HaloBronco

I’d get a RHH guy who can play multiple positions and get a freaking real hitting coach for next season to fix whatever the heck happened to him.

Light that Baby up! 
 
Do it again tomorrow against the hated ones….

if Detmers can finish this year off strong that will give us a lot of potential locking in our rotation next year. Ohtani, Detmers, Sandoval as fixtures would be great. 

At least Rengifo and Sandoval have emerged as solid major league players this season.  That’s something positive.

I think everyone is missing the point. Moniak was not traded for Marsh. Marsh was traded for a promising catcher who is significantly better than any other catcher in the system. Then, when we traded Syndergaard, we said, now that you have Marsh, you probably don't need Moniak any more, so we will take him. It's much easier to find a decent outfielder than a decent catcher, though the Angels can't seem to find any decent player.
 

He was absolutely going to have a roster spot, and start opening day against a RHP. Platoon after that. 
He’s been up and down from AAA to MLB since recovering from his injury in late May. Two weeks at a time, give or take. He’s hit very well in the minors this year. He’s had his struggles, but he profiles similarly to Marsh minus D some, plus the bat some. Again, at this point him and Marsh are very similar. So what’s the big deal with trying him instead of Marsh in order to get O’Hoppe? 

This is exactly how we should be looking at it.
completely agree. 

I think it depends on what you mean by improve?  Did we improve for this year?  Obviously not as others have pointed out.
Did we improve for next year and beyond?  I don’t know, we will find out.
But where the Angels DID improve is in their bargaining leverage by saving nearly 60 million this year and next year we will be in a position to go after Ohtani and some of the pieces needed to rebuild.  So I’m that regard, we improved our bargaining position for next year and beyond.

Not immediately, but those trades were based on the current team. We potentially got a stud catcher, a pitcher and saved some money. 2022 is shot. These moves were for the future.

MLB ranks O’Hoppe as our #1 and Davidson at #11….

No, the team actually got worse - at least right now, and possibly for next year. Basically:
2022: Replaced Raisel with Jesse Chavez, Brandon Marsh with...Jose Rojas? Syndergaard with...whothafuk knows.
2023: No Raisel, no Marsh. O'Hoppe at some point.
But it also adds $15M or so to Perry's spending power. And furthermore, we don't know good O'Hoppe is going to be. Finding a decent platoon catcher is harder than replacing Marsh's production this year.
So while "technically" the team got worst, it freed up resources - and added an asset - that could theoretically make the team better next year.

$95 million under the 2023 tax threshold now
And yes, an exciting upper minors near ready catching prospect

While this team has shown improvement the past few weeks, the inability to hit the baseball with the bat this whole season has been a mystery that Mr Ripley would have a hard time believing. One of the worst culprits is now on another team and we have an exciting catching prospect… how often do those come around.  All in all, it was perry being told to get rid of some salary. 

For 2022? Of course not. But that's not what the goal is when your season is over at the trade deadline. 

Simply a class act on and off the field by all accounts.
The best ever. Loved his style. 
I loved the old MLB game of the week on NBC with Vin and Joe Garagiola.  

RIP Vinny. There is so much to dislike about the Dodgers, but not you. You were a legend. When I'd go to my cousins' home, and they'd always have the Dodgers game on, the only way I got through it was knowing that I would hear him calling a game. Exceotit really wasn't calling a game as much as it was just him painting a picture of what happened on the field. You could be in the other room, not seeing the game, but knowing exactly what happened by his description. 
 
Growing up, we were so blessed with 3 of the greatest announcers in sports. Vinny towers over Hearn and Miller, which just shows how great he was. And, by all accounts, a class act, great family man, and wonderful human being. I got to meet him once, and he was just that. Listening to him was like listening to a friend. 
 
I'm sure anyone who heard him can picture him nnow calling a game in heaven. "it's a beautiful day at the ballpark, not a cloud in the sky. Fans are streaming in, and to be honest, there isn't a bad seat in the house. I'd invite you to come down, but this is one time we can wait for you to be here.
 
While you're here, by sure to get a Dodger dog, brought to you by Farmer John.....
 
Let's look at the lineup that Tommy Lasorda brought out for us today. Boy is it a beauty! Leading off for the Dodgers, playing second base, none other than Jackie Robinson. Batting second, playing shortstop, Pee Wee Reese....
 
And now, it's time for Dodgers basebal!"
 
In the past, I've written how I believe that G-d is a baseball fan. G-d and all the players in heaven are happy to have their voice for the game.
 
I wish we, as Angels fans, had a run of 25+ years with Victor Rojas so that we could truly have an Angels voice that could have given us a fraction of the connection that helLA had with Vinny. 
 
RIP. 

Phillies fans are pissed. They were excited about this guy. Fangraphs has him in the top 50.
 
good hitting catcher with plus defense. I like it.

Realistically:
- Give Suarez, Junk, Davidson, and Toussaint extended runs in the rotation. And don't shuttle them back and forth between the majors and minors. Use guys like Diaz, Daniel, and Rosenberg if needed for spot starts/long relief aid. Leave Silseth in AAA to pitch every rotation turn and develop.
- Give Adell and Moniak every day major league playing time in the OF. Live with the struggles, as Sierra/Thomas are nothing more than minor league fliers.
- Platoon Rojas/Gosselin at 3B to take one last look at Rojas. Use Rengifo at 2B, Fletcher at SS, and Velazquez as the defensive replacement.

I'm happy with it. The team sucked before the deadline and they'll suck after, just cheaper and with more minor leaguers. But here's my overall take.
Marsh: They gave up on him too early. Flat out. They'll regret this when he's a stud in three years. Having said that, the more I watch and read up on O'Hoppe, he's the real deal. He's a field general, and a captain of pitchers. I comp him with Chris Iannetta. But dealing Marsh also opens up an everyday slot for Adell and his bat needs to develop into a difference maker and you can't do that in AAA. 
Syndergaard: Everyone else was disappointed, but I was happy with the return. I was expecting relievers or middle infielders in AA. Nothing special. And they got nothing special. Mickey Moniak it's a fine 4th outfielder with upside and Jadiel Sanchez is a lottery ticket with his exit velocities from both sides of the plate. Mostly, they saved money. Great. 
Iglesias: I didn't think anyone would take on that contract. He's making 16 million a year for four years. That's an awful price to pay for a closer that's not someone incredible, like Hader. Not only did the Braves take it on, but they added a personal favorite of mine in Tucker Davidson, who I think will be like Jose Suarez, decent in the rotation of necessary but very effective across multiple innings as a reliever. And they got Jesse Chavez too, which is just hilarious. He's a great reliever this year. 
 
 

My grades for the trades:
Marsh for O'Hoppe: A+:  I can't believe Marsh got traded, but after finding out what the Angels got, I definitely was on board with it.  The Angels badly needed an upper level catching prospect and got one in this trade.   Losing Marsh hurts, he was a top 50 prospect and is still very young and maybe could've started to figure it out but it didn't look promising as he's striking out 35% of his at bats.  His glove is great, but is it Gold glove level good?  Debatable.  However, glove first outfielders are easier to find than decent catchers, so I definitely see the reasoning behind this trade.  If Stassi was having the year he had last season, this trade probably wouldn't have happened, but Stassi looks lost now too.  This fills a big need for the Angels for a replaceable player.  If you guys miss Marsh so much, the Angels can always sign Juan Legares again. 
Iglesias for Chavez & Davidson: A+++:  Wow, I can't believe this trade.  Now don't get me wrong, Iglesias is a great reliever and in my book still is.  His peripherals are great, he's just been giving up a lot of meatballs at terrible times. But giving the kind of contract to a closer for a team that has so many holes and is terrible is a giant waste of money.  Now at the time of the extension, I liked the deal because he was great and was worth almost 3 WAR last season, but now after seeing the many glaring holes the team has, the 16 million will hopefully be used well to start building some depth on the roster.  Iglesias also has a concerning drop in velocity and swing and miss rate from last season and he's 32 with 3 more seasons to go.  To get out of a pricey contract, that is in the beginning stages of going south, without retaining or giving up a prospect is a giant win.  Chavez is a bullpen filler for the rest of the year replacing Iglesias.  Davidson was Atlanta's 5th ranked prospect at the start of the season and could be a bottom of the rotation starter or swing guy out of the bullpen.  You can never have too much pitching.  To recap, get out of a pricey contract, got a starting pitcher prospect and a replacement bullpen arm for the rest of the season.  A+++
Syndergaard for Moniak & Sanchez: B-: We all knew Syndergaard was gone when the season started to go south quickly.  He was solid, but when you're paying someone 21 million, you expect star production.  So while Syndergaard did produce, he produced like an above average starter and not a star.  So while it was a worth while gamble to sign him, the gamble didn't produce a jackpot.  Better to get something for him then to keep him and get nothing.  The return is fairly light, but I didn't expect too much for basically an average starter being paid star money. Moniak is Marsh's replacement.  He also strikes out a lot like Marsh.  Maybe Moniak will grow an epic beard like Marsh.  How do you feel if you're Adell? You see your good friend traded and thinking finally LF is all mine, then all of a sudden they trade for someone that's going to battle you for playing time. Guy can't catch a break.  Sanchez might turn into a decent player, which the Angels desperately need everywhere.
I hope these trades signal a rebuild in earnest.  Maybe Ohtani will be traded in the offseason so that teams can adjust offers to match the Angels' needs and replace the pieces they trade.  In a vacuum, I like these deals and give Perry an A. These are worthwhile trades that helps build up the farm system and hopefully produce players that can play at the MLB level and get some depth.  Hopefully Perry and Moreno learned that it's important to build depth and will use the money they've saved more wisely this offseason, but I'm not holding my breath. 
For those of you bashing these trades, this team was deeply flawed at the start of the season.  That 50 game start was a mirage that was helped by the players having super hot starts.  The reality is, this team is way too top heavy and reliant on aging and injury prone players.  Look at teams like the Yankees and Dodgers.  They have a solid deep lineup where there really isn't any easy outs, a deep starting rotation, and devastating bullpens.  They've had their share of injuries but since they have solid farm systems and depth, they're able to keep going.  These type of trades aren't meant to be sexy, but they're meant to help next season's team and beyond.  Will O'Hoppe, Davidson, Moniak, and Sanchez all pan out? Probably not, but if they don't, you're only paying the minimum to find out, plus you'll have 3-4 seasons to find out.  We already know how this season is winding up. 
 
 

Created a path for all of Marsh, Adell, and Ward to get regular playing time even if one of them will do it for a different team
Got something for a pending FA who may still sign here next year
Cut loose an expensive closer who seems to check out mentally way too often for my taste
The return isn't really ML ready talent but there's still an off season to work on that

For all the skepticism I have towards Minasian, I will say that we are at a really interesting juncture in his time here….
We’re at a point where he’s been on the job long enough to start filtering through and moving on from Eppler’s farm. The MLB team has obviously not performed well these last two years, and Minasian’s acquisitions are large part of that, but also too are some of the internal players Eppler either rushed or, perhaps failed to develop. We can’t really judge Minasian’s FO on their minor league development yet because his guys have not really made it, exception Silseth. And while they obviously have influence on Adell, Marsh, others from Eppler’s tenure, doesn’t mean that the philosophies jive or took smoothly. This could be the start of a purge of Eppler’s talent.
And we don’t really know yet if that’s good or bad. Eppler’s farm haven’t really had a true full opportunity to prove themselves yet, but maybe this is Minasian deciding he doesn’t like what he’s seeing and he’s clearing the way for his developmental org. Generally speaking.
If we start seeing guys like Silseth, Murphy, Bachman, Bush, Joyce, Daniel, DiChiara even start impacting the team out of the gate this September or next year, it’ll be a pretty stark contrast to Adell, Marsh, Canning, Thaiss, even Suarez and Sandoval and their initial struggles, and be a really strong endorsement for at least the development and minor league plan Perry has in place. That’s maybe his last shot. Perhaps it explains some of the aggressive promotions and assignments.

Fletcher looks way better so far since coming back. l hope the injury was the reason for hie poor performance

Living in Newport Beach and getting to play in obscurity with no pressure while making millions. Sounds incredibly relaxing