fanfromday1

I believe that it will involve more than just one team if we hope to get adequate replacement for Mike Trout. Just a hypothetical example: The Angeles trade Trout to the Phillies for Hernandez and a good minor league pitcher. The Phillies then trade a player(s) to the Reds for Eugenio Suarez who is then sent to the Angels to complete the Trout trade. (Since this is only a hypothetical example the Phillies and Reds can work out their own agreement on who the player(s) would be that they exchange to complete their end of the trade).

Several posters here on AW have been advocating that the Angels sign Bryce Harper. I’m not opposed to the idea, because he would fill a significant hole in our offense and would fit nicely in right field. However, many opposing posters point out how his possible mega contract could affect any other acquisitions the Angels could make. And I agree with this last point as well, because several other teams are going to be in the hunt for Harper which is going to drive up his potential worth. One of those teams, I believe, is going to be the New York Yankees, because it has been rumored that the Yankees have coveted him for years. However, at the present time the Yankees have a full outfield of very good players. Judge, Hicks, Stanton, McCutchen, Gardner, and even Jacob Ellsbury (presently on the DL). I have even seen statement saying that Bryce Harper has mentioned he would also like to play for the Yankees. Back in June or July of this year, when the Nationals were playing at Yankee Stadium, Bryce Harper even shaved off his beard amongst speculation that he was auditioning for the Yankees. So, if both Harper and the Yankees have such admiration for each other why don’t we step in and help them achieve that outcome. Let’s take one of their outfielders off their hands. Personally, I really like Hicks. He’s a switch hitter, can play all three outfield positions, is only 29 years old, and he’s a local Southern Californian from San Pedro. But I don’t think the Yankees are going to want to trade away their best centerfielder. Now, how about some out-of-the-box thinking. What if we traded for Giancarlo Stanton. He would be a lot cheaper than Harper, and he was the talk of this board last off-season. Many here came up with several different scenarios about how the Angels could fit him in under our salary cap. Is there a reason that those scenarios wouldn’t work this year? Getting Stanton would also take a large chunk out of the Yankees payroll and would free up enough money for them to make a better offer for Harper. If we were to relieve the Yankees of such a large portion of their payroll, by taking Stanton off their hands, we may be able to get him for a substantial discount. Word is that they will be looking for some pitching this off-season. Would a left-hander like Skaggs, plus a couple of low-level minor leaguers be sufficient?

Just some 'Out-of-the-Box' thinking here, and I'm sure it won't be a popular idea, but what if the Angels offered Pujols a new contract with a '1' year extension. Something like they did with Upton last year. Give him a contract for an additional year at a very low amount that would lower his average salary over the next few years. Then just keep him on the team as a pinch-hitter only. Would something like that offer the Angel sufficient salary relief ?

Could be the previous land owners.

I'm sure he will get a big ovation tonight when he takes the field, and when he comes to bat. I'm very anxious to see how Mike reacts. Will he acknowledge the crowd and tip his hat, or will he bow his head and shed a tear or two? Whatever happens, I know it will be a very emotional moment for him.

Lou, it's kind of the same way with humans. If the breasts are larger, then it's probably female. Just an FYI.

Depending on which one or two players you add, it could really effect the teams salary cap. Unless the MLB raises the cap to allow for more players.

Back in the 1950's the old 'Hollywood Stars' of the PCL wore short pants. The newspapers and fans made jokes about the team and called the team the 'Hollywood Shorts'. Despite the knees being exposed, the players wore high socks with special rubber sewn in just below the knee to act like a sliding pad to protect the players legs and knees during a slide. So Bill Veeck wasn't the first to introduce short pants.

Talk about ugly uniforms. 1976 White Sox.

Amazing shots. Thanks for sharing.

Now when Scioscia puts our catcher (Arcia) in to pitch he now can move our 3rd baseman (Ward) to catcher. A typical Scioscia "Double-switch'.

Are there any good players that are available from Japan this off season? Just asking because it looks like we have discussed about every possible option MLB has to offer.

I think the poll is out dated too. And in a way 'if you became a fan' only because we won a World Series, it sounds a bit like you are a bandwagoner type of fan. The Question probably wasn't meant to reference that, but it kind of sounds like that to me. What if the Question was rephrased to something like: "Were you a fan before or after Mike Trout became an Angel?" Again, it kind of sounds like you are asking the Question of: "Are you a bandwagon fan and going to stop being an Angel fan if Trout moves on to another team?" I wonder if the Cubs had a Question like this on their board before the 2016 season? "Were you a fan of the Cub's before or after they won their last World Series back in 1907?" I just hope someone has the common sense to take this Poll down from the Angels Win Board so it doesn't remain at the top for 109 years. (God forbid that it takes us that long to repeat).

Have the Angels and Cleveland switch Divisions. If the Angels were in the AL Central Division they would be in 1st place (and there would be less negativity around here). And if Cleveland were in the AL West, they too would find themselves in 4th place.

More Doubleheaders. Not the Day - Night Doubleheaders like they have now. I want the old-fashion kind where 2 games were played on the same day in front of the same crowd.

Here are some more ridiculous, stupid rules that Baseball could implement. (All are done in jest). Move the pitching mound back. Because so many pitchers today are throwing 100 mph or above, the pitching mound should be moved back 2 feet in order to give the batter that extra split-second to react to the speed of the pitch. And the Batter more time to sh!t his shorts when Chapman pitches. Allowing bats to be made out of a substance other than wood. I’m not talking about aluminum or synthetic bats here. Hitters are already hitting the ball at unheard-of exit velocities. I’m talking about bats made out of a softer material, like sponge. It seems the act of bunting has become a lost art. So, a bat made out of a softer material would allow even the most inapt of batters to be able to lay down a soft bunt. Limiting the leadoff distance for baserunners. A line will be drawn in the baseline 10 feet away from every base, and no runner may extend their leadoff beyond that point. This will allow catchers (especially those with weak arms) a better chance of throwing out a runner trying to steal the next base. And, because the baserunners leadoff will be shorter there won’t be as many attempted pickoffs by the Pitcher, which will keep the game from slowing down. Designated Runner. The designated runner would be allowed to enter the game once every inning as a replacement for a slower baserunner. This designated runner would be known as the F.L.A.S.H. (aka, Faster Legs for A Slow Hitter). The ‘FLASH’ would be a nonplayer, in that he would not be a hitter, fielder, or pitcher at any time during the season. The FLASH’s sole job on the team would only be that of a designated runner. (Usain Bolt anyone?) Gambling in the Stands. It’s finally time to allow the fans to do online wagering on baseball from the comfort of their seat at the ballpark. Why should the fans have to go to ‘online sites’ to place their bets. Let each ballpark set their own odds on each play. Technology has improved enough that the fan should be allowed to wager from their handheld device, to the Ballparks gaming site, as to whether the next batter gets a hit or makes an out. Or, even if the next pitch is called a strike or a ball. (I know we do it when my friends and I go to a ballgame, we pass a beer cup. For each batter, the person holding the beer cup, bets on what the batter will do during that at-bat. If his guess is wrong, he drops a dollar in the cup and passes it to the next person. And this continues until someone makes the correct guess. And that person gets to keep whatever amount of money is in the cup). Bring back Ladies Night. Many years ago every Thursday night used to be Ladies Night at the Ballpark, and all women got in free. What ever happened to this phenomenon? I always thought it was a good idea to have more women in the stands. (Especially with the skimpy clothes that women wear now). Between innings, at a ballgame, things can get rather boring. But if there were more women in the stands, and you had a good pair of binoculars, perusing the stands would be fun again. Oh yeah, and management would have more Thursday night sellouts as well.

December 1960 and January 1961 were the most important thing to ever happen to the Angels Franchise. Just sayin!

Welcome back EY jr.

Thanks Dave Saltzer, very interesting read. Guess that's why GM's appoint people they have worked with before to their staff so they can get the swing votes on their side.

Ty Cobb threw out the 1st Pitch at the Angels first ever home game at Wrigle Field in 1961. I was there with my Dad. We were both big PCL Angel fans before the Dodgers came to LA. And it didn't take us long to become fans of the new Angel team. greginpsca pointed out that Cobb passed away in 1961. I remember how weak he looked when he threw out that 1st Pitch on Opening Day. I wasn't old enough to ever see him play, but he sure wasn't the legendary player I had pictured in my mind. My Dad died shortly after that game also.

I read this article awhile back. https://www.mlb.com/news/national-league-could-add-dh-before-long/c-162404308

Sure, let's trade Skaggs (currently our best pitcher) and get back prospects. Then do just the opposite and trade our top prospects (plus some of the ones we just acquired) to the Giants and get Madison Bumgarner. Yea, stupid trade idea I know, because some people here overvalue prospects. If we trade Skaggs, I want a major league player back in return, not prospects. If they want Skaggs, tell them to send us 'The Judge' and we'll include a prospect. Then listen to them say 'NO' just as loud as I am saying NO to this purposed trade now.

Whoever recommended stem-cell recovery for Richard's needs to be _____________ (fill in the blank). I think Ohtani now needs to rethink his evaluation as well.

That's the same line-up we have this year, and were fighting to hold onto 4th place. I agree with Dtwncbad, we need offensive upgrades, and I don't think our prospects are ready yet. Let's don't rush them. Two superstars would really be nice, but two quality upgrades (like we thought we were getting in Cozart, and Kinsler), would sure be helpful. The bull-pen problems should be discussed in another topic, because it is a problem, but this topic seems to be more centered about offence.

I'd much rather see players that have had successful 2018 seasons than just have some one compete just to sell tickets. JD Martinez, Judge, Machado, Stanton, Betts, Jose Martinez, have had much more AL success this year than Ohtani. Even Trout would draw more interest than Ohtani, but I don't think he is going to compete.