Game 6

Congratulations. MLB just hired you as one of their lawyers. 
 
I don’t think the fact that someone has always wanted to have a job means they don’t deserve to be paid minimum wage. 
 
Also, it’s not like the team is providing them a place to play and they aren’t providing a service for the team. If that were the case they’d be free to switch teams whenever they wanted.
For six years minor leaguer have no right to say “Hey this other team has a better opportunity for me and will pay me more money.” Why do you think that is? It’s because the team that controls the player gets a benefit out of having them. So they should compensate them.
I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.  

Two pitchers in the 20th century reached 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, with an ERA under 3.00
Tom Seaver and Walter Johnson. That's it.

None of those picks can be considered successes until they become productive major leaguers

Hi.
You should post more.

Game 6, I did that intentionally due in large part because I don't come to the forum to draw lines in the sand and argue my position to the point of getting personal with fellow Angel fans.  Enough people do that here already.  Instead, I tend to enjoy the varying perspectives and the rationale behind them (though I really come here for information more than anything).
As I stated earlier, I don't pretend my opinion matters and quite honestly, don't have nearly enough insight to take a comfortable stand either way.  For example, I have no idea what has/hasn't been done behind the scenes with the scouting department (international or otherwise), the competency level of those layered within the organization, what kind of owner Arte is when the door is shut, etc.  I only know the circumstances Eppler inherited (quite honestly one of the worst situations in pro sports during my 40 years of following the Angels) and have very rarely not understood the rationale behind his decisions (though I didn't understand his first trade at all, but he was totally right).
I also admit to being more patient than many in our society today.  I also think we have to remember that with a new GM will come significant change at every level of the organization.....philosophy, minors, eventually coach (I know), player value, etc.  To me, this means a 3+ year re-tool during Mike's final prime years.  I would have to be damn sure I had the right guy this time. I also understand this is the very reason so many frustrated fans want him out....they are ready for wholesale change.
In the end, I would be reluctant to fire him this year for a number of reasons that the anti-Billy folks will view as excuses.  There is something really interesting and ironic that when the use of hindsight is viewed as a reason to keep a GM, it's excuse making.  But when hindsight without context is used to argue for a termination, it's fact finding.
Anyway, among those things to consider....admittedly given the advantage of hindsight on the season to-date....
*Covid.  I mean, the whole thing.
*Skaggs.  If you have ever worked closely with someone in your organization that has passed, you know that doesn't just "go away" after a couple of months.  That process can't be rushed and it sucks.
*Mike- Slowest start to his career.  Not on Eppler.
*Rendon- Takes over 1/6 of the season to adjust to the AL/Angels.  Not on Eppler.
*Ohtani- Eppler should never have "counted" on him.  That said, I'm not sure he really did as I don't recall a bunch of good arms without question marks behind them being available that fit Billy's budget.  Instead, I think Eppler tried to build some semblance of an 8-9 deep rotation and rolled out what he had.  What could or would he had done differently if he somehow knew Ohtani was going to be out early?  My guess is there is nothing he could have done.  Similar to Canning, who has had the good fortune to-date of being able to avoid further injury issues.
- As a hitter, his performance is not on Eppler.  
*Upton- Could have and perhaps should have seen this coming.  But I don't think anyone would have projected him to be THIS bad.  Furthermore, this isn't something to be evaluated "this year" anyway.  Eppler messed this up at resigning (again, using hindsight).  Even IF Eppler knew Upton would hit under .200 in the first 30+ games, he would not have done nothing different as he didn't have the money to put into another OF'er with Goodwin serviceable and Adell/Marsh on the way.  The extension is solely on Billy, but this level of poor performance is on Upton.
*Young pitchers not developing at the rate we'd like.  One could argue this is on Billy as he is overvaluing his own and that may be the truth.  He did bring in a new pitching coach, so I guess we'll see the final results shortly.
Game 6, I think I keep him around if I'm Arte.  I just don't think I put the blame of so many players underperforming in a weird year on the GM.  It's not to say I don't get it if he goes a different direction, but with what I know, he would stay.
 
Respectfully,
Wisconsin27
 
 
 

'71 through '77 was a horrible run.  It's what made '79 so exciting.

A great majority of those were as I sat with my mom for 7 years. 
Great life, btw. 

The biggest difference up there is he didn't dismantle their scouting dept.  The M's had one of the best international scouting depts (especially in Asia), and a very strong and established scouting dept as a whole.   Roger Jongerwaard was as good at building scouting departments as the Sutherlands were or Logan White is now.  He left the M's in like 2004 or so (went to the Rays and oversaw their climb to respectability), but his fingerprints remain all over the place.   He was also gifted with the Cano trade.  That was just a unique situation..  new GM former agent wants his guy and gets his guy.   That trade will haunt Brodie forever and keep JD in free dinners for a good decade...  as it should.
Seriously -- check out their actual drafts and look over the names and their prospect status...   http://www.thebaseballcube.com/draft/teams/byTeam.asp?T=26  You go 1-10 every year since he got there and you see the good first rounder and then a bunch of filler -- which is pretty much the norm..     Most of the good stuff came from the selling off of assets that had been acquired by his predecessor.   So you gotta give him props, but he had material to work with which is more than can be said for what he left behind in Anaheim.
Ultimately the same story applies to JD and the M's as it does to everyone else -- the young guys have to come up and produce.  So far Lewis (3rd overall) is doing it, Evan White isn't.   Considering they committed money to White, they likely need him to pan out.  JP Crawford and Shed Long are also a part of what is supposed to be their core, neither looks like a future star, not that they need to be but... they don't figure to even be what Aybar and Kendrick were based on their early performances.   What I do like is that he's been able to add a lot of college pitching the last three years.  Logan White (who I loved), George Kirby, and now Emmerson Hancock..  Not sure if you've noticed but he's also drafted a guy the Angels drafted as sophomore (coming off injury) and didn't sign, Isaiah Campbell.
As far as the Halos go.   You've said this before, and it's something I 100% agree with -- Eppler came into a situation with no money and a pitching staff that was supposed to anchor his 5 years as GM..    The only guy that is still around is Heaney, and he missed 18 months with TJS too..   Shoemaker -- injuries and a freak accident.  Richards injury after injury.  Skaggs TJS and then stupidity.   The Angels drafts were high risk/high reward and focused on position players..   Maybe they were dumb to have believed the guys at the MLB level would stay healthy -- but they tried to focus on what they had and what they needed..  which unfortunately was everything.
Farm wise.... I don't really believe Arte held Eppler back other than maybe skimping on the scouting department which is beyond stupid..  I think the situation was just very bleak and Eppler chose to try to create position player depth.   How much Arte held back financially at the MLB level.  I have no clue, but there is no question the AP and Hamilton deals were obstacles.

You may have missed it but I've been saying he was as good as gone for about a year and my reasoning has been clear.... Teams don't spend time developing guys to then not use them when they are ready and will allow them to spend resources ($$$), in areas of greater need -- well, the smart teams anyway.   
The only way I could see him coming back is if his market completely craters and he's willing to take a one or two year deal at a number like 2-3 mil per...  And even then I'd say this is more true of Eppler than it would be another GM.   I'd argue a different GM let's him go period.    

Goodbye because if he accepts the qualifying offer that could be 18 million dollars less that we have to spend on starting pitching. 
That and Fletcher is a really good SS. Is he Simmons good? Maybe not but he's awful close. I've loved everything I've seen from Fletcher at SS defensively. 
If Simmons was hitting double digit home runs like his early days with Atlanta I'd probably do it, but his bat has regressed a bit. His at bats are painful to watch at times.

Miguel Cabrera is well on his way.

I saw Ryan Yarbrough as a comp for Packy and would be thrilled if that happened. Yarbrough has posted a 3.98 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 326.0 innings (73 appearances, 27 starts) for the Rays since his rookie year.

You know I’m seeing all this chatter about Bundy and I get that teams need pitching.  But it’s hard for me to get past the idea that the Angels got him for basically nothing back in November or December or whatever it was.  And now because of what ? Like 5 or 6 starts in the most bizzare major league season of our lives he’s drastically going to be more valuable in a trade for the Angels than just keeping him when they desperately need pitchers ? I just can’t see the massive overpay necessary to make it more valuable for the angels to trade him.  Maybe I’m completely wrong. 

Great outing by Griffin Canning today. 

I think you have to also give Bemboom a lot of credit on his game calling. Didn't want Canning to nibble, instead attacked the strike zone, which starter with the 1st hitter of the ame. 

Canning pitched a gem today.

I predict next inning, a plague of locusts will descend upon the Big A.

Huh? Ohtani got a hit in the 3rd inning.

I agree still. 
Boggles my mind how someone that talented could play that bad during a 2-3 week stretch. 
Happy to see him tapping into that talent that made him a top 10 pick. 

Don’t trade Bundy

trade bundy . . . 
for a team that's desperate for quality pitching, this doesn't seem like a very good idea.

We were never going to get much for a month or two of LaStella. I don't know why anyone is upset about the return we got here. 

So....  Just to look at this outcome a little differently.
Eppler turned RP Conor Lilis-White, into 1.5 seasons of Tommy La Stella and potentially 5 years of a 24 year old former 4 time top 100 SS/2B who posted a.900+ OPS in AAA.
Conor Lilis-White is out of baseball.
Why are some of you crying?

Not really, but thanks. There are guys here who know much more than I. I just looked at Toronto's prospect page on Fangraphs to see who their best SP prospects are.

Which would possibly mean either Nate Pearson or Simeon Woods Richardson.