Mark68

I see that nobody had the Jays on their radar. And I don't think the "experts" did either, until he went to Dunedin.

He'll be taking his talents to Yonge St.

Not the Dodgers!

Yamamoto Pivot!

Whatever happens, I hope the Dodgers get Rickrolled...

Shit, I thought E-Rod was a nice target, but the window closed on that.

I, for one, am looking forward to the development of the young talent on this team. I do not want to trade ANY of them unless we are getting great value in return. I want to see what Neto, O'Hoppe, Schanuel, Sandoval, Detmers, Silseth, etc. can do with more development and the right coaching. The Angels have put themselves in a position where they HAVE to go to the open market to try to improve. They have very few tradeable assets that won't hurt fans or the team badly if they are traded. There is no choice. They must sign as many of the free agents as possible to complement the young players. Go get Yamamoto. Get Stroman. Get whomever you can realistically afford. This is where we are. A front office that insists that it wants to compete every year, but doesn't have the farm system to build a solid base around the players who have already graduated (and were rushed) to the big leagues. If you want to compete, you need to pay.

Yeah, it would have been better if he had said that rumor had it that he was starting the season with the Angels--even though he hasn't been drafted yet.

Kikuchi (so far), Hasegawa (granted, he wasn't a starter), Ohka (he did have surgery after being hit in the elbow, but that's not "arm trouble"), Jae Weong Seo...there are some who had one injury stint due to arm/ligament/shoulder issues. Of course, do the Angels need an Asian pitcher to have arm troubles? That seems part & parcel with being an Angels pitcher.

This is why I prefer Yamamoto. He'll cost about the same as Snell (on an AAV basis), he's younger, and in the last three years in NPB, he has averaged 7 1/3 innings per start over 76 starts.

"Poor lower body condition." Who knew that NPB was so similar to the NHL when reporting injuries?

Shane Bieber Open To Extension Following Potential Trade - MLB Trade Rumors "Guardians righty Shane Bieber is one of the more prominent names on the offseason trade market, with the Cubs and Reds among the many teams to check in thus far. Bieber is slated to become a free agent next offseason and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $12.2MM this coming season, giving him the look of an affordable one-year rental for a team on the lookout for rotation upgrades. However, Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that Bieber is at least open to the idea of signing an extension with a team that acquires him. Presumably, that’d mean he’s open to a long-term deal in Cleveland as well, although it’s not clear that the generally frugal Guardians would be amenable to that after already hammering out nine-figure extensions with Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez in recent years."

If this is the case, it's time to let Ohtani go. I would rather spend $200 million on Yamamoto and spread the rest of the savings on the bullpen and other needs than spend $400-$500 million on Ohtani. It's a math problem. The Angels have multiple holes that will require expenditures to fix. Ohtani will not fill all of those holes.

I'd rather pay $25-$29 million per year for 25-year old Yamamoto for the long term.

You forgot "Buttercup".

I'm certainly fine with this as long as they get someone from the top shelf top of the rotation list--Yamamoto or bust!

Hmmmm...biggest weakness? There are soooooo many to choose from... The owner. Health. Mindset. Top of the rotation. Bullpen depth. Situational hitting. In that order. These are all glaring weaknesses. Obviously, nothing can be done about #1.

It has often been said (on AW.com, especially) that relievers are fungible and that you don't need to pay a premium for (most) relievers. If they can get Stephenson for, say, 2 years/$5 million, I'm ok with that. If it starts getting beyond the 2/$6 million area, we can pass.

He wasn't good "all of a sudden" during a "career year". He had a full year (2021) in Colorado where he posted a 3.13 ERA/3.63 WHIP. TBF, when he's been bad, he's been worse than a righty version of Loup. But if the Dodgers also want him, there is most likely something there...

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/angels-sign-charles-leblanc-to-minor-league-deal.html Leblanc, 27, was a fourth-round pick by the Rangers in the 2016 draft. After spending six seasons at second and third base in Texas’s minor league system, Leblanc signed on with the Marlins on a minor league deal prior to the 2022 season. It didn’t take long for him to break into the big leagues with his new organization, as Miami called him up just before the trade deadline that July. Leblanc primarily played second base in the majors, though he did spend time at both first and third base as well. He did fairly well for himself at the dish in a bench role, slashing .263/.320/.404 in 169 plate appearances, good for a wRC+ of 104, though a 31.4% strikeout rate and a .374 BABIP both stood out as potential red flags. Those concerns surely contributed to the Marlins designating Leblanc for assignment back in January, a move that cleared space on the 40-man roster for then-freshly signed infielder Jean Segura. Leblanc cleared outright waivers and remained in the Marlins organization for the 2023 campaign, spending the entire year at the Triple-A level. He once again split time between first, second, and third base and hit fairly well in 94 games at the level, slashing .253/.384/.423 in 370 trips to the plate with an eye-catching 16.5% walk rate. Following the 2023 season, Leblanc was once again eligible for minor league free agency, allowing him to sign on with the Halos ahead of the 2024 campaign.

If it's not the Angels (and I actually don't think the Angels should re-sign him...that money can help fill some of their holes), I would be OK with ONLY 3 (preferably) or 5.

I think the first one off the board will be Anderson. He would actually make a nice one-two top of the order with Schanuel--whom I don't see being demoted unless he really slumps--or the Angels play some service time manipulation games. The biggest name: Yamamoto. I cannot stress how much this team needs someone like him at the top of the rotation. If you can grab him and, say, Sonny Gray, and move everyone down a couple of notches, that's a pretty nice rotation--with Yamamoto/Gray/Sandoval/Detmers/Anderson. If Anderson is our 5th starter, I wouldn't be mad. By no means would these acquisitions make this team a favorite to make the postseason. It would give PM the flexibility to deal a Rengifo for some bullpen help. I think these moves would at least raise the floor.

Nobody walks in LA.

Nah, he's getting too old for this shit.