goldenGlove

Carlos Delgado was such a beast. .929 career OPS

Pena, Robles, JC Ramirez..  they all had control issues until getting here.   Not sure what the hell they are doing but it's become a pattern.

Carlos Delgado was such a beast. .929 career OPS

You have to go all the way back to December of 2017 as the last time the Angels signed the best available free agent.  You have to go all the way back to March of 2019 since the Angels signed the best player in baseball to an extension.  So in the last two off seasons they have signed the best free agent and the best player to an extension.  That isn’t good enough for some which is their right as a fan.

Wow he has a really nice swing. Once he’s loaded up it kinda reminds me of a smoother version of Upton

Wow he has a really nice swing. Once he’s loaded up it kinda reminds me of a smoother version of Upton

I get where you are going with this and I understand the sentiment. I'm sure Arte and Eppler have considered the very same thing. Obviously the payroll doesn't work in a vacuum, and it can't be considered solely on a year-to-year basis.
The caveat to that, is the ceiling of Barria, Suarez, and Sandoval is pretty much that of a number 4 starter. Mayyyybe a number 3 if you want to be generous. There's a very good chance 2 of those 3 flame out and either become relievers or journeymen. Yan and especially Soriano could be knocking on the MLB door come 2022. But that's not a guarantee and that's still 2 full years away. And in Soriano's case, if he reaches his full potential the Angels will absolutely make room for him.
I realize 2020 isn't "the peak", but I still fully expect them to compete. And I don't mean they finish 3-4 games out of the 2nd WC. I mean they finish 3-4 games out of 1st and win one of the wild cards. To get there, they need serious pitching help. That means Cole AND a mid-level starter. At least. If Cole can't be signed they need Wheeler and Odorizzi. 
The younger guys can supplement the rotation as needed. After all, the oldest of the 3 is Barria and he's 22. 

I'm not saying this is applies to you but, I don't think people fully appreciate how difficult a hitting environment the Southern League is.   
The league average batting line is only a .681 OPS, and there are all of 9 hitters in the entire league with an OPS above 800.  Of those 9, only three are 23 or under; Marsh who is 21 and Braves' farmhands Drew Waters (now at AAA) their #3 ranked prospect, and Christian Pache who is 20 and considered the #1 prospect in the Braves organization.    

Both Waters and Pache are top 100 guys.    Pache ranks 14th overall, Waters 29th overall.  

These are their BB and K totals while at AA, btw.

Waters - 28 BB/121 Ks - 420 ABs
Pache - 34 BB/104 Ks - 392 ABs
Marsh - 45 BB/83 Ks - 322 ABs
Marsh may be the Angels prospects Angels fans are most underrating.  Everyone wants to see the power but that plate discipline being where it is bodes well for his future.  

Haha. If you think he’s GMJ then you’re probably an idiot. 

You know, I wasn’t really buying into Jeremiah Jackson yet...too many HR in a very HR-friendly environment, and not enough other positives in terms of contact, walk rate, discipline, pretty funky swing mechanics....
...but six multi-homer games and reaching 20 in 233 PA is crazy. Crazy!
Hope the kid gets a chance to compete at Burlington soon, preferably this year, to see if this momentum can sustain. I’m still going to temper my excitement until I see him put up a good line with Burlington, but this is absolutely encouraging.

I won't be happy until the Angels have a year where they win the WS and every minor league team wins their respective championships.

Wilson hit his 5th hr.  2-4.  .826 ops.  
he also moves very well for a big dude.  
I feel like the first year and a half of him being an Angel was getting his swing revamped to the point that it would be solid going forward because it was such a mess.  While other guys in A ball are working on pitch recognition and how to have quality at bats, he was working on a full mechanical makeover.  Something guys normally do in extended spring and the AZL or Orem.  
Now that he's got a very nice workable swing, he can focus on fine tuning it and refining his approach.  Now their is a legit foundation to help those considerable raw tools advance.  So now it comes down to repetition.  Hopefully it will work but I'm a lot more hopeful that last year.  

I'm telling you guys, that oppo power and bat speed is what keeps hope alive for Maitan's future in the big leagues. He's driving the ball like that at 19, in a pitchers park, in a league that he's very young for... Just imagine what sort of power he will pack at 23 it 24, when his power is actually developed.
Yeah there is a lot to not like about Maitan. Too strike out prone, low batting average, plate discipline isn't as great as it was before and lots of weird on defense. And at the same time, there is some to like. The power, the ability to compete above an age appropriate level, the arm strength, the vast improvement he's made both in the field and at the plate, the muscular physique after unfavorable weight gain.
Numbers are numbers, but I do see a player that is growing that has a very high ceiling. He's clearly not there yet, and the numbers are reflective of that, but he looks like he will eventually figure it out.
And as for Will Wilson, still not the sexiest prospect but you can't deny there's a very high floor present. The chances of him developing into a major leaguer are about as high as anyone in the draft. But just from what I've seen, there's no way he starts at shortstop. 2B, 3B, LF, 1B....

Extremely fresh take.  

Seems like something that would happen to Upton.

I think Rengifo is only going to progress by seeing as much major league pitching as possible.  Personally would rather he get reps over Rojas if that's the choice.  Same with Thaiss.  

Hey guys, so my life has been quite a whirlwind over the past month or so, so I haven't been able to participate as much. In short, my grandson born in early July was born with a heart defect and needed open heart surgery. He almost died the morning after he was born and had to be helicoptered to Las Vegas' Children's Hospital. Thankfully after open heart surgery to correct TGA (Transposition of the Great Arteries), my grandson Kason is home with my son and daughter in law and doing well now.
That said, this entire journey though got me to thinking about perspective, what this team has gone through losing one of their best friends and good teammates and how we as fans can be very selfish about what WE want and when we want it, but never think about what others are going through nor consider the long view.
So I've been reading some of the threads of late and have seen a bunch of negativity. While venting is good and welcomed here, as is constructive criticism, it's imperative we all reign it in a bit on fire Eppler and bashing of this team for the sake of the entire community. 
This has been a tough season. From a death in the Angels family (RIP, Skaggs) to countless injuries to our start players, not to mention a big swing and miss from our GM on all of the FA's he brought in this offseason. This has been documented, but we've beaten this dead horse to the depths of Hades. Myself included. I'm over it and done discussing it.
Do me all a favor. Try to find something positive to post or comment on, whether it's from our parent team or the future Halos down on the farm. There are some good things ahead for our Halos. Let's enjoy the rookies performances from here on out, Trout's run for MVP and the AL HR Champ, Ohtani, Simmons defense and our kids down on the farm. Hello, Adell. 
Someone once said “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”  My hope is that we can all work toward creating a better atmosphere here and that our time invested at AW.com goes toward furthering a better online community for everyone involved, including our non-members who read the site (and your comments) daily.
So let's cheer on the team in one accord, and though we may disagree and vent, we do so without vitriol, but with friendly banter. Always be mindful of our code of conduct and respectful to others. Thank you guys! ?
Here are some pictures of my grandson Kason and my time in the Las Vegas/Laughlin area for the past 3 1/2 weeks, in order from the time he was born, to the time he was taken into surgery, post surgery and then at home after 3 weeks in the hospital. 

I think this means he is not master of his domain 

Based on my conversations with Eppler, he is aware this is what he has to do. 
I have no doubt they will make a run at Cole and lots of other top starters. 
I doubt they’ll be able to afford 2 at the top, but maybe a top and middle, like Cole and Odorizzi. Or maybe the second is a trade.

And remember who understudied to Cashman before coming here almost 4 years ago.   A plan is in place here, and bringing in two SOLID starters is one of the last steps in the rebuild.

Sign Cole, sign Madbum. Pray their arms don’t fall off.
 

This is key and what, I think, we're wondering and waiting to see. We seem close to that point, with a lot of young players reaching the majors and more not far behind. This offseason's pitching free agent class is better than 2020-21's, and the best pitching prospects are still 2+ years away.
So my view is that the time is now to move beyond the "band-aid approach." The lineup and bullpen is good enough. I really see this team as being only two #3 or better starters away from 90 wins, and thus wildcard contention (matching the Astros is another matter).