halosfan1970

There will be a transition period. The TJ surgery set Skaggs' development back a year at least. He was developing well in 2014. Hopefully, optimism is warranted, and Heaney and Skaggs are a solid mid-rotation duo for the next five years.

That would be a painful overpay. Plouffe is a 29 year old version of the 32 year old David Freese. Wouldn't you think, Santiago would be better as a trade piece in a trade for Neil Walker (2B)?

The Twins need relievers. If he netted us two years of Plouffe, it's worth considering. However, I agree with you and Scotty. He performed well in 40 games last year, and I think he has even more long-term upside. Unless the offer is an MLB roster piece that improves the 2016 and beyond roster, keep Gott.

Not as funny as seven different fake Korean names like "Bung-hole Park" but still a solid effort at AW humor :-)

Exactly. When Jered Weaver brings out that 57 mph curveball, everything will be fine.

It's almost like he's the original Grichuk.

This is AW... Puerile humor is encouraged.

He was great in The Shawshank Redemption.

Unsubstantiated interwebs rumors state that Howie Kendrick snatches OC childrens' Tooth Fairy money before they wake up in the morning.

Tyler Skaggs was developing well in 2014 before his surgery. His ERA that season may not show it, but he was really improving start over start. He was learning how to sequence his pitches; he was learning how to put away batters after getting ahead 0-2; and he was learning how to avoid the Santiago style 3rd inning meltdown after a leadoff walk and a single. Those are the things that have to be experienced and learned at the MLB level. If he comes back well from surgery, he is capable of forming a strong lefty 2-3 punch with Heaney in the Angels' rotation.

I can see Trevor Gott being a very desirable trade target for other teams. He's 23, he's pre-arbitration, and he has a 95 mph fastball with with wicked lateral movement. If he can develop even an average slider and changeup to go with the fastball, he's going to continue to be very good. He outperformed RJ Alvarez in 2015, that's for sure.

Based on last year's metrics with the Dodgers, Kendrick's defense is in decline. His consistent, solid offense is his real selling point. Giving up a 1st round pick for Kendrick or Murphy at 2B is tough, but if the 1st is already surrendered for LF, giving up the 2nd for 2B seems reasonable.

I'm not defending the slur in this post, but the AW moderators and staff seem to have no problems with various forms of offensive and puerile comments. Why this one?

What percentage of topics on AW eventually have a post about the Angels trading Grichuk in the Freese deal?

This makes the most sense regarding CJ Wilson. He's tough to trade now before teams see how he's rebounding from surgery. If he pitches well during the first half and the team plays well, it would be a mistake then to trade him at the July deadline. The real trade window for Wilson is Spring Training. If Wilson doesn't pitch well, it's all moot.

You're thinking of Thai prostitutes not Chinese.

Freese as injury prone is one of those AW narratives. He missed time the last two years due to HBP broken fingers. If someone wants to argue that at 33 he isn't durable enough for a 150 game season (he's a 135 game per year player), that's fair. However, Freese is not injury prone.

Bourjos? OMG!!! We lost Grichuk. We still have five years of complaining about that.

Yeah, those old bags of Bugles. Those salty little cones of fried corn mush. Mmmm.... But, I also think "snacks" is a Chinese slang term for prostitutes. Just like OF defense, one should never overpay for Chinese prostitutes either.

The decision made sense. Freese would have accepted it. I have respect for David Freese's game. I think in the right circumstances a 2-3 year deal makes sense. But... $15.8m for one year of Freese would be an abomination.

The Pirates may not be willing to part with Walker at a reasonable cost, but he is in his last year of arbitration. His projected arbitration salary is $10.7m for 2016, and the cost conscious Pirates are unlikely to spend to keep him beyond 2016. He's not a plus defender at 2B (like -1 DRS.) Like Freese he seems to field what is hit at him. With only one year of control left on Walker, I think a solid, controllable relief arm plus a middling prospect is reasonable. I think a starting pitcher like Santiago is a significant overpay for one year of Walker.

I know it isn't flashy, but the idea of the backend of the lineup with Freese ( R) at 3B and Neil Walker (S) at 2B isn't a bad two year plan. Both project as .260/.325/.420 hitters. The Angels could do worse.

I'm sure Nick Cafardo wants the Angels to eat this bad contract too.

You may or may not have a point about the value of defense in determining a player's overall contribution, but your trade valuation of Santiago is way off. Santiago returning Yelich or Soler is fantasy.

notti makes a fair point about the realistic number of changes in position players between the 2015 and 2016 25 man rosters. It's more of an AW - internet discussion (fantasy) concept to swap six starters than a real life possibility. Starting the 2016 season with new players at 2B, 3B, SS, and LF is a lot. There needs to be some continuity. A new LF is required: an acceptable starter isn't currently on the roster. Replacing Freese at 3B or Giavotella at 2B are both reasonable possibilities (individually), but a new 2B, 3B, SS, and LF is extreme. If the Angels sign a 2B (Kendrick, Murphy, Zobrist), it makes sense to roll with Cowart/Kubitza at 3B. But, going with Perez/Soto at C, Giavotella at 2B, and Cowart/Kubitza at 3B probably isn't wise either.