Angels_Fan

True. Also just have to hope that they like the Angels players being offered more.

Haha. Roster turnover happens pretty quickly in baseball. Farm systems change. Players decline, improve. Teams make trades, signings. Cole doesn’t even know who his teammates will be in 2021 and beyond

Seems like there’s a lot of competition for him. Don’t those teams also have strong farm systems?

Probably. I think the money and years was the number 1 factor for his decision.

Let’s hope

For 2020, maybe. But you can’t definitively say anything about 2021 and beyond. So many things can change and fast.

Maybe, maybe not. But the Red Sox won 108 games in 2018 and looked destined to dominate for years to come, too. And then they played like a .500 team for a good portion of 2019 and fired their GM. A lot of things can go right or wrong in a very short period, let alone nine years. Teams can make signings, players can have break out years or decline, farm systems can change, etc. etc. Only time will tell whether Cole truly made the right decision (hopefully he regrets it).

Yeah, nobody is disputing that the Yankees will in all likelihood be better than the Angels in 2020. But that’s just year one of a nine year contract.

If he wants his best shot at a WS for just 2020, he made the right choice...probably. But for 2021-2028? That’s not something he or anyone can know.

He wants to win a WS. He can theoretically win one 9 years from now. He’s not the only player on the team (just one of 26). If the Yankees are pinning their hopes for winning on one player, as you suggest, then they’d be in trouble.

And if the Angels make the postseason, there’d be very little difference between them and the Yankees given the sample size we’d be talking about (a whopping 7 games, at most).

Because he signed a 9 year contract. It’s pretty simple.

For this year, the Yankees likely have a better chance to make the postseason (and win a WS, as a result) than the Angels. But that doesn’t mean the Angels wouldn’t have a great chance to make the postseason, especially with a few good additions to the rotation. Beyond 2020, nobody knows. Look at the Red Sox as an example. WS winners one year and look built for long-term success, and then they’re slightly more than a .500 team the next year and they fired their GM.

The Yankees haven’t won a WS in over a decade (which is what he wants, apparently). Anything can happen once a team gets to the postseason. The sample size in the postseason is too small for there to be any distinct advantage between postseason teams. Most of the time it just boils down to which team is hotter at the right time. If the Angels can add a few good starters in addition to Rendon, they’ll have a great chance to make the postseason this year. And nobody can predict what will happen until 2028. So, yes, I’d say it was short-sighted.

Can he predict the future, though? So many things can change and happen within those 9 years.

The Yankees may be closer to a title as of this moment, but a lot can happen and change within 9 years. Heck, the Angels aren’t even done adding/improving for this season. It seems short-sighted on his part if that is the primary reason he chose the Yankees. I hope he regrets it.

Unless Kluber is damaged goods and about to fall off a cliff, why hasn’t this trade been completed already? Suarez + Rengifo or Thaiss + Deveaux wouldn’t be a bad trade for the Angels.

If the Angels can acquire two good starters in addition to the Rendon signing, missing out on Cole wouldn’t be a bad thing. The Angels would be a 90+ win team (on paper). I also truly believe that Ohtani can be that stopper/ace in the postseason for this team.

Interesting. Thanks.

I assume that also means Contreras isn’t going anywhere (unless the Angels offer something that they cannot refuse aka overpaying). What about Jon Gray? Is he a realistic target for the Angels?

He could be had for potentially two years. I’m just worried that the Indians know something about Kluber that other teams don’t. But if the cost is only Deveaux and Rengifo, it’s a risk worth taking.

Couldn’t they do a lot better than Rengifo and Deveaux, assuming Kluber is still Kluber?

It also makes one wonder why the Indians would trade a potential ace on an affordable contract for just Rengifo and Deveaux.

I don’t doubt it. One doesn’t spend 7/245 on Rendon without being all-in. I think the trade route is far more likely, but who knows.

Agreed. Gotta give something to get something. That would be a steal if he pitches like an ace. At worst, he may be a mid-rotation arm. Still an ok trade.