Dtwncbad

https://www.si.com/mlb/2024/03/04/blake-snell-modern-day-ace-pillow-contract-free-agent
 

The knock on Snell has been innings per start and walks.  The article above is an interesting look at how much those things really matter in the big picture of what you are getting overall with Snell.

53 minutes ago, Ochocinco! said:

I do find it fascinating that offensively we lost Ohtani, Urshela, Cron, Grichuk, Stassi, Moustakas, etc. and the one single major league deal we’ve made for a hitter this offseason is bringing in Aaron Hicks… I don’t even mind Hicks but just wild to put into perspective 

Mathematically, isn’t losing a negative WAR player addition by subtraction?

1 minute ago, jsnpritchett said:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39107948/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-opt-walter-friedman-exit

"The Dodgers will pay Ohtani $2 million for every season of his playing career but have to put an additional $44 million into an escrow account to fund the deferrals. The total value of Ohtani's contract when accounting for the deferrals, according to the MLBPA, is $437,830,563. The Dodgers' annual charge toward their competitive balance tax payroll will still be about $46 million."

https://theathletic.com/5133065/2023/12/13/mlb-reaction-shohei-ohtani-contract/

"The Dodgers, though, run by financial expert Mark Walter, might do quite well with the money in escrow.

When a team defers salary, they must pretty quickly put the money aside, so to speak. They are required to start allocating the present value of the deferred money — discounted by five percent — by the second July 1 after the season it was owed.

For example: Ohtani is deferring $68 million in 2024. By July 2026, the Dodgers must fully fund the present value of that $68 million.

But Walter and the Dodgers appear to have considerable freedom as to how to allocate that money. Per the CBA, the team could keep it in cash, or stocks, or “unencumbered assets.” The CBA also allows the league and union to agree on an alternative form, if the parties wish."

 

Super interesting thanks.

6 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Tax money sure.  But 46M is going info escrow starting this season and it's been reported Arte is ruled by the real dollars, not the tax figure.

 

When the money is deferred, I am pretty sure the money isn’t going into escrow every year.  What would be the point of the deferral if the team still had to pay it every year?  It doesn’t help the team to pay money into escrow every year rather than just pay the player.

I believe the moves they have made support the theory that they either did, or still do, want to add a quality starter.  If they don’t sign one, it will be because the price was way outside what they think the price should be.

And given that nobody has signed Snell or Montgomery, it makes sense that maybe it’s because the asking price is outside of what everybody believes it should be.

If the price doesn’t change, it seems like Angels won’t be the team that signs one of them.  If it does soften, I believe the Angel might be the team that acts.

We have to accept the reality of what this roster is today.

This is not a roster to “rebuild.” It’s already pretty darn young, already with lots of guys with upside and controllable years.

If they want to win, this is a roster to add to.

Whether they can or will add to it remains to be seen.

But if they can’t add to this roster, calling for a rebuild as a reaction to the bland, uneventful offseason fully ignores what this roster actually is today.

The next best thing to do outside of adding to this roster is to just wait and let this group develop.

Unless people have a different definition of “rebuild” than me, I just don’t understand the call to rebuild.

My overall take is the post-Ohtani plan is to attempt to be competitive by having a good rotation, a good bullpen, an adequate offense and play good defense.  That profile of a team can be a playoff team.

Adding a good starter fits that plan.  Of course you don’t just throw an insane contract at Snell or Montgomery.  But you absolutely stay close to the market them and be prepared to make a move if the numbers fit the plan.

Until Snell and Montgomery sign somewhere, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to consider the Angels as a possible landing spot.

And repeating, signing a Snell or Montgomery would not prevent the Angels from pursuing somebody like Burnes next year unless they way overpaid for one of them, which they obviously are not doing. . .if they were going to be reckless and overpay, it would have happened already.

19 minutes ago, Blarg said:

They could just be signing somewhere. But at this point it's not going to be Anaheim considering the scope of what Minasin has done this off season. 

I don’t think that is actual logic.  Minasian mostly spent on the bullpen but it has been reported many times that they were looking for rotation pieces.

It is more logical that they have just not liked the asking prices of the rotation pieces and are simply watching closely to see if a deal more to their liking is possible.

16 minutes ago, James said:

No, this isn't looked at as a team that is one piece away. Much more likely for them to sign with a contender once said contender has an injury to a sp this spring or a pitcher isn't looking ready. I think it's unlikely the Angels would make such a move at this point. 

I don’t think the Angels have the farm system to be in the position of being “one piece away.”  So they have to use some free agency to get some players.

I personally reject the idea that you pass on a single player because that one player isn’t the piece that puts them over the top.

it is important to put a quality team on the field even if you don’t make the playoffs.

4 minutes ago, Blarg said:

I think you guys are hanging your hopes on something that isn't going to happen. Be honest with yourselves, do you really believe Minasian would wait this long to make any more free agency offers?

I think whoever is on the spring training roster today is what the Angels are going with opening day. 

So Snell and Montgomery are sitting out 2024.  Blarg, they are signing somewhere.  The Angels have the need and the money.  It’s not crazy talk.  It might not be likely, but CONCLUDING that Angels will not sign either seems like just uncontrolled pessimism.

4 minutes ago, DMVol said:

All that being said, I guess the question is still whether he is in the loop on the club's current thinking on Snell and Montgomery.  He may be delivering an old message, before the Bellinger signing maybe shifted the market.  Don't know....

Yeah he is “in the loop” kinda like the mall Santa Claus at fashion island telling a second grader that a new bike isn’t out of the question.

1 hour ago, Erstad Grit said:

I think Lodge is the worst, unlistenable. However I suspect the angels feed him info with hopes of influencing the fan base. 

Lodge was adamant for a while that Ohtani loved it here, and Arte wanted him here. Suddenly Lodge shifted the narrative to "that's way too much money for one player" and within a week Dodgers signed him. 

Without remembering specific examples I remember Lodge talking up mid tier type of players and suddenly a day later the angels sign them. I think it played out that way with Esteves. When radio boy talks up a FA and then the Angels sign him, I could see that generating excitement for the average fan. 

Lodge is the worst, but I believe the front office uses him to leak their directions with hopes of manipulating and influencing PR.

So when Lodge says they're out on Snell rather than "Snell would be a huge addition", I suspect that is coming from the bosses and is accurate. 

It’s painful to listen to him.  He’s perfect for a 9 year old passionate fan that innocently loves the team, and that’s kind of it.

I would compare his purpose and role to like a Mall Santa Claus.

Just for fun, and probably with exactly as much insider insight as Roger Lodge, I predict Snell signs today.

For someone so close to the Angels, and I assume with some “sources”. . . why do all of instincts tell me Lodge just isn’t a good place to get an accurate read on what’s going on?

3 hours ago, jsnpritchett said:

I would be totally fine if he did balk at that.  By their nature, teams always lose in a player-opt out.

Conceptually, it wouldn’t be always.  For example, if Bellinger mashes next year and opts out, and then the next team suffers in a $200+million contract, then the Cubs win with the opt out.

16 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

But I have a feeling the Yankees will eventually give Snell 6 years

OK, but you don’t have a feeling that the Yankees will outbid the Angels for Burnes?

My point is a “plan” to wait and sign Burnes is only a viable plan if you are prepared to substantially outbid everybody else.

I feel like you chase players that can help you and strike when you have an opportunity to land them.

The worst outcome is to “pass” on players this year and then miss out on the player or players you waited a year to pursue.

14 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Regarding Snellgomery, I’d rather wait a year for a pitcher who checks all the boxes including Halos fan growing up:  Burnes.

Why is it one or the other?  I don’t see how signing Snell or Montgomery would prevent the Angels from going hard after Burnes next year.

1 hour ago, jsnpritchett said:

Just a technicality here, but he wasn't "found innocent."  No charges were ever filed.

Well to be very technical, nobody is ever “found” innocent.  You ARE innocent until proven guilty.  So Bauer is technically legally innocent.

8 hours ago, TroutField said:

I don’t like or dislike him.

This isn’t very believable.

I am not saying I am optimistic the Angels will be real WS contenders in any way.

But I saw +15000 on one site and +18000 on another site for them to win the WS.

I am pretty sure I’m going to throw a few bucks on that.

4 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

I'm only commenting on what he said, which is that that baseball isn't a top priority. No speculation needed, unless you think he's lying.

He said baseball IS a priority.  Everyone is getting hung up on him saying baseball isn’t a “top priority.”  But then he clearly says the things he considers higher priorities (what do count as his “top” priorities) are his family and his faith.

He could have handled all this better to appease fans thirsty to hate him, but what he ACTUALLY said is pretty hard to criticize.

2 minutes ago, TroutField said:

Hahahah yeah that’s what it is. Has nothing to do with him crying about doing a job he is paid $35 million a year to do because he wants to spend time with his family

 

my point is if it’s too much, retire. 

Just show me where he said playing baseball and having a family is “too much.”  He didn’t.  You have a wonderful imagination.

17 hours ago, Swordsman78 said:

Strad is in mid season form already.   My first spring training take gets a "dumb" response.

I vote for a Spring training "truce" where posters should be allowed to post whatever they want in without getting bad comments.  After all it is Spring training and we are all just getting back into form after football season.

Your first post back is a predictable Phil Nevin worship post, and you complain that it is met with the same predictable reaction to all of your other four thousand Phil Nevin worship posts?

7 minutes ago, TroutField said:

Sounds like a bunch of excuses made for an entitled millionaire. 

No more like an honest attempt to understand what has actually happened that could explain his words/behavior.

And the “entitled millionaire” comment is just weird.  Just sounds like unhealthy money envy to me.