Declined

So far three washed up vets have opted out. 
Cool..
So Ian Desmond, why didn't you file a complaint before? I'm guessing he laughed at those clubhouse jokes before, but now because it's cool to jump on everyone is a racist bandwagon and let's cancel everything, especially since he'll probably never be in a clubhouse again...why not?
 

This makes me wanna play this game again. By the way, players take time to learn new positions so if you move trout to left or right, his rating will be bad but just takes some time. Players actually learn positions faster in spring training so you can't move players around  for experience. Sincerely, ex-ootp addict 😂  

You should look for a team trainer who has a excellent or legendary rating in the "prevents arm injuries" category. Probably wouldn't help because well...Angels baseball but still worth a shot.
Also, as someone who's been addicted to this game since about ootp14, I wanna thank you all for letting me live vicariously through your ootp updates since I finally skipped out on getting it this year 😂 this game is so immersive & it only gets better as you play more seasons & watch your prospects grow up. 

Taylor Ward in RF? This......should be interesting. Tequila shots everytime he misplays a ball out there. 

TEMPE, Ariz. — Mickey Callaway’s strategy for fixing the Angels’ pitching staff is a simple one, the most basic idea that every coach tells his pitchers from Little League to the major leagues.
“We have to throw strikes,” the Angels’ new pitching coach said. “That’s going to be our mission. We’re going to try to throw more strikes than anybody else in the league. If we can do that, we’re going to be where we need to be.”
The Angels were dead last in the majors in 2019, throwing just 62.3 percent of their pitches for strikes. No surprise, then, that they were 25th with a 5.12 ERA.
Callaway, however, has been here before.
After a nondescript pitching career that included a stop with the Angels and would eventually lead Callaway to pitch in Asia, he started a coaching career in the Cleveland Indians organization. He spent three years in the minors before being promoted to big league pitching coach, inheriting a team in 2012 had ranked 27th in the majors in strike percentage.
The Indians had also posted team ERA’s over 4.00 for the previous six years in a row.
In 2013, the first season under Callaway, the Indians jumped to 18th in strike percentage, and then fifth, third, seventh and second. Their cumulative ERA over those five seasons was 3.76, the best in the American League.
Indians manager Terry Francona, who hired Callaway when he took over the club, was instantly impressed.
“He’s an extremely confident person,” Francona said this week. “That’s what amazed me. His first year as a major league pitching coach and you look at him in the first week of the season and it was like he’d been there for 10 years. And I mean that as a compliment. Not that he’s arrogant. He’s just good.”
Callaway’s prized pupil, of course, was Corey Kluber. In 2012, Kluber had posted a 5.14 ERA in 63 innings. The next season, under Callaway, he cut that to 3.85 in 147-1/3 innings. The year after that, he won the first of his two Cy Young Awards. Kluber improved his strike rate in each of his first three seasons under Callaway.
“He may simplify it, but there’s a method to what he’s doing,” Francona said. “If not, everybody could do it. He tries to identify what you’re able to throw for strikes, and go from there.”
It’s not as simple as telling pitchers to throw strikes, but it’s also not that complicated, Callaway said. Much of it is, in fact, an aggressive mentality, and constant reminders.
“It’s something we have to preach every day,” Callaway said. “Are we going to worry about their spin rate and the shape of their pitches? Absolutely. We can help that. But the last thing I want them worried about is ‘I gotta shape this pitch this way when I’m on the mound.’ No, you have to throw a strike, with that ball that’s in your hand.”
A few Angels pitchers have said that Callaway so far has done a good job of keeping things simple.
“In this world of pitching where everybody is worried about movement and velocity and shape and all kinds of stuff, sometimes you do miss out on simple things,” Andrew Heaney said. “That’s not to say you can throw the ball down the middle and hope it goes well, but there is a mentality where even if you try to throw the ball down the middle and miss, you’re going to miss on the corners. If you start being too fine with stuff and start nibbling, that’s when you get in trouble.”
Dylan Bundy, who has already had four pitching coaches in the big leagues, said so far he gets a “vibe” from Callaway that he won’t be bogging them down with analytics. He preaches sticking to what pitchers do best.
“If you throw to your strengths, you’ll be consistently good,” Bundy said.
Callaway recalled one year with the Indians when he went into a playoff advance scouting meeting and essentially ditched the scouting reports.
“I walked in the room and I said, ‘I want you to deal with adversity better than anyone on the other staff,’” Callaway said. “That was our advance meeting. I didn’t go over the hitters. That’s how I view the mental side of the game. You watch Corey Kluber, Max Scherzer, the best guys. They don’t let anything bother them. You can’t tell if they’re pitching good or bad. And that goes a long way. You can control the opponent’s confidence by doing that sort of thing. We’re going to talk a lot about that.”
All of which is not to say that Callaway doesn’t have a foothold in analytics. No pitching coach could get a job in this era without it. He said his normal strategy is to work with the front office’s analytics team to determine what information can help the pitcher the most, and only take that small fraction of the data to him.
“When we go to the player, it’s one small nudge in the right direction that’s going to be impactful,” Callaway said.
Callaway, 44, talks excitedly in his folksy Tennessee drawl about all things pitching. His passion for the job is evident after he spent two years away from it, as the manager of the New York Mets. Callaway joked that he has “PTSD” when thinking back to the tumultuous couple seasons in the fishbowl of New York. Aside from the team not playing up to expectations, he had a public confrontation with a reporter, one that was explained away later as a misunderstanding.
It wasn’t long after the Mets fired Callaway in October that he heard from Joe Maddon, who had just been hired to manage the Angels. Maddon was the bench coach when Callaway pitched for the Angels.
“Joe called me and I was like ‘Heck yes,’” Callaway said. “Absolutely. I am just elated to be back here.”
Although Callaway is admittedly more comfortable back in the pitching coach role than he was as a manager, he said he took lessons from the manager’s chair that he can now apply to make him a better pitching coach.
“There’s a lot of things that a manager has to think about that a pitching coach doesn’t think about, so what it’s going to do is allow me to help Joe out a little more,” Callaway said. “I probably wasn’t helping (Francona) in a lot of areas that didn’t really occur to me at the time.”
For example, Callaway said as a pitching coach he didn’t appreciate the value of controlling the running game as much as he did as a manager.
Related Articles
Angels’ JC Ramírez said his velocity returned to 96 mph in winter ball Angels’ Justin Upton looks for bounceback season Angels’ Albert Pujols moving well early in camp after a rehab-free winter Angels’ Brian Goodwin says he has no hard feelings after arbitration hearing Angels photo day at spring training: See the new and returning faces Maddon, who had managed against Callaway in the National League, also sees that he’s grown from the experience.
“A mind once stretched has a difficult time going back to its original form,” Maddon said.
Maddon and Callaway have both spoken about their pitchers being aggressive in the strike zone, and hopefully getting an out within the first three pitches. That will help toward another priority, which is getting starters deeper into games.
Callaway will be attempting that without the marquee names he had in Cleveland or New York, but with inconsistent veterans like Heaney and Bundy, and inexperienced young pitchers like Griffin Canning, Patrick Sandoval and José Suarez.
“When I got (to Cleveland) it was very similar,” Callaway said. “Very good stuff. Pretty good strikeout numbers. The walks were too high. They weren’t willing to throw the ball over the plate. We talked constantly about throwing strikes. We just beat it into them, every single day.”
View the full article

Yeah, both seem to be tough to fit financially - we do still need a catcher, maybe one modestly priced reliever or bench piece.
Both of them are probably around $20m AAV - Keuchel a little less, Bumgarner a little more. The risk with signing both of them isn’t so much the money but the years. You tie up 2/5ths of the rotation with two guys who are really close to being expensive #4 types and if that happens as soon as 2020, you’ve really clogged up payroll in a bad way, and the rotation in a way that prohibits the kids from stepping in. 
So my guess is the Angels are aiming to sign one of them, probably fairly soon. Kluber being a similar AAV probably had him as the third option too, but with 1-2 years of control, was a little easier to think of pairing him in addition to one of these guys. I don’t think Ryu has ever been an option.
Once they sign Keuchel or Bumgarner, they can probably pump the brakes a bit and see where things go for the other arm until late winter. See if any bargains can be had in FA late winter, like Wood, Teheran, Miley, or wait and see which trade options open up as more teams sign FAs.

Glad we're out on kluber. Rengifo is expendable but Sandoval is someone they should keep. If the velocity jump he had is real, then we definitely got something with him. 
 
I’m definitely hoping for a Keuchel signing. Not sure what his price is, but an extreme groundball pitcher with our infield??

The leadership aspect is so important. Anyone that's coached at any competitive level can tell you, there needs to be this degree of connectedness between the coach and the players. I used to tell my basketball players "you run through a wall for me and I'll get kicked out of the game for you." And that mantra really worked well with them and me.
I can only imagine the amplification of it at the major league level. Spending as much time together as they do, it has to be a family. The players have to see the manager in a vulnerable state because it humanizes him but also shows that he will stride to win in the trenches with the rest of the team. And that's where I believe Ausmus came up short. He was a leader, to be sure. He was composed and calculated. But did the players know what lengths he would go to for them? Would the players run through the proverbial wall for him? I don't know. 
And then the team hierarchy is also do critical as you pointed out. This is a team that has player leadership in place. The management needs to match it. Trout and Pujols are the leaders. It's not to say the others aren't, it's only to point out that in a human way, they make up a support role that is the very fabric of the team. Simmons and Upton specifically. 
But what I've viewed the Angels missing are three main components.
1. The sacrificial veteran leadership - Jerry Dipoto didn't make many great moves, but possibly the most underrated one he made was the low-key signing of John McDonald, Jonny-Mac. The players immediately recognized him as this veteran that shows the youngsters just how much this game means. Here's not the most talented and won't grumble because someone gets an opportunity over him. But he's that consistent leader. He played a bigger role in 2014's success than we might realize. I am hoping this is the unassuming role that Pujols is ready to step into.
2. The bulldog pitcher - Give me the damn ball. This is my game. That's Washburn, Lackey, Weaver, and it was Richards too when he was healthy. The pitching staff is not made up of majir league veterans, it's a bunch of younger guys and Heaney and Bundy, who decidedly aren't the bulldog type. This pitching staff needs a burly veteran that steps in and regardless of results is old school. Will own the inside of the plate and has a competitive fire that drives the youngsters. Skaggs had that potential, 8but he never grew into it. That's why I like Kluber so much and why I was pushing for Hamels. The pitchers need that personality in the bullpen and in the clubhouse. Some surly, cocky SOB that loves this game and his teammates too much to see them not pick a fight m
3. The manager, as we already discussed. Maddon is here to fix that. 
So when the Angels are building their 2020 roster, or more specifically Eppler is, I have to believe he's got an eye on a lot more than just the numbers. We need the personalities. 

If Angels offered about 8/290 (which is what it sounds like) no way a month ago I thought that wouldn't be enough. Calling Arte cheap is a bad take IMO. Let's go Eppler spend that money wisely. 

I'm of the opinion that relievers should very rarely ever be traded for, or signed to large or long contacts. There's just too much volatility there. 
Josh Hader has been one of the best relievers in baseball for three years. For all but a select few relievers, that means his era of dominance is likely nearing it's end. Relievers don't generally enjoy a slowly diminishing skill set, but a mountain top followed by a cliff. 
When you have a good reliever, hold onto him for as long as he is inexpensive and effective. Neither of those are bound to last very long. Don't sign a reliever for tens of millions, or for more than two years unless they're clearly part of that rare elite but durable class and certainly don't trade actual prospects for them. That's how teams like the Angels lose Mike Clevinger. 
Develop relievers from the minor league system, many of which will likely be starters that topped out in AA but can throw the ball hard for 20-30 pitchers at a time. Or pluck them off waivers. And if you do trade for them, just do it for cash considerations. 
Billy Eppler has built a strong bullpen organically, without sacrificing prospects or long term deals. The one mistake he made was to spend 8 million on one of those relievers, and we all know how that turned out, with Cody Allen. And sometimes you won't be able to keep them all. Kirby Yates and Daniel Hudson immediately come to mind. But more often than not, Eppler has identified successful MLB relievers that can be had for the league minimum.
I see no reason for this team to stray from this model.

"Shut up Hurdle, nobody cares!"
- Joe Maddon 

That's a really great read
New ideas have historically been met with resistance initially...  This article seems to indicate there was some of that going on .... is it really any shock given the Angels previous reputation for being old school?
People here and Angels fans in general have always whined about wanting the team to take a step towards the future, for them to finally embrace new ideas, methods, and actually evolve.... Yet, now that they have taken a step towards actually doing that its more of the same " fire ___________!!!!!!!! ".   Either you believe in the processes in place or you don't and if you did prior to this season then it's foolish to punt now.  Say what you will this is year one of life after Mike Scioscia.   You gotta figure there would be some struggles to adapt after 19 years of something else.
It was probably ignorant of both White and the Angels to think he could come in over the winter and remake an entire pitching staff, that doesn't happen even with old school stuff other than when guys are all taught a new pitch... Hopefully this is one of those situations where everyone learned a lot and comes out of it better off for the experience

Max Stassi should undergo hit surgery.

Yeah the new ball definitely hurts him seeing as how he's always been a fly ball pitcher. But this year he's 1.1 war according to fangraphs & that's over 90 innings. So IF he can stay healthy ( yeah yeah impossible, I know), I don't think it's a longshot that he's a serviceable rotation option next year. 
He's shown us flashes of that potential that made him a highly regarded prospect. It's just frustrating watching show that potential for a 2 game stretch & then completely blow up for another stretch. 

A lot of it has to do with how many games he pitched for us.  If I asked the average dude on here to guess how many games he started and then appeared in for us I would am almost positive everyone would say he pitched in more games here than he actually did.  He started 5 games for us and appeared in 2 other games.  We crucified him after appearing in 7 total games.  Of course he is pitching better, he wasn’t going to pitch worse than he did to start the season.  He is in the majors for a reason, and he isn’t an 8 ERA pitcher, not over the course of a full season.  

I think this gets glossed over due to expectations as we think that every time a player is called up they're going to hit the ground running.  
I was looking up some stats as it relates to age for Jose Suarez and realized a couple things about not only Suarez, but Barria, Canning and Sandoval.  
Jose Suarez is the second youngest player in mlb to start a game this year.  The youngest is Koby Allard who has started all of one game.  Saurez is also the 4th youngest pitcher to throw in a major league game this year.  
Patrick Sandoval is the 3rd youngest player in mlb to make a start this year.  
Jaime Barria is the 4th youngest
Griffin Canning is the 5th youngest.  
that's not a misprint.   The Angels have 4 of the 5 youngest starters in the majors right now.  
I was absolutely astounded by this.  
But I think this should give us some perspective and help all of us with our expectations.  It may also make for a good article by @Jeff Fletcher to do a historical comparison about rotation age and/or debuts of pitchers in Halo history.  
 

They have PLENTY of solid INF prospects, just not many true shortstops.

He's looked really bad behind the plate but I'm still surprised we couldn't get a warm body for him.
On another note, Eppler & Asmus seem pretty quick to cut dead veteran weight. Don't remember this many veterans being cut under Sosh. 

He's looked really bad behind the plate but I'm still surprised we couldn't get a warm body for him.
On another note, Eppler & Asmus seem pretty quick to cut dead veteran weight. Don't remember this many veterans being cut under Sosh. 

He's looked really bad behind the plate but I'm still surprised we couldn't get a warm body for him.
On another note, Eppler & Asmus seem pretty quick to cut dead veteran weight. Don't remember this many veterans being cut under Sosh. 

He's looked really bad behind the plate but I'm still surprised we couldn't get a warm body for him.
On another note, Eppler & Asmus seem pretty quick to cut dead veteran weight. Don't remember this many veterans being cut under Sosh. 

He's looked really bad behind the plate but I'm still surprised we couldn't get a warm body for him.
On another note, Eppler & Asmus seem pretty quick to cut dead veteran weight. Don't remember this many veterans being cut under Sosh. 

Unlike the Facebook broadcast, this YouTube stream is actually pretty good. 

Regardless of how the rest of the season goes, this team has a lot of heart, and Ausmus has proven himself as the leader of the Angels.

We've hit a point in the season where it's time to acknowledge what's been going on with our pitching in the minors. Especially Burlington and Inland Empire. We'll likely start seeing a couple of these guys move up to IE/Mobile within the next month or so.
Last season, the Angels minor leagues saw only 13 pitchers start 20+ games - and of those, only 11 topped 100 innings. 
Within that group only three had an ERA below 4.00: Suarez at 3.92, Canning at 3.65, and Madero at 3.49. Eight had an ERA over 4.50, and four of those had an ERA over 6. It was not pretty.

This year is shaping up to be quite different - even with Canning and Suarez having hardly thrown any minor league innings. 

PATRICK SANDOVAL - 6'3", 190, LHP, 22 years old, drafted in 2015 (11th Rd.)
(AA/AAA): 4.47 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, .278 BAA, 21 BB, 57 K in 44.1 IP across 12 G/11 GS
Dominant in Mobile (32 K in 20 IP), Sandoval has slowed some in SLC (5.18 ERA, 2.14 WHIP) but is still the Angels next-best SP prospect.

LUIS MADERO - 6'3", 185, RHP, 22 years old, signed in 2013 (Intl. FA), acquired by LAA via trade
(A+/AA): 3.04 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, .251 BAA, 17 BB, 59 K in 56.1 IP across 12 G/10 GS
Madero has had no issues adjusting to AA, and could find himself working in the Angel bullpen in September.

JEREMY BEASLEY - 6'3", 215, RHP, 23 years old, drafted in 2017 (30th Rd.)
(AA): 3.33 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, .256 BAA, 24 BB, 51 K in 54 IP across 12 G/11 GS
Bulldog Beasley continues to exceed expectations. Strong GB (55%) and swinging strike (16%) tendencies, sort of like pre-2019 Cahill. Allowed 2 R or fewer in 9 of 12 games.

JESUS CASTILLO - 6'3", 205, RHP, 23 years old, signed in 2011 (Intl. FA), acquired by LAA via trade
(AA): 3.41 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, .265 BAA, 17 BB, 51 K in 66 IP across 13 G/11 GS
Currently leads the org in innings pitched, has rebounded from a poor 2018. Has allowed 2 or fewer runs in 11 of 13 appearances.

ANDREW WANTZ - 6'4", 235, RHP, 23 years old, drafted in 2018 (7th Rd.)
(A+/AA): 3.33 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .211 BAA, 19 BB, 64 K in 54 IP across 12 G/7 GS
After posting a gaudy 47 K in 23 relief IP last year, Angels surprisingly stretched him out to a starter. He hasn't missed a beat. K/9 near 11.

DENNY BRADY - 6'1", 200, RHP, 22 years old, drafted in 2017 (7th Rd.)
(A+): 3.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .228 BAA, 20 BB, 65 K in 53 IP across 12 G/7 GS
As steady and consistent as a minor league arm can be, has yet to allow more than 3 R in a game.

KYLE BRADISH - 6'4", 190, RHP, 22 years old, drafted in 2018 (4th Rd.)
(A+): 3.50 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, .228 BAA, 20 BB, 58 K in 43.2 IP across 11 G/7 GS
A little wild, a little inconsistent, but has shown flashes of straight dominance in a trio of starts:
4/23: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K, 5/9: 5 IP, 7 H, 0 R, BB, 9 K,  5/21: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 12 K
OLIVER ORTEGA - 6'0", 165, RHP, 22 years old, signed in 2015 (Intl. FA)
(A+): 3.26 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .203 BAA, 33 BB, 74 K in 58 IP across 12 G/11 GS
Who would have guessed Oliver Ortega would be leading the Angels org in strikeouts in mid-June? Who even knows who Oliver Ortega is?

AARON HERNANDEZ - 6'1", 170, RHP, 22 years old, drafted in 2018 (3rd Rd.)
(A+): 4.26 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, .279 BAA, 21 BB, 35 K in 31.2 IP across 9 G/7 GS
Yet to find a groove, but still posting decent numbers with swing-and-miss stuff, and a decent repertoire of pitches. 

CRISTOPHER MOLINA - 6'3", 170, RHP, 22 years old, signed in 2013 (Intl. FA)
(A): 2.61 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, .193 BAA, 22 BB, 65 K in 58.2 IP across 12 G/9 GS
Stumbled a bit in last three games, but prior, had posted a 1.25 ERA and .167 BAA through first 9 appearances.

JOSE SORIANO - 6'3", 168, RHP, 20 years old, signed in 2016 (Intl. FA)
(A): 2.47 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, .201 BAA, 35 BB, 70 K in 62 IP across 13 G/11 GS
Not far behind Sandoval from being the Angels best SP prospect - only 2 HR allowed, a 55% GB rate, a little erratic, but big-time potential.

HECTOR YAN - 5'11", 180, LHP, 20 years old, signed in 2015 (Intl. FA)
(A): 3.86 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, .220 BAA, 26 BB, 66 K in 44.1 IP across 12 G/8 GS
Lots of swing-and-miss stuff could lead Yan into top-of-rotation potential, but he'll need to work more efficiently and get a handle on the walks. Only 1 HR allowed.

COLE DUENSING - 6'4", 175, RHP, 21 years old, drafted in 2016 (6th Rd.)
(A): 4.36 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, .250 BAA, 33 BB, 51 K in 44.1 IP across 12 G/9 GS
Absolutely awful in 2017-2018, with an ERA near 10.00, Duensing's dramatic turnaround offers hope for brighter days still ahead.

KYLE TYLER - 6'0", 185, RHP, 22 years old, drafted in 2018 (20th Rd.)
(A): 4.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, .217 BAA, 19 BB, 53 K in 54.1 IP across 12 G/9 GS
Another reliever converted to the rotation, Tyler throws strikes (65%) coupled with a strong GB rate (53%), quietly producing and putting himself into the mix.

ROBINSON PINA - 6'4", 180, RHP, 20 years old, signed in 2017 (Intl. FA)
(A): 3.22 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, .193 BAA, 32 BB, 61 K in 50.1 IP across 12 G/7 GS
Steady and consistent, in three pro seasons, has yet to allow an ERA over 3.68, averaging over 10 K per 9, only 7 hits per 9, and a total of 5 HR in 145.2 IP.

LUIS ALVARADO - 6'4", 210, RHP, 22 years old, drafted in 2018 (17th Rd.)
(A): 2.25 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .186 BAA, 22 BB, 60 K in 48 IP across 12 G/7 GS Has allowed 2 or fewer earned runs in all but one game, and only 3 ER in the other.

Even more exciting is that still doesn't take into account the 2019 draftees who could ultimately join this list - Jack Kochanowicz, Erik Rivera, Garrett Stallings, Zach Peek, Davis Daniel, Zach Linginfelter - or the legitimate SP prospects who have been injured - Chris Rodriguez, James Swanda, Stiward Aquino - or the other arms who either have had enough prospect pedigree or success to still enter the picture, such as Cooper Criswell, Luke Lind, Connor Van Scoyoc, Jose Natera, Emilker Guzman, Jerryell Rivera, Kelvin Moncion, or Jason Alexander.

The growth we've seen this year - both in terms of development and depth added - is quite frankly, staggering, and given the number of arms drafted in 2019, only likely to grow. 
With Eppler's aggressive promotions, the use of multi-inning relievers. 6-man rotations, and 'tandem' starters, there's a chance we see a lot of these arms start reaching the majors as soon as late 2020 or in 2021.