sockeye

I'm beginning to suspect the Angels are beginning their rebuild, and won't be spending. If that's true, I suspect they'll trade Ward and Rengifo once their value fully peaks and someone comes along with the right offer. Maybe Moniak, maybe Sandoval. 

I’m not sure there’s any indication that he “stormed out.”  If he’s having surgery and won’t be back at the stadium this season, it would be logical to clear out the locker.
That being said, it seems as though this should have been coordinated in advance with the team and a statement issued.  The seeming lack of communication between Ohtani’s agent and the team is what concerns me.  But after seeing that guy’s recent press conference, my fears are somewhat eased.  The agent is a moron.  That was a horrible performance.

Could it just be that he’s opted to have surgery and the team needs to formalize his consent before discussing his decision?

I’m not sure there’s any indication that he “stormed out.”  If he’s having surgery and won’t be back at the stadium this season, it would be logical to clear out the locker.
That being said, it seems as though this should have been coordinated in advance with the team and a statement issued.  The seeming lack of communication between Ohtani’s agent and the team is what concerns me.  But after seeing that guy’s recent press conference, my fears are somewhat eased.  The agent is a moron.  That was a horrible performance.

Could it just be that he’s opted to have surgery and the team needs to formalize his consent before discussing his decision?

I’m not sure there’s any indication that he “stormed out.”  If he’s having surgery and won’t be back at the stadium this season, it would be logical to clear out the locker.
That being said, it seems as though this should have been coordinated in advance with the team and a statement issued.  The seeming lack of communication between Ohtani’s agent and the team is what concerns me.  But after seeing that guy’s recent press conference, my fears are somewhat eased.  The agent is a moron.  That was a horrible performance.

It's the Detroit Athletic Club.  

If he's still producing at this level several months from now, trade him for the best reliever(s) available. 

From my couch in Beijing, China.  Game starts at 10am and I'm taking the day off from work.
 

From my couch in Beijing, China.  Game starts at 10am and I'm taking the day off from work.
 

Trade for Brandon Crawford. 

The whole revolving door around logos and jerseys and colors, etc. is all part of the bigger branding problem this organization has had for years.  Everything from the team name to the revolving door around broadcasters adds to the identity of this team being sort of rinky-dink.   That's just my opinion.  I hate the Dodgers, but their brand has been consistent for as long as I can remember.  Teams like the Yankees, Cardinals, Red Sox and others don't change logos or colors as far as I know and they certainly don't change their names.  Hell, even their broadcast teams seem stable over the years (although I'm not 100% certain of that).  It's like the Angels are always tinkering... they're always trying to fix something that's broken. 
And yes, I know the City connect jerseys are all together different... but the topic prompted me to rant a bit about the overall brand.

My father was a tax lawyer who constantly talked to his sons the way he talked in court. When I was about 14 he announced to me "Your mother found a tape in the VCR that is not ours. We did not watch it but can only assume from the title that it depicts couples having intercourse. Is this yours?"

The Angels will give him an extension and he and Trout will continue to carry a crappy team to somewhere around the .500 mark for the next five or six years.

That’s straight out of an episode of Mad Men. Minasian is not Don Draper.

Stroman has hinted in the past he wouldn't mind playing for the Angels, has expressed his admiration of Joe Maddon, is a huge fan of Mike Trout, has a history with Perry Minasian, Noah Syndergaard and Aaron Loup, and fits the ground ball, quantity in IP approach that Perry is looking for. Perry also seems to be big on clubhouse chemistry and Stroman is well liked. 
I'm guessing he'll be signing with the Angels sometime in the next five days, before December 1, and it'll be a five year, 110 million dollar contract. Which will stun some in the industry, feeling that he left some on the table, which maybe he did, maybe he didn't. 

"THERE GO THE GAWDAMN BROWNIES!"
love that movie. 

Give credit and blame where it's due.
Jared Walsh likely wouldn't be the force he is without Maddon. Shohei Ohtani wouldn't be unleashed like he had unless a manager made the exact decisions Maddon has. Maddon lobbied for Chris Rodriguez to make the Opening Day roster and he's probably their best reliever. There is no amount of maneuvering that can overcome a Jose Quintana start. He isn't specifically losing games based on his personnel decisions.
His bullpen choices leave a lot to be desired. Until Watson got hurt, he should've trusted him way more. He has the track record and recent performance you're looking for. Pitching Mayers every single day until he went on the IL is a recipe for disaster. I love the aggressive base running, but don't let them make stupid decisions in the name of pressure. Ohtani trying to stream 3B last night with Trout at the plate was completely unnecessary.
At the end of the day, the biggest job a manager has, likely occurs in the clubhouse. And as far as the clubhouse goes, there's none better than Joe Maddon. 
He's a good manager. He's NOT a miracle worker.

You are free to point out anything factually incorrect in my Schilling post.

Haren and Weaver should be in charge of all tweets related to baseball.