jsnpritchett

See my posts above, though. He announced the team was for sale in late August. A deal might not be officially completed until late next season, but I would be shocked if we don't have some idea of who the new owners will be long before then--so it's unlikely that anything that happens next year would impact the sale price or a buyer's perception of what the team is/could be.

But they haven't been good for a while now, and it's unlikely that the sale price of the team is impacted much one way or the other between now and the time a new owner is found. Presumably, people have already been kicking the tires for a while now, so the value has probably more or less been established, at least within a certain range.

I don't think they're going to cut payroll in any significant way. They really can't, even if they wanted to, given the nature of the contracts that are on the books. I'm just saying that I don't think we'll see them sign any big long-term contracts (e.g., I'd be shocked (but happy!!) if they got one of the big SS free agents) or any Syndergaard-style contracts (i.e., one-year, $20M+-type deals). My guess is that they'll boost the floor a little, improving some of the backup options, and maybe bring in a $5M-a-year-type SP, and a couple of moderately-priced bullpen options.

This is just speculation, but it seems to me like Moreno is just over it all and wants to be done, given all the drama with the city, various lawsuits, continued losing, etc. If I'm him, I'm not going to add to the payroll for next year, as the sale price of the team isn't going to be impacted by how successful the team is next year. There's not much of an incentive for him to spend more. I certainly wouldn't if I were him. They dumped the Iglesias contract for basically nothing, so I don't really get the impression Moreno is focused on winning next year. (And lest any of the usual suspects jump in here: obviously as a fan, I want them to dramatically improve the team for next year and beyond. The above is just my interpretation of how they may be thinking from a business standpoint.)

But he also said, "I'm happy he's healthy," so it's a little confusing.

I've already explained it multiple times. I can separate what I might want as a fan from the realities of how things operate from a business standpoint. The team is being sold. It's in Moreno's best interest to keep costs and long-term commitments to a reasonable level. Signing Nevin to a one-year deal gives maximum flexibility at the managerial level. If the team does well next year and the new owners think Nevin played a big role in the success, great, they can extend him. If they have a bad year or they just want to bring in their own manager for whatever reason, then having Nevin on a one-year deal obviously makes that easier to do, too. I'm not suggesting that a manager's deal of any sort would be as much of a potential albatross as an Upton-type deal. I'm just saying that there is zero incentive from either Moreno's standpoint or a potential new manager's to sign a multi-year deal, given the uncertainty of the franchise moving forward.

Rocket City is participating in this: https://www.milb.com/news/marvel-designed-minor-league-team-logos-rolling-out-for-2023 "On the eve of Major League Baseball’s Postseason, where baseball’s heroes shine bright, Minor League Baseball and Marvel Entertainment today will begin releasing the team logos designed by Marvel’s legendary illustrators for the 96 teams participating in the “Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond” special event and content series. The Marvel-created logos featuring MiLB teams’ unique brands and mascots will be worn on-field for the first time in 2023."

Maddon was fired on June 7, but I think it was before the game that day, right? I think the numbers I posted earlier for Wade might have been correct. The larger point is that he was a terrible hitter regardless of who was managing and it's a good thing that a) he played less under Nevin, and b) was eventually released.

Ok, I'm officially done. Basically none of what you're saying is logical. I'm sorry that we can't get on the same page. I don't understand you at all. Hopefully we can both find some enjoyment in whatever happens next season.

I'm now convinced that this is a bit or some sort of long-term con/performance art. Right? That's the only logical reason for your posting patterns at this point... In 2021, Walsh hit at an All-Star level before declining this year and being hurt. And the people who filled in for Rendon and Trout in 2021 were bad, but not AS bad as the total wipeouts the Angels ran out there this year. Also, offense was down overall this year. In 2021, the average AL team scored 4.6 runs per game. In 2022, the average AL team scored 4.22 runs per game. Context matters.

Again, we've been over this numerous times. You simply refuse to even consider the most likely and logical reasons that Nevin was hired for next year (i.e., that it provides the most flexibility for the new owners and leaves the team with one less long-term commitment). It is genuinely confusing to me as to why you can't see it.

Are there really an "Nevin-stans" here? I'm certainly not. I think I've been pretty consistent in saying that I'm a neutral at best on him and that I completely understand why the Angels are bringing him back for 2023. I don't think it's likely that he's any kind of long-term solution, but in a transitional season, it's a logical decision. I know you'll say otherwise, but if you take a step back and look at the big picture, it makes sense.

Saying you're not being logical isn't "insulting your intelligence." It's saying that, for whatever reason, you're not looking at the data rationally. As for Wade, he was hitting .208/.263/.274 on the day Maddon was fired. What was his final slash line when the Angels let him go, you might ask? Sure, it was .212/.272/.272. What does that mean? He hit .244/.296/.268 after Maddon was fired. So he was objectively terrible throughout the year, but he was, in fact, a "better" hitter under Nevin, if you really want to look at it like that. I'm more than happy to look at any "other possible factors" that you present, as long as they're rational. You just haven't done so, at least that I've seen.

Do you truly believe that something Maddon was doing "took" the Angels to 4.5 runs a game versus something Nevin did that dropped them to 3.5? As has been mentioned numerous times, Trout and Rendon were both mostly healthy during the time Maddon was here this year--plus, Ward was still hitting out of his mind before he ran into the wall. The players who started getting a ton of playing time after the injuries were beyond awful--and even though Ward mostly played through his injuries, it was abundantly clear they were still affecting him until the last month or so. If you don't truly believe those things accounted for the vast majority of the discrepancy in runs, then you're just not being logical. We have had this discussion here numerous times and for whatever reason, you're still simply unable to grasp it.

*Altar, unless you're trying to change advance metrics...

If I'm not mistaken, Vasgersian has other commitments that run through next season that preclude him from doing Angels games full-time. I'm not sure what, if any, kind of under-the-table deal they made with him beyond 2023. I would imagine that'll probably be another thing that the new owner(s) might decide (i.e., whether or not to proceed with him full-time).

Stassi's defense was down this year, along with his offense. Sure, he had one year (plus the weird pseudo year of 2020) in which he was a plus offensively and defensively--but that seems to be the outlier, not the standard. I still have a feeling that O'Hoppe will get significant time behind the plate next year.

I'm sorry that he hurt you. I can recommend some counseling resources to help you get over what is clearly a deeply personal issue that will require some time and effort to get through.

Correct. The injured guys were replaced by incredibly shitty guys--and then when those shitty guys not surprisingly continued to be shitty, they were replaced with even shittier guys, who, SHOCKINGLY, also performed terribly. Who could have guessed?

Still think it's weird that they're going to go through with this, but whatever! There are definitely bigger challenges facing the team...

Exactly. I continue to be baffled by why some people here seem to go out of their way to find things to object to when it comes to him.