JBR

51 minutes ago, JBR said:

It’d be so great to get a true masher at 1B. Even limited older 1B like Encarnacion or Smoak (statcast indicated he hit better than his #s suggested) might be good options if they’re reasonably priced. 

However, I can’t help but wonder if the Angels will free up any funds to upgrade 1B given the significant need in the rotation. I could see them simply staying the course at 1B and seeing what sticks during spring training between guys like Pujols, LaStella, Thaiss, etc.

It's hard to imagine the Angels moving on from Pujols, though it seems reasonable, so in my mind it’s sort of like, what combination will they run out of Pujols + ? = 2020 1B. 

I’d also love to see Upton take grounders at 1B in spring training. His age and recent injuries make me think 1B could be a better fit long-term since Ohtani will mainly be at DH. I have no idea how team and player feel about that obviously, but if Marsh and Adell pan out then why block an OF spot with an aging OF who’s lost a step?  Moving Upton to 1B could be a boost to 1B and OF simultaneously. 

It’d be so great to get a true masher at 1B. Even limited older 1B like Encarnacion or Smoak (statcast indicated he hit better than his #s suggested) might be good options if they’re reasonably priced. 

However, I can’t help but wonder if the Angels will free up any funds to upgrade 1B given the significant need in the rotation. I could see them simply staying the course at 1B and seeing what sticks during spring training between guys like Pujols, LaStella, Thaiss, etc.

It's hard to imagine the Angels moving on from Pujols, though it seems reasonable, so in my mind it’s sort of like, what combination will they run out of Pujols + ? = 2020 1B. 

It’s sort of crazy how many ways they could reasonably fill the catcher position. With pitching I think either Cole or Strasberg is as close to a must as I can remember (if contending in 2020 is the objective, which I don’t know why it wouldn’t be). Yet for catcher, it’s wide open. It seems like maybe the route might involve not overpaying either in salary or prospects, focusing on defense first, and getting creative with platoon splits or just not concerning oneself too much with the catcher’s bat so long as the defense is good. Fascinating to think about, thanks for this summary!

Thank you for this thorough and thoughtful analysis. I am with you and think Fletcher at 2B sounds entirely reasonable and has enough upside built in to work. I particularly like him in the #9 hole if they slot someone else who can get on base for trout at lead off. Fletcher seems like a nice bat to turn over the lineup with some momentum heading into the big bats. Maybe hit Pujols 8, Fletcher 9, and lead off Ohtani...a guy can dream. 
 

If they stay with Fletcher at 2B they can focus resources on meeting other more pressing areas of need, like the rotation and catching.