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JBR

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  1. I’m still following the team because it’s what I’ve always done. I’d say it’s getting to the point where I watch out of habit, not hope. I don’t see myself getting to the point where I stop following the Angels completely but I also don’t have much desire to devote time and energy because I don’t know where the team is going. The organization feels lost and I’m losing my motivation to stick with it. Not totally yet, but maybe closer than ever to simply checking out for a while.
  2. For me, the question for the future is: do the Angels rebuild or reload? I'd be thrilled for the team to pick one, then make all decisions to support their chosen strategy. I don't even mind years of losing ahead because we're already a losing franchise and have been for years. However, it seems like the strategy is not to fully rebuild but also not to fully commit to reloading either (which would require spending on premium arms), but a mix of partially reloading (i.e. Rendon) and recycling (i.e. Teheran/all the bullpen arms/seemingly all pitching acquisitions last year like Cahill, Harvey, etc). There's a lot I don't know about running a MLB organization. For example, how limited Billy Eppler's choice are by forces outside of his control (i.e. the will of ownership, especially in regards to past signings). So, more likely, it's not as simple as having one primary strategy like maybe Houston and the Cubs did before their cycles of success. I will say this though, I've been watching the Angels for 25+ years and I don't think I've ever enjoyed it less. Truly hope there's some bold decisions coming one way or another and it's not the status quo of mostly recycling players and not fully spending on premium arms. I'd rather they blow it up and rebuild and give us a chance at contention before Mike Trout is no longer great. I'd wait a few years for that.
  3. I think this quote may specifically have to do with the former pitching coach Doug White, who was there when Harvey was. Other pitchers reported having trouble adjusting to White’s ideas and approach to pitching, like Barrea and Suarez according to the LA Times. Even apart from White, I think the issue of TJ you bring up remains and seems to go beyond the Ausmus/White regime and stretch back years. It’s something the organization needs to figure out .
  4. Knowing the Angels won’t blow this up and rebuild, and seeing this as maybe the best season to go all out for a playoff run with more teams getting in, then to me it makes sense to trade talent for Clevinger. He’s the ace the team needs. I wonder if the Angels have the players and boldness to do it.
  5. I’m a bit shocked that a system with Adell is ranked nearly worst in the majors. Gives me an uneasy feeling that we’ll be on the outside looking in come October because we just don’t have the reinforcements a playoff team needs.
  6. I’m comfortable being in the camp that says winning this year and next is what matters most and is easier to predict (though also not guaranteed). I totally get that the Angels have been burned before going for it. I’m bummed that we have nothing but one division flag to show for the past decade. My perspective is that Betts and Price make them better in the next couple years, especially in 2020, when they’ll have Trout, Rendon, Ohtani, and Simmons (who could well be gone after) all in their prime. That’s a special core and if you add Betts all of a sudden it’s incredible. In 3-4 years those dudes might well be some combination of gone or in decline, minus Ohtani. It’d be cool if Adell and Marsh and some of the other prospects we’re quality players by that time, but I’d rather have the crazy lineup now and pad the rotation with Price. Would love a bullpen upgrade too to help. What I want to avoid is not fully going for it now and miss out on a special 2020 and then regret it later when the stars start to decline and the kids may or may not be ready to rise.
  7. Can’t say I agree. What’s the value in putting together a team everyone will want to watch with 3 of the top position players in the game and Ohtani pitching and hitting bombs? What’s the value in completing a roster that almost certainly gets into the postseason this year, now? Adding Betts and Price does both. I think there’s tremendous value in winning now. I do respect the point that trading young controllable assets hurts and *might* hurt in the long run. But prospects aren’t guarantees and flags fly forever. Let’s win now.
  8. For me, it boils down to this...what helps the angels win a title more, the next 3 years of Clevinger or the next 7 of Adell? I’m torn, but the more I think about it, the more I think Clevinger will help more. This great class of Angels superstars is ready to win now. Clevinger is a win now player who fills the Angels greatest need today. Adell is a win soon-ish player, probably, but no guaranteed, who plays a position where the Angels have Marsh waiting in the wings. We have less clarity on where the angels will be in 3-5 years, and more clarity on the next two years. Clevinger should help more during that span. Imagine if the Angels don’t go all in during the next two years and don’t win, Trout and Rendon begin to decline, and then the MLB is locked out. A labor lockout isn’t a given, but it’s not far fetched either. Let’s win now while the stars are still stars.
  9. I agree with @tdawg87. I personally think when resources are scarce, especially for an extended period, hoarding feels prudent and wise. It makes perfect sense. However, for me the priority is winning now and I find it hard to imagine, barring injury, that the Angels are better in the next 2 years with Adell than with Clevinger on the roster. Trout, Rendon, and Simba are in their prime now and need to best supporting cast possible to make a push before they start to decline. In 3-5 years it’s not hard to imagine Adell closing the value gap with Clevinger, maybe even surpassing Clevinger, but it’s so hard to project that far out with much confidence. We basically know what Clevinger is now (the front of rotation arm we need), we think Adell will be good (maybe great) but there’s no guarantee, and the window to win is wide open now and might close a bit with every passing year. With that, moving Adell might make a lot of sense, as painful as it’d be.
  10. Baseballtradevalues.com has Clevinger for Adell straight up as fair. In fact, it thinks Cleveland would get more value long term with Adell than with Clevinger ($96M to $83M). That may well be true, however, Adell is unproven while Clevinger is a known commodity and looks like an ace, so I get why that deal probably wouldn’t work in real life. I think I would send Adell for Clevinger in a one for one if it were proposed, but man that would hurt badly. To think we had Clevinger and sent him for Vinnie Pestano Overall, rather than strip the farm of its best pieces for Clevinger, I’d rather to spend our way out of this and trade for a lesser arm like David Price. Why else sell Wilson for salary relief?
  11. I love these questions man. For me, these are the questions I keep wondering for the players that I think will largely determine the Angels’ fate...if there are more yesses than no’s, we may well see Angels games in October: Can they stay heathy? Ohtani, Heaney, Canning, Upton, Middleton Can they be a reliable supporting cast? Bundy, Teheran, Bedrosian, Ramirez Can they keep it up? LaStella, Fletcher, Goodwin, Robles, Buttrey Will they take next step? Adell, Rengifo, Sandoval, Barria, Thaiss, Ward Will they meet high expectations? Trout, Rendon, Simmons, Stassi (Fangraphs projects 3 defense fueled WAR)
  12. I love the optimism. Personally, I’d be thrilled if the Angels won 92 games and we’re alive until the last week of the season. That feels like a good challenge for them in light of how competitive their division is and the AL in general.
  13. Price is a decent pitcher at this point, so I think it’s all about what he’d cost. FanGraphs Zips projections have him worth around 2 wins-ish each year for the next three. He is being paid maybe more like a 4-5 win pitcher. Craig Edwards over at Fangraphs says Price is maybe worth $30M, so he’s worth maybe $60M less than he’s making. It’s a big gap at this point so if the Sox send a lot of value with him, or we can swap a bad contract to pay that down, maybe this works. For me, Ryu is the guy. Price is an okay fallback option but I’m not clear on why they would not do everything possible to get Ryu? The pitching market seems to be slowing down a bit.
  14. Honest question: what makes it look like we’ll be outbid on Ryu? I haven’t read that so if there’s a source saying that or reason for that I’d appreciate hearing that if you could share. In my opinion, Ryu still makes a lot of sense, he ha a high ceiling, won’t cost prospects, and with the durability of Bundy and Teheran, Ryu can throw 150IP and still make a major impact. If anything, Ryu makes more sense than ever to me.
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