JBR

Honestly my fandom has been slowly dissipating over the last few years. Call me a fairweather fan, I don't care. This organization just isn't fun to follow anymore.
Hopefully they'll start showing some promise soon because it seems we're just circling the drain.

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. 

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. 

It’s very easy to play GM on the internet but just remember that this team doesn’t have the trade chips or the money to bring in championship quality starting pitchers. Teams want your top prospects and your best cost controlled players in return. We don’t have much of those to give. Also keep in mind that they have $116M tied up on 4 players next season and 2 of them are toast. That leaves them $70M to pay the other 22 guys needed to fill the roster. Now throw in another $24M-$28M for a top notch starter and what’s left? Oh and we need to get at least 2 starters.

He came into a shitty situation with an expensive and bad team with little impact MLB talent outside of Trout, and one of the worst farm systems anybody had seen in years. Add in the fact that with this owner and with Trout on the roster, a full blown rebuild was out of the question, so any digging out of this hole would take years.
 

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 .

It’s not even opening day yet.
I point this out because it “feels” like baseball has been gone for a long time, and I think a lot of people have already cancelled a good chunk of the season in their minds beyond what we know (mid May).
Of course there’s a chance that there is no season, but no one has any idea now. 
 
It’s Mar 24.

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.

Trout's extension and Rendon's signing don't happen without Moreno's "meddling."
It goes both ways.

After Arte controlled the offseason and nixed one of his trades by pulling rank. “Win, but do it only with the players I allow you to have.” This feels hollow to me. 

RIP to my ears

This still sucks. This team would have been 4+ wins better with Pederson and Stripling. It sucks that it was so close to happening, and fell apart for seemingly no good reason. 

In the grief cycle,  you're still in the denial phase.  I am too.  

Ok here are my thoughts.  The Dodgers weren’t expecting to have Graterol on their team, so when they acquired him to make this trade happen that put them still at 40 men on the 40 man roster.  Then they traded Verdugo and brought two more on the 40 man roster.  So that puts them at 41.  The rumored deal was Rengifo and Ward plus a prospect for Stripling and Pederson, leaving the Dodgers still at 41. My guess is they asked the Angels to replace Ward with a minor leaguer that doesn’t have to be on the 40 man roster.

I have no idea why the Dogs/Angels trade didn't work out.  Every other team involved seemed to figure out how to get a deal done yet the Angels couldn't.  Maybe it was because the dogs came back and changed the deal to make it very unfavorable for the Halos which makes sense to walk away from.  I don't want to think that emotion played a big part in this falling apart but unfortunately, my instincts tell me that's the case.   I find it hard to believe that any sort of adjustment would be so egregious from the original parameters that it would facilitate just up and bailing.  
Maybe they are still talking.  Maybe they work something out.  Right now, I really have no idea.  I just sense an unfortunate emotional response that wasn't necessary.  I hope I'm wrong.  
Either way though, it doesn't matter, because the team didn't get better today like I had hoped and that's the biggest bummer.  

it certainly gave them a better chance.  as did adding Pederson.  

I’d trade Adell for Clevinger right now. He makes us a legitimate contender.  Also, I wouldn’t expect them to flip Joc. It’s rare that teams do that with established players. If Joc had that much value and could be traded so easily, the a Dodgers wouldn’t have made him a salary dump. 

I like Stripling. But I need to see what we gave up here.

I honestly don't get the love for Rengifo.  He's basically "just a guy"

Joc is not going to block Adell.  

You guys are forgetting that there are posters here advocating moving Upton to 1B 

Not necessarily.  Pederson can play more than one spot, including 1B.
I personally felt like putting all the faith in goodwin was a reach as he excels in the 4th role but i wasnt convinced on the fill time RF option.
Our offense is going to be elite.

Trust me, Goodwin isn't going to get back anything resembling an upgrade in pitching.

I liked Rengifo.  But man we are seriously under rating Joc.

I think just about everyone has one. And the ones that don’t do a caravan, which is like a little traveling fanfest. 
 
When I covered the Giants and A’s they both had them every year. I think they’re great for fans.