BackUpTheTruck

Keuchel.
MadBum probably wants to hit in the NL anyway.

Lineup to start the year
2B Fletcher
CF Trout
3B Rendon
DH Ohtani
LF Upton
SS Simmons
1B Pujols
RF Goodwin
C Castro/Maldonado

Lineup by the end of the year
RF Adell
CF Trout
3B Rendon
DH Ohtani
LF Upton
SS Simmons
1B La Stella
C Castro/Maldonado
2B Fletcher
 

Free agent pitching, trade for pitching, sign or trade for a catcher.
Maldonado would be great for us now that we have a juggernaut offense.

I think STELLLAAAA platoons at first with Pujols. Not sure how they handle Ohtani's return to pitching but I imagine Pujols will DH more next year. 

SP, SP, C
 

Plan B looking better now . . .

Great deal. Season saved. I also think Eppler may have just saved his job.
Now get two more good starters and a serviceable catcher, and this is a legit postseason team.

Just like Cole went home to the Angels and Trout went home to the Phillies?

I mean, I will be OK if it's Donaldson and a couple better starting pitchers, but after losing out to Gerrit Cole this team needs to make a BIG SPLASH, but not just for the sake of making a splash, but by adding a 7 WAR player in Rendon. 
I'm of the belief that if we add two of either of these guys (Ryu, Bumgarner, Kluber, Darvish, Teheran, Keuchel, Boyd, Ray, Price) +Rendon, +Adell soon, +Callaway's help with Bundy/Canning/Heaney/Sandoval + having La Stella and Upton for a full season, I think we're a playoff contender from the get go! 
But I will reiterate, this team needs a Rendon for the reasons I mentioned. But not just for making the club better, but get getting fans out to the ballpark and boost the overall team's morale after losing their top target this winter. 
Thoughts?

I would have offered Cole 8 years/340 million.
Unless Cole wanted to be a Yankee all along, that would have been an "offer he couldn't refuse" that we could probably have afforded.
Oh well, the off-season isn't over yet.

I would have offered Cole 8 years/340 million.
Unless Cole wanted to be a Yankee all along, that would have been an "offer he couldn't refuse" that we could probably have afforded.
Oh well, the off-season isn't over yet.

Darvish was recovering from injury in the first half, but boy did he get to full strength by mid-season. Check out his first/second half splits and overall numbers. 
 

Trade for Wil Myers and take on his entire contract.
Ask for a catcher, and the two best young pitchers we can get from them.
Also, sign Ryu.

Trade for Wil Myers and take on his entire contract.
Ask for a catcher, and the two best young pitchers we can get from them.
Also, sign Ryu.

Please don’t trade for David Price.  Please.  Disaster.

Incoming 20 pages of convincing ourselves we should be happy we didn't pay him that contract.

I'm not even a little bummed out for some reason. Glad it's over.

The Giants had a spot open on their DL so it was a perfect fit.

You don't trade a 1st round draft pick for a shitty PTBNL and cash. Something is brewing folks.

Arte wants to win a WS.  He did what needed to be done to sign Mike Trout.  He just bought the stadium from the Anaheim. The man is willing to spend money.  He hasn't always spent it wisely, but he's not afraid to dish out the cash.  All these clowns who think the Yankees won't be denied, have no idea who Arte Moreno is.  This man holds grudges.  This man makes emotional decisions.  This man wants to win.   This man is a freakin' pit bull.  Josh Hamilton stepped over the line and Arte cut him lose like he was yesterday's garbage.  You think Arte cares about the money?  Arte cares about winning and he cares about the people who are loyal and have character.  That's why Albert is still here.  Arte made Albert a part of his family.  He isn't retiring early and Arte isn't going to ask him to do anything like that.  He's willing to roll with Albert because he made him a part of this family.  You can say a lot of things about Arte, but the man is stone cold loyal.  Mike Scioscia ring a bell?
Mike Trout didn't have to sign an extension.  He made a commitment to play here because he believed in the plan and the commitment the team has to winning.  Arte is going to repay that loyalty by doing whatever it takes to put a winner around him.  Trout stayed because he believed in Arte Moreno.  Moreno isn't going to forget that.
Have some of you forgotten that Trout is the best player of this generation and possibly the greatest player of all time?  The Angels have to put a better cast around him.  They don't have a choice. This isn't business for Arte.  It's personal.  F the Yankees. F the Dodgers.  Arte is worth billions. That's billions with an S at the end.  He can do this.  He wants to do this. 
This is all just my opinion, obviously.

The price for elite players; especially elite pitching is always going to be too high.  I've said this before - this is the reality and the business of baseball today.  If you want to increase the chances of your team being in the post-season, this is the price you have to pay.  Gerrit Cole is a unique talent and one that doesn't become available every year. 
Mike Trout isn't getting any younger.  Arte Moreno isn't getting any younger.
It's time for the Angels to do everything they can to put the best possible team on the field.  The cost is "somewhat" irrelevant.  It's going on 18 years since the Angels won a World Series. 
Look at how much money that Nationals have tired up in Corbin, Scherzer and Strasburg.  They're willing to pay the price. 
Great pitching is the best recipe for success.  Cole is the best of the best right now.  He's not enough, but he's a start!

I understand drawing a line. Obviously someone is going to have to, otherwise we'll be bidding into March.
But I guarantee most people here would have been psyched to get Cole at 7/250. I think the $300 million number has just broken people's minds. But over 9 years, it's the same damn amount. 9/315 is $35 million a year. 
It's stupid, stupid money. No one should be making that much to play a game. But it is what it is. Are we going to keep missing out on top free agents because the numbers are just too high? We unfortunately don't have the luxury of an endless supply of prospects to come up and make us competitive every year.
I kind of want to see the Angels in the playoffs again, and preferably while we still have the best player on Earth in his prime.
If we can't get Cole then so be it. But Eppler better have a plan in place to get some talent here, now.