BTH

It really comes down to what kind of contract he's going to command. The Angels can't blow a ton of money on an unproven infielder when their pitching is a glaring need and they don't have unlimited funds/assets.

Stassi is coming off hip surgery for the second consecutive offseason. Even if Minasian likes Stassi, it seems likely he brings in another catcher because it isn't certain that Stassi is going to be healthy.

It will be fascinating to see who he brings in at catcher to pair with Stassi. Also, Minasian's belief in the importance of catching makes me wonder if he shells out some decent money on a catcher.

Wilson Contreras got hurt and the Cubs needed a catcher, so they acquired Maldonado. Contreras then came back off the injured list when he was eligible to return and the Cubs no longer had a need, or space, with Contreras and Caratini at C. So they ended up trading Maldonado to Houston.

Didn't know where to put this random question... Is Taylor Cole still in the Angels organization? He isn't listed on any rosters throughout the Angels organization, but his MLB transactions page doesn't say that he elected free agency. Last I heard, after he was DFA'd in March, he accepted an outright assignment to AAA but then had shoulder surgery while at the Alternate Site. Any idea, @Jeff Fletcher?

Darvish, Márquez, and May. Darvish is making 22M this season, Márquez is making 7.8M this season, and May would likely make around 5-7M per season. Darvish's cost is likely lowered because of his contract, Márquez would likely acquire one of Adell or Marsh, and may can be signed in free agency.

Who made the mistake here? Whicker or Maddon? I'd hope/imagine it was Whicker.

Within the article about the Rays trading Kiermaier, this was said: "Could the Rays find a taker for Kiermaier? According to two executives, that scenario would only be likely if Tampa Bay were willing to pay down his contract." This seems to indicate that Kiermaier has negative trade value. (He's owed 11.67 in 2021 and 12.167 in 2022 with a 13M club option). One of the primary reasons the Rays want to trade Snell is because they want to offload money since they are cheap. Could the Angels take on Kiermaier in a deal for Snell to lessen the prospect cost? Or perhaps even acquire Kiermaier with a prospect or pitcher from the Rays as a sweetner? Before you write this off, consider that Mike Trout's likely going to move to a corner OF spot in a few years anyway. Would he move to a corner OF spot for the best defensive CF in baseball? Considering the team player he is, I'm sure Mike would do whatever he could to help the team. Perry Minasian said they want to improve their defense, and this would accomplish that. It would also open up an avenue to trade Marsh and/or Adell for a pitcher.

That package barely gets you Edwards, let alone Snell AND Edwards. I don't even know if it gets Snell alone. The Rays aren't going to be giving up a top 100 prospect in a deal where they are trading Blake Snell.

I think we may see that in the future, but it'd be tough for him to do this offseason since he got such a late start.

The Braves are already stacked in the OF for the future. In addition to Acuña, they have Pache and Waters.

It would be great on multiple levels if Bundy and Heaney could perform well in 2020. Not only because it would help the Angels in 2020, but also because it increases the chances the Angels could offer both of them the QO and receive draft compensation in return if they signed elsewhere.

If Minasian wins and the team is successful while he's GM, he's going to win over Moreno. It's as simple as that. Even though that foundation was built by other GM's before him, Arte will give him the credit for that. I'm sure his people skills will help, and it's good to hear that he is so highly thought of, but it's really going to come down to the success of the team in Arte's mind.

Yes, player development comes first and foremost in the minor leagues, but is it troubling that the Angels minor league teams haven't been successful in recent years? The lack of success may just stem from the fact that their minor league system was horrible, but it seems like a problem that Angels players coming up through the organization have no experience winning, even at the minor league level. Just for reference: An Angels AAA team hasn't made the playoffs since 2013. An Angels AA team hasn't made the playoffs since 2015. An Angels High-A team hasn't made the playoffs since 2014. An Angels Low-A team hasn't made the playoffs since 2014. An Angels Advanced Rookie team hasn't made the playoffs since 2017. An Angels AZL team hasn't made the playoffs since 2016.

Minasian has mentioned game-planning and defensive positioning as an avenue to improve the pitching, and Tamin seems to have been the Braves mastermind behind game-planning and defensive positioning. It seems like he's a great hire. Hopefully Maddon and the coaching staff will listen and implement what Tamin has in mind, because it sure seems like he knows what he's doing.

From a host of the Locked On Atlanta Braves podcast.

Yeah, I'd imagine he wouldn't hire another executive from Atlanta to be the other AGM. Maybe he hires someone who he was with in Toronto?

It will be interesting to see if the Angels do hire another AGM, and if it will be an external hire or an internal promotion. I think it'd be an internal promotion, but an outside hire would make sense since Minasian might just want to bring in another one of his own hires.

2/16 seems WAY too steep. I'm not guaranteeing him 2 years when he's going to be pitching at age 39. For me, if it's a one year deal to be a back-end starter for under $5 million, I think it's alright. It can't be their only move though.

I can see the logic in making one of those trades, but I don't see the logic in making both of those trades. The idea behind trading one of Marsh/Adell is you may only have room for 1. However, trading both of them would then leave you 1 outfielder short.

Lol. Perry's picking up his Atlanta guys.

I'm not that keen on signing him. It seemed like an Angels type move, which is why I predicted it, and they apparently already have interest in him.

I am also interested to see if Minasian makes any trades/waiver claims today. The Angels have two open 40-man roster spots and plenty of expendable guys on the 40-man roster, so they have that flexibility available if the right player is out there.