Angels

They still counted, regardless of how he got them. I am hoping for 2011 Pujols. Not close to vintage Pujols, but still a force.

Pujols is on pace for almost 60 HR. That's obviously not going to continue.. as much as I hope it does. And vintage Pujols took a lot of walks and got on base at a very high rate. This one does not. Vintage Pujols also had a higher BABIP than this current version. I would gladly take a .900 OPS from him if doable.

Up to .282/.354/.606 while leading the majors in homers. Vintage Pujols is long gone.. but I would gladly take something close to his current numbers.

Not quite true in regards to the amount you're talking about. And regardless of the $, insurance protects the Angels against catastrophic injury. Every team gets it to protect themselves. Also, what are players going to be making in 2020? How big will the cap limit be by then? Hell, look at what marginal players are making nowadays. What are they going to be making well into the future? What Trout would've/could've gotten this year could end up looking like peanuts not too far from now. Once Trout becomes a free agent and if he stays productive and healthy, he is going to absolutely DWARF what he could've gotten from the Angels @ a 13-year deal. Oh well.

You have a potential once-in-a-lifetime type talent who was willing to basically be an Angel for life (through age 36), and the Angels said no? Pretty dumb. Yeah, every long-term contract comes with a big downside risk, but Trout is well worth the risk. He's a special player. By the time Trout's current deal expires with the Angels, Pujols will only have one more year left on his contract. Pujols would be the only one still under contract by the time Trout becomes a free agent in his current deal. And with salaries escalating and budgets getting bigger and bigger, there is no reason why they felt the risk wasn't worth the reward. Also, afraid of a potentially catastrophic injury? That's what insurance is for. Just don't get this.

I don't think the Angels are willing to trade Howie, anyway. They are trying to make the postseason. Every win counts in what is expected to be a really tight division. Who would replace Howie? Green? Green can't play defense and there are legit questions about his bat, too. And while I like Lindsey's potential, that's still a lot to expect from a rookie. I mean, Howie is a good player. I think the only way Howie gets traded this season is if the Angels are out of the race. Or during the offseason.

There is no way in hell you trade Howie Kendrick for a reliever. I'm pretty sure Dipoto would agree. I think. Or hope. Howie is an above average starting 2B signed for cheap. You don't trade guys like that for a reliever.

I don't think my posts have been mostly negative at all. The rant thread can skew someone's perceptions. Before the season started, I felt good about the Angels chances of making the postseason. I still kinda do, though maybe I'm not quite as optimistic as I was at the time. I've also given praise to the team and players when due and constructive criticism when necessary.

That stretch can easily make or break the season.

What tdawg87 said. DDLR was pretty damn good last year. Simply looking at how many inherited runners DDLR allowed to score can be misleading without context. For example, how many outs were there when he came into the game? How many runners were on base? And where exactly were those baserunners at (3B? 2B? 1B?). Plus, sample issue.

The schedule has been weak. 4 games against the pathetic Astros (even if improved), 3 games against the awful Mets and 5 games against the improved but still average-ish Mariners? Forgive me for not being optimistic after a 6-6 start against two shitty teams and a divisional rival that destroyed us without Iwakuma or Walker... And we even dodged Felix during the 2-game series. We will see what the Angels do against real competition.

Santiago is a big flyball pitcher with serious control issues. Not exactly a recipe for success as a SP. If he can somehow limit the walks, he can be solid. But I doubt that will happen. He has always had control issues, even in the minor leagues. And pitchers with control issues for this long rarely ever improve that... at least not by a huge amount.

Hitting for power is the only thing he does well. Everything else he does is below average to awful. Trumbo's WAR at the moment: a cool 0.0 Position players on the Angels with a higher WAR than Trumbo at the moment: Trout, Hamilton, Cowgill, Conger, Aybar, Calhoun, Pujols, Shuck, Ibanez, McDonald, Stewart, Ianetta, and Kendrick. Trumbo's power is nice, but it quickly gets offset by his awful defense, below average baserunning and god-awful OBP.

I can't believe someone would compare Conger with Wood. *facepalm* Conger has shown that he can actually play at the ML level and be a serviceable catcher.

Whoops. He wasn't with the organization when he retired. I was thinking of Gel Meche from a few years ago.. though he was with the Royals before he retired.

Anyone notice how Butchy's visits never amount to anything positive for the pitcher afterwards? #useless

This is the part where Shoemaker blows the tie, isn't it?

He's good and really underrated by the sabermetric community because of getting results the unconventional way (limiting hits allowed per ball in play, which he has done consistently). Excellent signing.

Ironic coming from the poster child of name-calling.

This is the rant thread, dumbass.

Winning in extras>winning comfortably in 9, apparently.

You try too hard. Stop.

Great news going into extras: Scioscia is stuck with Smith and Frieri

What the f*ck, Raul.

I wonder what goes through a pitcher's head when Butchy goes out there to talk to them? What does this joker even say to them? Whatever it is, they sure seem to get smoked right after. It's going to be a great day for Angels baseball when Scioscia and Butcher get fired. Here's hoping it's sooner rather than later!