, and definitely not as an alternative to Cole. The issue is that the pitching market has gone all kinds of crazy and MadBum could only be had on the cheap if nobody signs him until closer to ST. Also his velocity isn't in decline yet, per CBSSports.com "That stuff is in the past, though. His numbers have declined in recent years. From 2013-16, he had a combined 2.86 ERA, never hitting 3.00 or higher. The next three seasons went 3.32, 3.26, 3.90. The four prime years, he struck out 9.4 batters per nine innings. These last three years it's down to 8.3. On the flip side to that, his strikeout rate came back up to 8.8 in 2019 from 7.6 in 2018, when he was returning from injury. Also, though it's likely to decline at some point, his velocity hasn't yet faded and his pitch selection has remained pretty well intact. He hasn't yet had to alter his approach because he hasn't hit a steep decline yet. That seems an important note in his favor, because we've seen top-flight pitchers do well into their mid-30s by making adjustments." https://www.cbssports.com/g00/mlb/news/how-much-does-madison-bumgarner-have-left-in-the-tank-its-potentially-a-100-million-question/?i10c.ua=1&i10c.encReferrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8%3d&i10c.dv=4 I think making a run at him isn't the worst idea in the world if we don't overpay him, which sadly is kind of going to be the story of the 2019 offseason.

Yep, this was my thought too. 8/300m maybe?

I generally take stuff like this as an opinion piece until the reporter says that a deal is done. Sports reporters are allowed to have opinions and prognosticate to create interest, even if they end up being completely wrong. I take anything Peter Gammons says with a grain of salt.

Oh @Jeff Fletcher you cheeky bastard. You got AW stirring, and got me craving pancakes....

Yep, this is exactly the kind of pitcher Eppler gets hard for. A guy who used to be injured a lot, losing his FB velocity, and an ERA hovering close to 5.

I'm thankful that the same Baseball Card shop in HB I used to go to as a kid is still open, and had all the cards I needed to complete various collections today. I'm also thankful that the team is still in Anaheim. As an OC kid growing up, the Angels were the only team that felt like it belonged to Orange County (Even though the Rams played here at the time, and the Ducks didn't yet exist). i know the line between LA/Orange Counties is somewhat meaningless, but I always felt this huge sense of pride about our formerly bankrupt spoiled brat little sibling of Los Angeles, and still do. With that being said, I'm thankful that I didn't grow up in Los Angeles County! /s

Was hoping Garden Grove was going to get chopped down for the Angels new 230,000 capacity stadium spanning the 22, oh well one can dream.

Trout should be the first player inducted before he retires. lol

This is last year's ballot. I think Schilling should get in this year. Jeter will definitely be 1st ballot HoF. I'd like Larry Walker to get in well as this is his last year of eligibility I believe (Then he would be subject to the Veteran's committee)

Tim Lincecum says hi

"Meh", I mean he is the kind of guy Eppler pitches a tent over, but I'll pass, like Chuck said, dude can barely hit 90, he is an injury risk, and there's nothing particularly impressive with his stuff.

Looks like the Astros were caught stealing signs again....

@tdawg87's aim was off

I'm puzzled at the decision because it came out of left field, but honestly he has a great baseball mind, and I'm fine with having more of those in the organization.

I would be in favor of this if the regular season was shortened. Even though Baseball is by far my favorite sport I think the season is too long, by the time you get to the WS almost everyone is in football mode. I think MLB should be wrapped up by early/mid October. They're "The Boys of Summer" not "The Boys of Thanksgiving"

Kole will definitely get a standing O when/if he plays the Angels on his future team. He is one of my all time favorite Angels players as he gave 100 percent every inning of every game. I hope some other team overpays him and he spends out his final baseball years counting dolla dolla bills.

Angels (something something) charged with (something) headlines are going to freak me out for a little while. With that being said, I love this guy's moxie and 18 years as a beloved Cubs employee is a good get for the Angels.

Thinking about how cool it will be to play with Trout and Ohtani next year

Ideally this is what his fellow prisoners yell when they are beating the crap out of him for abusing a child. Let's be honest he's rich and the jurisdiction is in Texas so he'll get off with a slap on a wrist

I always find it tricky to evaluate minor league records since players are shuffled between levels and also called up to the bigs to fill gaps due to injuries. The farm system is much better than it was even a few years ago, so I'm not going to put too much stock in the total organizational record.

Honestly, either the baseball season is too long, or the playoffs extend too far after the season. I wish the World Series was earlier in the month. Most of our minds rolls over to the NFL the more October goes on. Baseball is my favorite sport by a mile but it shouldn't be going into November.

Congrats on surviving the rough streets of Mission Viejo for all these years @Adam!