wopphil

1. Thanks to the ban of amphetamines this is now a younger man's game. Arte responds by destroying the farm system, signing a 32 (or 34?) year old to a 10 year/$250 million deal, etc...
2. There is 0 evidence there was any connection between hitching the Albert Pujols to the organization and the FSW deal. Zero.
3. Trout hits free agency at age 27. I expect him to land a $300 million+ deal. He will be the first stud to hit free agency at such a young age since Arod in the early nineties.
4. Thanks to 0 1st round picks in 2012 and 2013 in the rule 4 draft and Moreno failing to spend $$ overseas on top prospects it is going to be quite some time before we have a top 10 system.
I have a strong inclination to believe this club will be wallowing in mediocrity for the next decade. Too many bad decisions that scream organizational management has a horrendous decision-making process. Way too reactionary to past criticism (Arte's cheap!) or being Bud Selig's buddy (don't go over slot in past Rule 4 drafts or spend top money in Latin America through the corrupt "handler" system).

If only Reagins would have signed Beltre and kept Napoli we wouldn't have had all these problems over the years.
For the record I was vociferously for Beltre and was perhaps the chairman of keep Napoli dump Mathis brigade. I blame Scioscia.

You absolutely have to offer compensation to Vargas at this point.  Generally speaking, your final year of arbitration you usually make approximately 80% of what your AAV would be on the open market, which is to say that according to this logic, Jason Vargas should make approximately 10 million a year on average once he hits free agency.  
 
Now at his age, being left-handed and the premium being put on pitching, I could see Vargas signing for 4 years 40 million somewhere.  But if the Angels could get him for 1 year, 13 million, I'd do it.  Even if Vargas didn't accept it, chances are teams would still be reluctant to sign him because that gives the Angels another early pick.  It could potentially cause a shift in the market for his services and the Angels would be able to sign him to a cheaper deal, or they'll just get another draft pick.  Either way, they win.  

Lock him up now. 12/200. I don't think he would turn that down.

I am shocked at how consistent he has been, and how he has been (quietly) able to repeat what he did last year, more or less.
 
I honestly don't think a $200,000,000 contract is out of the question.  The Angels must lock him up for life, and he is young enough that a 12-14 year contract isn't necessarily unreasonable.  Its funny, for all the hype that Stephen Strasburg has gotten, is there any doubt the Nationals would have drafted Trout No. 1 if they could go back in time?  And just how crazy would Trout's college numbers have been if he had just last month completed his fourth year?   

Good play, but it wasn't as big of a deal as some of you are suggesting.

Good play, but it wasn't as big of a deal as some of you are suggesting.

Very good analysis, great job.

I don't think it has any effect on hand eye coordination, this is a foot we are talking about. What it does affect is his stance and ability to push off his injured foot. That restricts his lower body and saps power just like any hitter that is trying to make contact from the waist up.
 
As for putting him on the DL the question would have to be to what purpose? To rest the foot is the obvious answer but that only temporarily eases some of the inflammation. Once back in the lineup the problem will return.
 
Send him to the operating table? Sometimes these injuries are not curable through surgery. Do we know if it is? No, so that isn't a for sure answer.
 
Do you put him on the DL to put a better player in his place? That certainly would be an option if it were possible but currently there are no better options on the bench. Mark Trumbo did a June swoon and augured his batting average into the Jeff Mathis zone, hitting a whole .200 with a .667 ops. In other words worse than Peg Leg Pujols (.255/.788 ops).
 
For now play him until he says "I give" or the season is a complete collapse and you can shelve him since he cannot change the Angels fate, good, bad or indifferent.

They haven't traded away 15 pitching prospects in the last five years.

Saddam murdered millions of Iraqis. Doesn't mean it was a good thing to get involved and remove him for whatever reasons that were given to the American people. I was 18 years old in 2003 and a supporter of the Iraq War. Hindsight tells me I was dead wrong. If Egypt, Libya, Syria or any other country wants to overthrow their dictator, that's fine by me if it means we don't get involved unless it's absolutely necessary. No need to get involved and get our hands dirty. 
 
Also these dictators may be horrible people but let's not think that among these rebels, there isn't one to replace them. I know it's kind of lame but there is that quote from The Patriot. "Why should we trade one tyrant 3,000 miles away for 3,000 tyrants one mile away."

Blanton and Hanson get destroyed even when they do have their best stuff.

Do you guys remember who used to be our catcher? Do you remember what his OBP was?

Do you guys remember who used to be our catcher? Do you remember what his OBP was?

Do you guys remember who used to be our catcher? Do you remember what his OBP was?

Weaver
Harvey
Corbin
Skaggs
Adenhart

Weaver
Harvey
Corbin
Skaggs
Adenhart

Weaver
Harvey
Corbin
Skaggs
Adenhart

Vargas has been awesome. Either we should get a good prospect or two for him in July, or we should be able to make him a qualifying offer (which he will reject if he keeps pitching this way), or we resign him. Any way, we win.

I can't really think of a Cuban prospect who has busted. Those guys ALL seem to make a seamless transition over here.

Head and Shoulders is probably regretting having these flakes represent them.  

Just like my wife told me a few weeks ago...the Angels are an abusive spouse. They go from treating you great (8 wins in a row), to beating the crap out of you (losing to the Astros).

Even if that trade went through that's 3 seasons before trout was drafted. So many things would therefore change, resulting in likely a different record and a different draft position. We may not even have trout.

Grichuk is an extremely underrated prospect. He has held his own at every level despite being young for the level.

My guess is we see him in Anaheim at some point in the next three months.