Dtwncbad

I am so glad somebody has done the deep dive analysis to remedy the minor league crisis by upgrading a couple of meals from Taco Bell to Chipotle.

I think I read that Ohtani already makes more in endorsements than any other athlete? He certainly has no obligation to accept a “discounted” extension offer and the Angels should be trying to make a deal that Ohtani is happy to sign. But given the money he makes from endorsements, his actual playing contract is probably less important overall to his personal financial situation than it is for players that make nothing in endorsements. The parallel reality is a player that is THAT marketable is a pretty safe player to “overpay” because you benefit so greatly from their individual marketability. They will extend him, and I think the number will be huge. And everyone will make money on it.

The irony is Taco Bell has the same foundational philosophy as the field of dreams when it comes to baseball players. If you build it they will come.

I bet my Yankee fan buddy that Heaney would give up 3 homers. So that was fun for me yesterday.

Did it ever occur to you that maybe some of the younger pitchers coming up could be really good bullpen pitchers if they were not needed in the rotation?

Nobody wants a shitty pen. The idea that you WILL have a shitty pen if you get Scherzer is a weird argument.

I never said the bullpen is easy to fix. Nothing is easy. But some things are more difficult than others. Patching together a starting rotation capable of winning a championship on the cheap is probably a far worse bet than spending on the rotation and trying to patch together a competent bullpen on a budget. You are free to disagree. No problem. This is my personal opinion. So when the Angels have shit for a starting rotation for this many consecutive years, yes I would spend a fat price on a 37 year olds Scherzer (who is still dominant) on a reasonable, age appropriate length contract to solidify the top end of the rotation immediately in 2021.

I thought I did but let me be more clear. I would rather have the Angels spend $30m on Scherzer next year than spend $30 on a combination of Cobb and bullpen help where 2/3 of that $30m goes to the pen. It is pretty damn hard to hack together a rotation that has a strong front half of the rotation. It is possible to put together a great bullpen without breaking the bank. If you have money to spend, secure the more difficult pieces with your financial resources. At least you then have a chance. We have seen how patching together a rotation has worked over the last few years. It doesn’t.

The Angels are not bringing in $20m a year worth of bullpen help, so the question is flawed.

I am just noting that there are people wanting to Re-sign Cobb because even though he is not an ace starter, he be that gutty veteran leader for next year. Is there any sane fan that believes it wouldn’t be better to sign Scherzer because he can be that leader and be a beast?

I think the article is stupid. There is so much more money to be made in having Ohtani vs not having him that he is in a special category. I might be impossible to overpay him. He historically elevates the face of the franchise substantially which translates into fan base, interest and loyalty to the club, tv ratings, attendance, etc etc. All of that increases the value of the franchise. The ultimate would be if the Angels could win a World Series with Ohtani and Trout, then this franchise’s relevance overall ratchets up a couple of levels, to a level it has never been before. This would cause the franchise’s value to also reach a level it has never been before. This is not a situation where a team is trying to stay below the luxury tax and has to decide to go with an in house closer rather than sign an elite closer. This is a truly historical figure where (if they are smart) annual cash flow is secondary to building the overall value of the franchise with Ohtani’s historical value. He has to stay. Unless they are stupid. And I guess many may are that they are.

So why didn’t the Angels land a starter they could control through at least next year? Other teams did.

All the fawning over the amazing Blue Jays performances from some amazing individuals is annoying. It’s not that it isn’t true. It is just that the real story is the Angels have a shitty pitching staff that makes it really easy for good players on the other team to show their greatness.

Time to think about what to cook tomorrow

I never want to obnoxiously escalate plunking hitters. But my personal rule of thumb is you better not be letting the opposing team pitch inside more aggressively than you do. Where are the Angels pitchers taking back the inner half? Stop being bitches.

Anemic inning

Marsh’s front shoulder is pulling off the ball. Not gonna to get better until that is fixed.

Hello Upton?

Can you give this to us in a Maddon-style golf analogy?

And you are Max Sassy

In other words, 12 or more weeks.

Maybe the silver lining will be that Minasian will realize he absolutely has to have a bulletproof bullpen if Maddon is the manager?

Let’s play fill in the blank. It looks like Marsh has been refusing to shave until __________.

I still don’t get the “shut Trout down” thing. If there is risk putting him on the field, the calf not being 100%, they will not play him. If he is fully healthy, then you put him on the field. That settles the issue of the calf. What that leaves is are people trying to avoid OTHER risk, worrying he will randomly injure something else in “meaningless” games with the Angels out of it? I mean, you just really don’t do that (“shut down” a franchise player because you are out of it). Otherwise Tony Gwynn and a whole mess of iconic Cubs would have basically never played. If there were 7 games left, OK. But with a good chunk of games left, you play your franchise player because you still try to win games and your fans want to see the premium players when they watch the games.

That is some guilt in the following comment because it isn’t rational, it’s just raw gut feel. Some players don’t feel like they are actually Angels but rather that they are just a guy on the roster this year. Bundy has felt like that for me since they acquired him. It’s not “fair” to the player but that doesn’t mean the feeling isn’t real. I want Bundy to pitch well and win, but at the same time I ultimately really don’t care much if he sucks when the Angels are out of it because I really don’t want the front office to be tempted to re-sign him.