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I have never really bought into idea that the Pujols contract is a problem.  He is a decent player with a big name.  He underperforms the dollars, yes.  But the contract is not an obstacle.
The Angels are financially limited by Arte's newly found discipline.  They are not limited by the existence of the Pujols contract.

I have never really bought into idea that the Pujols contract is a problem.  He is a decent player with a big name.  He underperforms the dollars, yes.  But the contract is not an obstacle.
The Angels are financially limited by Arte's newly found discipline.  They are not limited by the existence of the Pujols contract.

I have never really bought into idea that the Pujols contract is a problem.  He is a decent player with a big name.  He underperforms the dollars, yes.  But the contract is not an obstacle.
The Angels are financially limited by Arte's newly found discipline.  They are not limited by the existence of the Pujols contract.

I have never really bought into idea that the Pujols contract is a problem.  He is a decent player with a big name.  He underperforms the dollars, yes.  But the contract is not an obstacle.
The Angels are financially limited by Arte's newly found discipline.  They are not limited by the existence of the Pujols contract.

I have never really bought into idea that the Pujols contract is a problem.  He is a decent player with a big name.  He underperforms the dollars, yes.  But the contract is not an obstacle.
The Angels are financially limited by Arte's newly found discipline.  They are not limited by the existence of the Pujols contract.

And what if he blew out his arm that year?  He would have gotten nothing.  This is the point.  He did not give the team a "discount".  He chose $85m now with no leverage(not a free agent yet) over likely more if he stayed healthy and if he performed well until he became a free agent when he would have leverage.  Saying he could have landed a larger contract if he waited to free agency doesn't prove he gave the team a discount.  Apples and oranges.  I actually thought he might be slightly overpaid because I didn't think his stuff was projectable for length of the extension.  In the end, he was highly overpaid in the last two years of that deal.  There was no discount.

Yes, exactly.  It wasn't an accident.  Here is what I literally cannot understand.  This roster, exactly as it is, (to me) is probably two players away from being a threat to not just make the postseason, but to actually have a puncher's chance in the postseason.  Other than final roster tinkering on the low impact level, if they could add two things:
--one guy that has the potential to pitch like a legit #2
--one SIGNIFICANT upgrade at a soft position (3B, 2B, C, or LF, as suggested Maybin ending up a 4th OF)
Then this team could be pretty darn good!  So yes this is easier said than done, but I will also argue that it is not so hard that you do not commit yourself to it.  You go get Tyson Ross.  He isn't going to cost that much and won't be a long term commitment.  It will work or it won't.  But at least you give yourself that upside and hope.
The Angels are in fine shape money wise.  They could easily spend a couple bucks to get an impact player (especially in an expiring contract) and the luxury tax penalty would be peanuts for one year.
It just seems like making 2017 an honestly intellectually-hopeful season is just not that many moves, and not that expensive in the big picture. . . versus 2017 being nothing more than time passing getting to better days.  I don't believe you have to have 2017 be basically a throw away year to stay on the right path to better days.

Yeah, that's fair.  But two things.  I don't QUITE trust WAR as much with pitchers as I do with position players, but that is just me.  It doesn't minimize your point.  The second thing is I do trust WHIP as a quicky look at how good a pitcher is at doing his job (stopping offense from scoring runs).  Lackey's typical WHIP is very much Ervin Santana-like.  And I don't think anyone ever thought of Ervin Santana in the same exasperated breath with the beloved Lackey.

Yes, exactly.  It wasn't an accident.  Here is what I literally cannot understand.  This roster, exactly as it is, (to me) is probably two players away from being a threat to not just make the postseason, but to actually have a puncher's chance in the postseason.  Other than final roster tinkering on the low impact level, if they could add two things:
--one guy that has the potential to pitch like a legit #2
--one SIGNIFICANT upgrade at a soft position (3B, 2B, C, or LF, as suggested Maybin ending up a 4th OF)
Then this team could be pretty darn good!  So yes this is easier said than done, but I will also argue that it is not so hard that you do not commit yourself to it.  You go get Tyson Ross.  He isn't going to cost that much and won't be a long term commitment.  It will work or it won't.  But at least you give yourself that upside and hope.
The Angels are in fine shape money wise.  They could easily spend a couple bucks to get an impact player (especially in an expiring contract) and the luxury tax penalty would be peanuts for one year.
It just seems like making 2017 an honestly intellectually-hopeful season is just not that many moves, and not that expensive in the big picture. . . versus 2017 being nothing more than time passing getting to better days.  I don't believe you have to have 2017 be basically a throw away year to stay on the right path to better days.

Before I know who is coming back, I have to be honest that Bandy was one of the players that was starting to be fun to root for.  Jett is a cool name and I admit I didn't go to the fridge when he was at bat.  Hopefully the return is good.

How many blacks are supposed to be major leaguers?  How many Hispanics are supposed to be in medical school? How many Irish Americans are supposed to be rap stars?  How many Asians are supposed to be in the NBA? How many lesbians are supposed to be ventriloquists?
Lots of work to do here to straighten things out.

How many blacks are supposed to be major leaguers?  How many Hispanics are supposed to be in medical school? How many Irish Americans are supposed to be rap stars?  How many Asians are supposed to be in the NBA? How many lesbians are supposed to be ventriloquists?
Lots of work to do here to straighten things out.

How many blacks are supposed to be major leaguers?  How many Hispanics are supposed to be in medical school? How many Irish Americans are supposed to be rap stars?  How many Asians are supposed to be in the NBA? How many lesbians are supposed to be ventriloquists?
Lots of work to do here to straighten things out.

How many blacks are supposed to be major leaguers?  How many Hispanics are supposed to be in medical school? How many Irish Americans are supposed to be rap stars?  How many Asians are supposed to be in the NBA? How many lesbians are supposed to be ventriloquists?
Lots of work to do here to straighten things out.

How many blacks are supposed to be major leaguers?  How many Hispanics are supposed to be in medical school? How many Irish Americans are supposed to be rap stars?  How many Asians are supposed to be in the NBA? How many lesbians are supposed to be ventriloquists?
Lots of work to do here to straighten things out.

Wondering out loud. . . 
Is Eppler the type of GM that carefully measures available opportunities?
Or is he a GM that knows how to create opportunities?
I think the difference between a decent functional GM and a really good one is if they are good at only the first or good at both.

A young man trying to get rich makes one set of decisions.  Arte is not a young man trying to get rich.  He is an old man who is already pretty filthy rich.  And the one point I would make is I don't think it is even remotely possible for him to spend so much on this team that he ends his life not being filthy rich or not leaving an extremely financially healthy baseball team to his heirs.  Spending foolishly is spending foolishly.  I don't think anyone is asking for that.  But open up a bit and sign Turner for 3B?  Sign a free agent pitcher and then trade from pitching depth for a legit 2B (who may also have a healthy salary)?
This doesn't sound to me like anything more than spending what you have to make the team better, with zero long term financial risk.  

I think what the front office/ownership is failing at right now is convincing the fan base that they really are doing everything they can with the resources available to them to put the best team on the field possible.
When this is going to be most visual is during the Winter Meetings when fans are actually clicking and clicking to see updates on what is happening.  Fans get restless when the team is not good enough AND it doesn't appear that the team is using available resources aggressively to fix that.
Most can agree it is not smart to do something (stupid) just to do something.  But that is not a good argument for not doing something that makes sense.  Under the current circumstances fans want to see ambition, engagement and activity.  We don't see it.  If most fans cannot call what they see right now as ambitious, engaged and active then they are not likely to be very energized and optimistic about 2017 being different than 2016.
Eppler very well could be the hardest working human being at the meetings.  But it doesn't look like he is.  And that matters to fans.  I am not saying what is right or wrong, I am making the observation that the team should not be surprised if the fan base shows some frustration and criticism.

I think what the front office/ownership is failing at right now is convincing the fan base that they really are doing everything they can with the resources available to them to put the best team on the field possible.
When this is going to be most visual is during the Winter Meetings when fans are actually clicking and clicking to see updates on what is happening.  Fans get restless when the team is not good enough AND it doesn't appear that the team is using available resources aggressively to fix that.
Most can agree it is not smart to do something (stupid) just to do something.  But that is not a good argument for not doing something that makes sense.  Under the current circumstances fans want to see ambition, engagement and activity.  We don't see it.  If most fans cannot call what they see right now as ambitious, engaged and active then they are not likely to be very energized and optimistic about 2017 being different than 2016.
Eppler very well could be the hardest working human being at the meetings.  But it doesn't look like he is.  And that matters to fans.  I am not saying what is right or wrong, I am making the observation that the team should not be surprised if the fan base shows some frustration and criticism.

I think what the front office/ownership is failing at right now is convincing the fan base that they really are doing everything they can with the resources available to them to put the best team on the field possible.
When this is going to be most visual is during the Winter Meetings when fans are actually clicking and clicking to see updates on what is happening.  Fans get restless when the team is not good enough AND it doesn't appear that the team is using available resources aggressively to fix that.
Most can agree it is not smart to do something (stupid) just to do something.  But that is not a good argument for not doing something that makes sense.  Under the current circumstances fans want to see ambition, engagement and activity.  We don't see it.  If most fans cannot call what they see right now as ambitious, engaged and active then they are not likely to be very energized and optimistic about 2017 being different than 2016.
Eppler very well could be the hardest working human being at the meetings.  But it doesn't look like he is.  And that matters to fans.  I am not saying what is right or wrong, I am making the observation that the team should not be surprised if the fan base shows some frustration and criticism.

I think what the front office/ownership is failing at right now is convincing the fan base that they really are doing everything they can with the resources available to them to put the best team on the field possible.
When this is going to be most visual is during the Winter Meetings when fans are actually clicking and clicking to see updates on what is happening.  Fans get restless when the team is not good enough AND it doesn't appear that the team is using available resources aggressively to fix that.
Most can agree it is not smart to do something (stupid) just to do something.  But that is not a good argument for not doing something that makes sense.  Under the current circumstances fans want to see ambition, engagement and activity.  We don't see it.  If most fans cannot call what they see right now as ambitious, engaged and active then they are not likely to be very energized and optimistic about 2017 being different than 2016.
Eppler very well could be the hardest working human being at the meetings.  But it doesn't look like he is.  And that matters to fans.  I am not saying what is right or wrong, I am making the observation that the team should not be surprised if the fan base shows some frustration and criticism.

I think what the front office/ownership is failing at right now is convincing the fan base that they really are doing everything they can with the resources available to them to put the best team on the field possible.
When this is going to be most visual is during the Winter Meetings when fans are actually clicking and clicking to see updates on what is happening.  Fans get restless when the team is not good enough AND it doesn't appear that the team is using available resources aggressively to fix that.
Most can agree it is not smart to do something (stupid) just to do something.  But that is not a good argument for not doing something that makes sense.  Under the current circumstances fans want to see ambition, engagement and activity.  We don't see it.  If most fans cannot call what they see right now as ambitious, engaged and active then they are not likely to be very energized and optimistic about 2017 being different than 2016.
Eppler very well could be the hardest working human being at the meetings.  But it doesn't look like he is.  And that matters to fans.  I am not saying what is right or wrong, I am making the observation that the team should not be surprised if the fan base shows some frustration and criticism.

I think what the front office/ownership is failing at right now is convincing the fan base that they really are doing everything they can with the resources available to them to put the best team on the field possible.
When this is going to be most visual is during the Winter Meetings when fans are actually clicking and clicking to see updates on what is happening.  Fans get restless when the team is not good enough AND it doesn't appear that the team is using available resources aggressively to fix that.
Most can agree it is not smart to do something (stupid) just to do something.  But that is not a good argument for not doing something that makes sense.  Under the current circumstances fans want to see ambition, engagement and activity.  We don't see it.  If most fans cannot call what they see right now as ambitious, engaged and active then they are not likely to be very energized and optimistic about 2017 being different than 2016.
Eppler very well could be the hardest working human being at the meetings.  But it doesn't look like he is.  And that matters to fans.  I am not saying what is right or wrong, I am making the observation that the team should not be surprised if the fan base shows some frustration and criticism.

My only correction is this team would sell for $2b.  premium franchise in a premium market with good TV contract and a well established reliable fan base along with the games best player to market.  An ego owner would step up big and pay a HUGE price for this team.

It's not losing hope.  it's boredom.  
It's also the franchise value of 1.34 billion, zero debt, revenue of 312 mil (7th) and 41.7mil in operating income yet the proclamation that we're up against the wall with a payroll of $152 mil.