Until proven otherwise, I'll take the liberal approach (f'n libs) to this off-season: I truly believe that Arte is going to go "all out".
I'm aware that he is a businessman, and a smart one at that. He didn't gain his wealth by making dumb business decisions. That said, the Angels are just one of several business ventures Arte is involved with. While the ultimate goal for a smart businessman like Arte is to turn a profit on his investments, I also don't believe he bought the Angels solely to make money. I do think he is a competitor and I do think he is willing to do what it takes to field a winning organization. I don't think he signs Hamilton or gives Trout the biggest contract in history if he wasn't.
The Angels have their backs up against the wall right now. Getting Ohtani back on the mound is huge, but he's likely not going to top 140/150 innings next year. He's also going to lose at bats so while his value goes up, it's not as significant as it could be. Getting Upton back at full strength is also a big deal, but at most he's really only adding a handful of wins over last year.
We need 3 pitchers and a decent catcher. And when I say "3 pitchers" I clearly don't mean Hamels and two reclamation projects. We NEED Cole. Adding a pitcher who can throw 200 innings and give you a 3.00 ERA is such a huge deal for this team. He alone will add 7-8 wins, or perhaps more, over last year's team. But that doesn't quite move the needle far enough, does it?
Which is why we need a legitimate #3 starter behind him. Ryu or Wheeler probably push Ohtani to the #3 spot in the rotation, which is kind of ridiculous, but honestly given his likely innings limit isn't out if the question. Odorizzi is a nice option but I would be absolutely fine with Eppler not wanting to sacrifice a draft pick for him. Madbum is a nice piece but there are serious concerns moving forward. Ultimately, we really need a guy like Wheeler, who has his own concerns but has the talent of a Frontline starter. A 1-2-3 of Cole, Wheeler, and Ohtani is as good as any in baseball. Fight me. It also allows the back end to be questionable, with guys like Canning, Heaney, and Peters.
But the point remains here: Arte cannot blow his load on Cole and think that's good enough. It just isn't. We also need to not only replace Skaggs (RIP), we need someone better.
Mr. Moreno, you have Trout locked up for the rest of his career. Do you really want to be the owner who refused to surround him with enough talent to take him to the World Series? And yes, I use the word "refuse" because you have the money. You obviously want to win. Do what it takes. This is the time to do it. He's not getting any younger.
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OC Register: A look at the Angels’ payroll now that the free-agent market is open
in LA Angels | MLB Daily
Posted
Thanks Toby.
Go f**k yourself.