Fake Chow

Strad is alright. He thinks he knows everything but he isn’t alone. Yes, the mods and old timers get away with stuff but they’ve also contributed more over the years. Strad is kinda the southern Baptist preacher of the group. Self righteous as hell with good intentions and never wrong.  As long as he doesn’t bang your wife or ask you for money just let it go. 

Oh oh...you probably have a red laser dot on your forehead at this very moment.

You take the best package. Period. This franchise has floundered for a decade...if we trade him, we need all the parts we can get....

Is this the 20 position player draft?
 

For that much money, I’ll be upset if the Halos do sign him. That will strap them for years to come. No thanks 

I love Shohei as much as anyone and that contract would be ridiculous. How could any team work a roster around 1 single player being $70 million in payroll. 
 
I get the argument that he’s basically an Ace pitcher and a DH in one person, so it justifies the dollar amount. But the same argument can be made for the injury risk. If he gets hurt you lose a middle of the order hitter and your Ace pitcher all in one, that’s a huge blow. Not to mention you had to skimp on other areas of the roster to compensate for the $70 million in payroll dished out to one player. 
 
or another hypothetical, what if this is a downtrend in his pitching stats? If he’s a 3.50-4 ERA Pitcher that is susceptible to the long ball and a streaky DH then is he really worth all that money? I’m not saying that’s what Shohei is, and based on history and watching the stuff he has done it’s probably not the probable outcome , but there is a lot of risk involved 

That's like four Squid hits. 

Please explain the role wings play in ass bump prevention during hopping 

I'm just excited we are talking about adding rather than selling.  I'm enjoying reading all the scenarios guys....keep it up.

We went from sell everything and dismantle the team to "going all in" in a matter of four days.

Granted Livan Soto had a bad defensive game right before he was sent back down to the minors. But it really should have been him brought up instead of Velazquez. Soto is a actually a very good defensive shortstop and provides solid at bats. Also, he's a useful lefty to balance out the lineup.

And I'm supposed to be the "Redneck"!

I wasn't happy with the Neto PICK either but holy sh*t...I'm a huge fan now.

I wasn't happy with the Neto PICK either but holy sh*t...I'm a huge fan now.

I was on the Eppler train but his FA additions and bullpen building was atrocious. He did a good job of rebuilding the minor league system and not dumping it all with short sighted trades before he left. 

I wasn't happy with the Neto PICK either but holy sh*t...I'm a huge fan now.

I wasn't happy with the Neto PICK either but holy sh*t...I'm a huge fan now.

It's legit hilarious that I was disappointed the Angels didn't take Cam Collier or Dylan Lesko. I didn't throw a tantrum, but my initial reaction was, "We don't need a college shortstop, we have Fletcher and Rengifo. Plus this dude probably needs to move to 2B. And he's going to require a complete breakdown and rebuild of his swing because a leg kick that comical will never translate from small time college too the pros. This is terrible." 
And I still believe both Collier and Lesko are going to be good major leaguers, but it's less than a year later and Neto is already a good major leaguer, and from what I can see, there's no way in heck I'd move him off SS. Kind of just highlights how far off scouting reports can be, and how far off our own interpretations of what the team needs and doesn't need and what works and doesn't work, can be. 
Good work to Perry, the scouting director, cross checkers and scouts. From where I'm sitting, it looks to me like the Angels got the steal of the draft. Guys like Holliday, Druw Jones, Termarr.... They were expected to be very good and their draft position and subsequent bonuses reflect that. 

I get where you are coming from, and revenues are important obviously.
It just seems that it’s a one track mind for Moreno, focusing on how superstars bring in revenue (some more than others) per his advertising background, while for far too long ignoring the nuts and bolts of the org (player development and scouting) that contribute a lot to on field success.
That has no doubt been a big factor in the constant losing since 2016.

Better than a stinking compensation pick

I would go back in time, smack Reagins in the head and sign Beltre at all costs.  The downfall of this franchise is directly related to that.  I mean they probably would have also ended up with Carl Crawford, but then there is no Wells/Napoli, Pujols, Hamilton.  
If you want the answer to your question, like most people do, I’d say Eovaldi.  The starting rotation would be pretty great with him.

I've never started a new topic here as I am a "luker" multiple times daily, but tend to not weigh-in much.  With that out of the way, I want to simply point out that Perry just "seems different" than what we've had in the role of a GM in past.
I admittedly was appreciative of the job Eppler did and have always felt he inherited an extremely difficult hand.  The state of the farm, the noose/limitations he was under, lack of depth, etc.
With that being said, I'd like to express how pleased I have been with Perry's job to-date.  Given the circumstance and current situation (i.e. win now), the foresight and judgement he has displayed is so clearly evident in most every area of the roster.  It's almost as if his plan from the day he began is now being played out in front of our eyes....and he has rarely missed on many of the players he identified early on.
No one truly knew what he had when with Bachman, Joyce, Neto, Moniak or others.  In many cases, we still don't.  But to have the foresight to "lower our floor" with inexpensive backfilling the way he has AND to have the cajones to promote and trust his instincts has been remarkable.  I remember when he signed Anderson to such a low-market deal wondering what the "catch" was.  Now, we are seeing a quality 3-4 starter evolve we will have for another year at a reasonable cost.  I was a big Marsh fan, but would make the trade for O'Hoppe over and over again.  Neto blows my mind for a rook and I have no idea how he possibly projected that and laid off the FA's when his job was on the line.  The Renfroe signing was SO solid.  
The BP was always a huge question mark and that wasn't lost on Perry.  I was critical of the offseason approach (i.e. low-cost spending, practically ignoring the white elephant), but his response has been to rely on his initial moves to address it (Silseth, Bachman, Davidson....and more to come).  
Undoubtedly, when our season comes to an end without a championship we will be able to "Monday Morning Quarterback" what he should have done differently.  But I have to say, I won't be in that crowd.  What he has done this year and the results through 30+% of our games have demonstrated to me this is a man with a plan.
Hell, he has me so excited to be an Angels fan again that I am actually at piece with Shohei leaving (Note: fan since Nolan signed my ball in '77).  In fact, I find myself at times wondering if it might be best for the organization to trust in him to identify the right combination of young talent in a deadline trade to truly put us over the top going into '24!!!  Nuts?  I know.  But man, this guy seems to know talent.  I am so jacked about having a young, core group of O'Hoppe, Neto, Moniak, Adelll, Sandy, Detmers, Bachman, Joyce, Paris, and whatever else he might acquire from a Ohtani trade that I am beginning to think the worse thing we can do is let him walk for nothing with this guy in charge.
I honestly think if the vets can perform like they can, this team is capable of making a very serious run.  I don't envy Perry's position in having to determine it's fate by early July (the trade deadline being so early is a point of contention with me, but that's a whole other topic).  But just imagine if Rendon returned and the power came with it, Walsh found his grove, and Mike returned to being "Mike."  With our starters coming around and the BP taking shape, we have a roster that can compete in ways we haven't seen in quite awhile.  I'm not suggesting we'd win it all, but it "could" make for a really fun ride.
My point is, props to Perry.  Well done, sir.  And thank you for offering this fan something to be excited about for the next handful of years.

In a game they had to win, and to avoid another series loss to a .500+ team, the Angels rallied for their (3rd) 1 run win during the month of May, to once again elevate over .500 for the season.   Beating the red hot Orioles is no small task, and the Angels beat them twice in Baltimore.  Another lost series would have been unbearable as the natives were getting restless.
Lots of positives to take back home.  
Great outing by Anderson,
Trout and Ohtani bats coming to life,
Aggressive base running
Situational hitting
Moore and Estevez saving the game.
Defensive gems by Renfroe and Neto.
Nothing better to give both the team and fans some good vibes headed into a tough home stand with AL Central leading Twins, (24-14) Baltimore, (23-21) Marlins, and the Sox.
A winning record in May, series wins vs three teams above .500, coupled with a relatively healthy club, puts the team in a much better spot than last year, and would set things up very well for a successful summer campaign.