Hubs

First off, absolutely no to the Tigers scenario. Kinsler can stay the F off this field.
Players are more than stats. Personality matters. The Angels don't need a guy like Kinsler on the team with his contract. Not when two of the best 2b are on the FA market.
I'd like to see the Angels get Todd Frazier from the Reds. It would likely cost a lot. Young starters, etc. they may not have the depth needed.
If they don't get him or maybe Walker from the Pirates, I'd concentrate on LF via trade (David Peralta being my first choice there). Sign one of the two FA 2b nearly everyone covets. Then let the kids battle for 3b. That should leave enough money for a frontline starter via FA..

The age of consent is the same there as it is here. 

Are you saying that the second round is some sort of gold mine? Or are you saying that when the Angels gave up their first round pick, they didn't get a good pick in the second round?
 
2005. No first round pick. They Signed Orlando Cabrera from the Red Sox who selected Ellsbury with the Angels pick. Their Supplemental First Rounder was Trevor Bell instead of Clay Bucholtz or Luke Hochevar (who didn't sign). They could have taken Chase Headley in the second round, but went with PJ Phillips and Ryan Mount.
 
2007. No first round pick. They Signed Gary Matthews Jr. from the Rangers. The pick was used on Michael Main, who never saw the Major Leagues. Supplemental First round pick was Jon Bachanov (58). They could've taken Giancarlo Stanton (76) or Jordan Zimmerman (67) or Freddie Freeman (78). Their second round pick was given to the Blue Jays for Justin Speier.
 
2008. No first round pick. They Signed Torii Hunter from the Twins. Their second rounders were Tyler Chatwood and no one good was taken in the next few picks.
 
2012. No first or second round pick for Pujols and CJ Wilson. The Pujols pick was Michael Wacha. The 2nd Rounder has not been in the Majors for Texas yet. No one notable taken. The third round was RJ Alvarez who got them Huston Street.
 
2013. No first round pick for Hamilton. Second Round Pick was Hunter Green.
 
I don't see the stars from the second round here except in 2007 and the Angels would've had to select them with their supplemental first rounder.

Lol

The rotation is not fine when guys max out at 5/6 innings a game.

Reggie Willits may have had a different career had he played for NYY

Gonzalez is overrated but still productive. He'd regress in the AL (probably a lot) and would cost a premium young player/prospect. 
Reyes is an injury prone Aybar right now. 
 
I.E. They don't help us compete in the AL West

I know. I was sort of kidding. I do think that the Angels could pursue that package. Taking on that salary is one way to get a legit hitter. And Reyes has not been good for several seasons. It would be a salary dump, basically.
And either Reyes or Aybar moves to second, because as bad as Reyes was defensively last year, he or Aybar would be better than Giavotella that's for sure. And they might catch lightning in a bottle.
 
 
BTW, I'm not super high on those three, even though I may sound it. I'm not delusional in thinking we could get a top player for spare pieces.
 
You are completely right in the fact that the Angels need to add a significant bat or two or three to compete with Texas and Houston…If they can do that by trading one of their top arms I'm all for it. If they had to trade two or three? It had better be someone good.

Are....are you telling yourself that your own post was a bit of a reach?

And...he's eyeing the dusty xbox on the shelf

This guy crossed the line, but while he has his first amendment right to free speech, he is not immune to the consequences of that action. I hate that his despicable "blogging" is being used to characterize Angels fandom in the national media. 
 
As to Hamilton, while I understand that he is an addict, and felt that he needed to be in a place that was the most comfortable for him to continue in his quest to stay drug and alcohol free, he also wants to play baseball. He signed a contract over two years ago and you should always live up to the terms of your contract. Seeing various figures that he gave money back is great, except, he only gave back a portion of the overall contract, sticking his now division rival with a huge financial burden over the next three seasons. I don't like that he orchestrated this trade (He sent them video of him swinging the bat in March allegedly). That's tampering. 
 
He won't be the first athlete to force a trade, but to me, you sign a contract means you fulfill that contract. I don't like holdouts for more money, I don't like athletes who force trades, regardless of their addiction status.
 
And Rev is not wrong about high profile addicts eventually being the cause of their own demise. He was pretty morbid, but the list of recovering addicts who are still successful versus the ones who end up six feet under isn't exactly a even comparison. I can only think of one of two recovering addicts who are at the top of any public field, Robert Downey Jr. being the one I think of first. Compare that to the list of high profile addicts who have ended up overdosing just in the last few years and the odds are certainly against Hamilton.
 
He probably should've retired, kept out of the spotlight. But that isn't going to happen with $80 Million on the table. 

This guy crossed the line, but while he has his first amendment right to free speech, he is not immune to the consequences of that action. I hate that his despicable "blogging" is being used to characterize Angels fandom in the national media. 
 
As to Hamilton, while I understand that he is an addict, and felt that he needed to be in a place that was the most comfortable for him to continue in his quest to stay drug and alcohol free, he also wants to play baseball. He signed a contract over two years ago and you should always live up to the terms of your contract. Seeing various figures that he gave money back is great, except, he only gave back a portion of the overall contract, sticking his now division rival with a huge financial burden over the next three seasons. I don't like that he orchestrated this trade (He sent them video of him swinging the bat in March allegedly). That's tampering. 
 
He won't be the first athlete to force a trade, but to me, you sign a contract means you fulfill that contract. I don't like holdouts for more money, I don't like athletes who force trades, regardless of their addiction status.
 
And Rev is not wrong about high profile addicts eventually being the cause of their own demise. He was pretty morbid, but the list of recovering addicts who are still successful versus the ones who end up six feet under isn't exactly a even comparison. I can only think of one of two recovering addicts who are at the top of any public field, Robert Downey Jr. being the one I think of first. Compare that to the list of high profile addicts who have ended up overdosing just in the last few years and the odds are certainly against Hamilton.
 
He probably should've retired, kept out of the spotlight. But that isn't going to happen with $80 Million on the table. 

The entire reason the site that I write for (MWAH) exists is due to Halos Heaven. We exist to provide the necessary alternative to the hateful articles and even worse commentary you get from that site. It can't be filth, but it also can't be sunshine and rainbows. You offer a view that's honest and propose a solution.
To be honest, I came to AW just for the sake of comparing it to HH, to see if this is what happens to major sites, an infestation of all that is negative. But where HH devolved into a perpetual state if sorrow, I saw AW cleanse itself of such muck. The populous here, (sarcastic in nature as it is) tends to not accept such hatred spewed forth, whereas the folks at HH by and large craved it and fed off of it.
It's a reflection of who is in charge. Chuck and everyone else does a great job at keeping it clean and appropriate while also laid back and fun.
I enjoy writing for MWAH, attending minor league games and tweeting, but AW is the place where my small commentary finds a home. Good natured ribbing, not sociopathic threats.
And I'm GLAD this happened to HH. Now perhaps they have the opportunity to clean up their act and forge a new path. That won't happen without first eliminating the filth that inhabits that board though. Gleason was the biggest turd, but there are still quite a few more to get a handle over before that site becomes a respectable place to inhabit again. The entire environment that's been fostered through that insanity has to change before HH itself can be anything more than a laughing stock.

IMHO, best case scenario is that Josh comes back, has a newfound focus on baseball, and rakes. At this point, that would be closest to getting max value for him. Anything else and Arte gets next to zero value.
 
If we're still gonna have to pay him $83 million, I would like to see him do well for as long as it's possible for him to do so.

It's funny you say that because I remember a few games in September in which they did just that with the 3-6 hitters and maybe even 3-7 sometimes.
By the way, here are my current projections based on recent conversations.
Rutledge 90 pct makes the team, 60 pct starting 2b
Green 50 pct makes the team, 30 pct starting 2b
Giavotella 30 pct makes team, 10 pct starting 2b
Featherston 50 pct makes team, 4 pct starting 2b
Yarborough 5 pct makes team, 1 pct starting 2b
The first number doesn't add up to 100 because 2 or 3 of them could make it. Only one can break camp as starting 2b.
Also guaranteed that Rutledge or Featherston make it bc they are only ones who can play SS well enough.

You want your best hunter with you during the zombie apocalypse 

I think Featherston makes the team over Giavotella or Green, if only because of the option.
 
Other than that, it looks good. I kind of like the idea of Wilson being dealt and Tropeano starting, but it probably won't happen.

I did. Santana was a significantly better pitcher than Joe Blanton, and while he wasn't worth the option price at the time, he would have signed for 2/20 or maybe 3/30 which, they paid 15M to Blanton over those two years. If they hadn't extended Callaspo, whom I also despised, and gone with say Luis Jimenez at the minnimum, would they have been that much worse? They could've afforded Santana.
 
Joe Blanton had a 6+ ERA in 2014, missed a bunch of games, basically sucked. He didn't make the team in 2014.
 
Santana had a 3.24 ERA for KC in 2013, and an ERA in 2014 of 3.95. He vastly out produced Blanton. It was a terrible decision. He also pitched 400+ innings to Blanton's 132.

If you look at the Angels organizational depth chart after this off-seasons moves, it looks a lot better. They sacrificed a lot of what minor league depth they had last year to fix the bullpen. 
 
At 1st Base, They have Albert Pujols. He's 35 for the upcoming season, and the Angels own 7 more seasons of his career. They'll need to eventually draft a replacement, and perhaps Pujols eventually is the full-time DH.  They also have CJ Cron currently slated to be the DH, and Efren Navarro, a AAAA player. No real prospects of any note at this position.
 
At 2nd Base, the Angels were loaded to start 2014, it was the one position of depth, and they had a solid major league starter. Well, one season later, they have traded three of their 2nd baseman, including Kendrick, and acquired at least two more. Yarborough is the best in the system, but Grant Green is no slouch. We'll likely see a platoon between Green and newly acquired Josh Rutledge for 2015, Yarborough likely isn't ready until 2016.
 
At SS, Aybar is under contract for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. They also have recent Cuban Defector Roberto Baldoquin here, who could stick at short, but could also be a 2nd baseman or an outfielder. We may see him this season (likely at 2nd base) or we may see him in 2016. Jose Rondon was likely the top shortstop in the Angels minor league system before being dealt to the Padres for Huston Street, but now that belongs to Baldoquin or Eric Stamets in AA.
 
At 3rd, Freese is under contract for 2015, but they just acquired his replacement in Kubitza who could see time here in 2015. Former top prospect Kaleb Cowart is stuck at AA. 
 
At C, the Angels didn't have much depth in the minors, which makes me wonder why they didn't put Cron back there to see if he could do it. He was a catcher in college. He'd definitely have been a offensive minded catcher, and the Angels do put a premium on defense from the position, but perhaps he could be a back-up guy? His shoulder has to have healed by now…They have a solid starter in Chris Iannetta, and traded their backup to the Astros for a SP and backup candidate Carlos Perez. They also acquired backup Drew Butera from the Dodgers.
 
In the OF, the Angels have six seasons of Mike Trout, five seasons of Kole Calhoun (who can also play 1st) and three more seasons of Josh Hamilton. Backups Navarro, Cowgill, and others are solid if not spectacular backups. They don't really have an impact OF at this point, but took three OF in the top 10 picks of the 2014 draft who will take several years to develop.
 
At DH, they'll have Cron and newcomer Matt Joyce. Cron is the future here, whether in a DH/1B Platoon with Pujols or maybe as a said before as a C/DH/1B guy. I don't know if that would happen, but finding a capable DH isn't going to be hard with Pujols, Hamilton, and Cron under control for the foreseeable future.
 
Pitching wise, DiPoto turned an awful bullpen into a spectacular one last year, and even though they lost Jepsen via trade and Grilli via FA, they acquired Cesar Ramos from Tampa Bay and still have every other member of the pen who was on the playoff roster. They have several more live arms in the minors headlined by Gott and Bedrosian.
 
In The rotation, they are set in 2015 with Weaver, Richards, Wilson, Shoemaker, and Santiago, and if one of them falters Andrew Heaney, Nick Tropeano, and others will be waiting to step in. In 2016, Skaggs will be able to pitch again after Tommy John Surgery. They control Weaver and Wilson through 2016, control Santiago through 2017, Richards through 2018, and Shoemaker through 2019. Heaney and Tropeano both made their debut's for limited appearances in 2014, so they likely will have them through 2020. All of the other minor league depth including Ellis, Gott, and Newcomb, at AAA, AA and A, who all should have much improved rotations would be under control through at least 2020, more likely 2022. So…they're set. 
 
After this Kubitza trade they will only really need to look at 1st base, C, and the OF offensively in future drafts, while continuing to build depth at every other positions. They have no urgent needs. 

To the mound. Cowart had a 95 MPH fastball in high school. Most teams viewed him as a pitcher, but he wanted to play offense. If he doesn't get it together at the plate this season, he'll move to the mound.

Moncada is definitely talented, more so than Baldoquin. I can see the Angels signing him, but I think more likely he goes to a team on the East Coast.
 
I agree thought that the max outlay including the Tax should be in the $50-$60 M range. Not in the $100 M range as had been speculated. 

I don't like the lineup versus lefties. Iannetta shouldn't bat in front of Trout. I'd think Beckham (I still think they are going to resign him) or Rutledge or Aybar is there against lefties.

Wilson was good last year before he got hurt around the beginning of June. At the end of May he had a 3.05 ERA. After a bad start against Houston where he didn't make it out of the 3rd, he pitched an excellent game against the White Sox (1 Run in 7 IP). The Braves got him for 4 runs in 6 innings in his next start, then had an excellent start against the Indians (1 run in 7 IP). He either got hurt after this start, or in his next one, as in the next four starts he allowed 21 runs in 16 2/3 innings. That's an 11.34 ERA. He then went on the DL for a sprained ankle and returned a month later. CJ had never missed a start until this season. Even in with a couple of bad starts factored in, he had a 3.34 ERA before this run of 4 starts.
 
When he returned in the second half, it was clear he still wasn't healthy. His season should be split by the first fifteen starts, which was 99.67 innings and a 3.34 ERA (Just over 6 2/3 IP per start) and his second 16 starts, which is 51 ER in 76 innings. (just over 4 2/3 IP per start, 6.04 ERA).
 
It's not that he suddenly forgot how to pitch to such drastic results. He had an ankle issue, but there was something else going on, that he wasn't talking about.
 
And Santiago was excellent in the second half. He should've had the 3rd playoff start. In 12 starts and 3 relief appearances he had a 2.98 ERA. He had good months of June, July, August, and had one disaster of an outing in September, but was otherwise excellent. 
 
For a pitcher under the age of 25, I don't know what you are expecting. Both of these guys are legit pitchers. Wilson may be on the downside of his career, but Santiago definitely is on the way up. Richards had a 4.16 ERA in his third season, should we have cut ties with him before last year too? 

not a bad deal.
 
We've gotten about all there is to get from Jepsen -- and his best was fairly average.
 
but he's been with us for a while........
 
Matt Joyce is sort of a strange pick up -- we've got plenty of OF'ers and need pitching.......but, what the heck.
 
Loss of Jepsen no major big deal - wish him well in new surroundings.

Calhoun is a cheap very productive player. With 5 players making over $100 million in Salaries (Hamilton, Pujols, Trout, Weaver, Wilson), they need this type of asset to fill out the roster.
 
They will not trade him. 
 
Joyce is a nice add to balance the lineup out. He's a productive lefty, former All-Star, and a solid DH/Backup OF candidate. He is the starting DH in my opinion. Cron had a bad year last year in regards to OBP, Joyce solves that. Cron can play at AAA, and Cowgill can DH or play the OF when they face a lefty. Joyce is the replacement for what Ibanez was supposed to be. 
 
Krauss hit .200 in the majors, he's not a huge add. Brennan Bosch replacement. 
 
In my opinion, the lineup against righties now looks like
 
Calhoun
Joyce
Trout
Pujols
Hamilton
Freese
Iannetta
Rutledge/Green
Aybar
 
And against lefties
 
Calhoun
Cowgill
Trout
Pujols
Freese
Cron
Iannetta
Rutledge/Green
Aybar