wopphil

The lineup really isn’t that great. We have a great core in Ohtani/Trout/Adell/Walsh, but then five spots that are either total question marks or likely to provide subpar production. Which might be okay if we had excellent pitching.

My thought exactly. Sure glad they DFA’ed Upton.

I think this team is one very good starting pitcher away from competing for the division. And it’s frustrating because they could have acquired that starter (Ray or Gausman) for a relatively reasonable price. It feels like a job unfinished.

I’d agree he probably shouldn’t have been starting (though I wouldn’t have ruled out giving him three weeks to see if there is still anything left in the tank). But if you are paying the guy 28 million and you are thin at the position, it makes more sense to me to hold onto him and use him as a fourth outfielder.

I don’t think the move makes much sense. Make him the fourth outfielder if you want to prioritize Adell/Marsh. He isn’t a clubhouse cancer and can still offer at least league average play (which we may or may not get from Adell/Marsh).

Correct. It’s definitely an interesting idea, but given that they are already up against the tax threshold, they need to move a big salary for someone owed similar money across more years.

This is my concern as well, and I fully expect the world is weak enough to do exactly this.

They shouldn’t. They should demand Russia leave immediately, give back Crimea, apologize for their war crimes, and fully compensate Ukraine for the loss of life and damage to property. And then they should immediately join NATO.

My feelings exactly. And I’d want the team to be in a good wild card position to do this. But chances are, if they are in a strong WC position at the trade deadline, they are probably also competing for the division at that point in time.

The problem is that there is nobody left on whom to spend the money. Hypothetically if you could then acquire Manea and a shortstop with the money saved, I’d probably part with a guy in the 6-8 range (like Jeremiah Jackson).

Either would be a nice addition. Manes shouldn’t cost any of our top 5 guys, but then again the Twins paid a pretty big price for Gray.

No personal responsibility in any of this. Nothing is Skaggs’ fault. It’s the Angels’ fault, Eric Kay’s fault, Tim Mead’s fault, the agent’s fault, etc.

I don’t think the team has enough back of the rotation depth, especially with Canning’s now uncertain status. A guy like Cueto - if he is even healthy - would provide valuable depth IMO.

Agreed completely. Problem is that if he is traded, his 2023 club option converts to a player option (at $15 mil). So the acquiring team needs to be willing to pay that, because there is no reason for the A’s to pay any portion (given that they could simply hold onto him and then be free if the contract after this season).

Syndergaard. We should presume Sandoval, Ohtani and Suarez will be healthy and at least moderately productive. But we have no clue about Syndergaard. We need 140 very good innings from him. Although not in the scope of the question, I am very excited to see how Suarez does this year. He is a guy who a lot of people were high on just a couple years ago. He took a huge step forward last year and is still very young. It would do wonders for the teams chances at success if he went from a number 4/5 to a 2/3 with further improvement.

What are you talking about? She embodies today’s Republican. Everyone who thinks differently is a RINO and is being driven out of the party.

He is pretty mediocre. But would still be a big upgrade over some random AAA guy.

Moving Walsh to RF and signing a first baseman could solve a couple issues, but hasn’t Walsh been a relatively poor defender in the outfield?

Perhaps. But I am sure if the Angels offered 3/15, he’d be wearing a Halo hat.

My argument is simply this: if the price to sign McHugh was 2/10, then most certainly another offer of 2/12 or 3/15 would have been sufficient to secure his services. And that probably holds true regardless of the team making the offer. A team as pitching starved as the Angels should have jumped at this. They didn’t and were, in my opinion, foolish not to. Other teams may or may not have the same motivations and interests and may or may not have been equally foolish (but I don’t really care about any other teams). Ultimately, does anyone believe the team has done enough this off-season to compete? I certainly don’t. I see yet another off-season of half-hearted moves and an unwillingness to do what is necessary to field a playoff team. (Yet I would love to be proven wrong and have Lou bump this in six months.)

When a reliever is playing for what might be his last deal, and the numbers aren’t huge, money generally rules. I think it is safe to assume that a guy like McHugh would take the Angels at 2/12 or 3/15 over the Braves at 2/10.

You gotta be fucking kidding me. We passed on McHugh at $5 million a year? Unreal.

I had been of the belief, over the last few months, that they weren’t done and that they would still be active after the lockout. I no longer feel that is the case. Maybe another small move or two, but I think we are betting everything on Syndergaard and Lorenzen being healthy and effective. This is a third place team as currently constructed (and that assumes the A’s trade away a couple more key pieces).

I think they need two big adds, actually. It’s not just a matter of improving the year over year team, it’s a matter of keeping pace with improved Mariners and Texas teams. The Angels badly need another dependable starter (a three or better). And they need a shortstop. And they need another offensive weapon (preferably a shortstop). I actually don’t hate the idea of acquiring an outfielder or a first baseman if one of Adell/Walsh/Marsh can headline a deal for a different position of need.

So what is the end game here? Russia occupies Ukraine and faces years of resistance, the Russian economy is tanked by sanctions, and Putin is persona non grata in the entire western world. How can that be deemed a victory for Russia?