ettin

I doubt it is a stretch to say that he would not have signed the contract if Miami was so off-putting to him that he would want to leave soon after. By your own argument you said his contract is pretty nice at that price, so why would the Marlins want to move him? If both parties wanted him out of Florida, then why even go through the motions of signing an extension and simply trade his 3 arbitration years to a team that wants him and let them extend him at this fantastic deal? Respectfully, you are trying to create a scenario that really does not make sense for either party. If Sandy was unsure, he could ask for an opt-out, right? Players and teams do not go through the mechanics of signing a guaranteed contract for millions of dollars if they both don't agree. This is just not realistic in any form or fashion, sorry.

Did not read the article but I have noted that the Rangers see an opportunity to compete in the A.L. West which has greater parity heading into 2022, i.e. all of the teams, except, perhaps, the Athletics are relatively equal and Texas sees an opportunity to sneak into the playoffs. Additionally, if the new CBA implements these expanded playoffs being discussed, that, too, could make it easier for the Rangers to get in as well.

Jaw drop. I mean Bard had a good season, but that seems high to me. Then again I am not calling agents and asking them what their FA RPs are asking so....

Correct.

Seems really unlikely. If they gave him this deal and then flipped him, no other future Marlins extension candidates would ever believe ownership again (and the Marlins already have a bad reputation regarding this). This is simply them locking up those arbitration years at numbers they are happy with and tacking on the two option years so that they can move him at their leisure after the 2024 or 2025 seasons (or even the 2026 Trade Deadline), presuming he is healthy. They are competing now, it would be stupid for them to move him in the next couple of seasons.

Isn't that a little bit derivative?

I get why fans are gloomy. The offseason is not over by any stretch, but pieces have come off the board. It is still my hope that the Angels will pull down one of Marcus Stroman, Luis Castillo, or Carlos Rodon (presuming he passes a physical clean). Urena wouldn't be terrible either, he has a sinker similar to Ohtani. There are other out of the box names like Bieber, Lopez, Glasnow, Mahle, et al that *might* be available, we just don't know. I'm going to give Minasian the benefit of the doubt here, it's his first opportunity to shape the team in his own image and I am a big fan of the Syndergaard trade. Currently that gives us a rotation of Ohtani, Syndergaard, Canning, Sandoval, Suarez, and Lorenzen, which I think is good by itself, but could be really good if they grab one of those other names.

Well, quite frankly, that was not the performance that carried the movie.

Rotation Depth Behind Shohei Ohtani is Critical for the Angels 2022 Campaign and Beyond Author Note: Due to the wildly active free agent market leading into the CBA expiration date, things moved so fast that the author decided to keep the original write-up of this installment of the Primer Series and simply strike-out or slightly modify content to reflect the multiple free agent signings over the last week. Rotation help, particularly in the front-of-the-rotation, is clearly the Angels greatest need and has been for some time. The addition of Syndergaard, while adding some level of risk, is a nice step forward. Picking up back-end depth, by signing Lorenzen, builds depth and can set the stage for a potential trade, but Minasian is almost certainly not done. Fortunately, for the Halos, there are some premium arms available in free agency and, perhaps even more importantly, some of these starters could possibly be had on a short-term contract (hint, hint Arte). Additionally, the trade market has some options as well, some also short-term. Free agent names (age in 2022 season in parentheses) of particular interest include: Max Scherzer (37) Noah Syndergaard (29) Carlos Rodon (29) Robbie Ray (30) Justin Verlander (39) Zack Greinke (38) Kevin Gausman (31) Marcus Stroman (31) Koudai Senga (29, if posted) Alex Wood (31) Jon Gray (30) Eduardo Rodriguez (29) Jose Urena (30) Alex Cobb (34) Certainly there are other starters available, but these are the names that have a track record of success, the pedigree, and/or the potential to pitch closer to the top, than the bottom, of the rotation. Those that are struck-out have already signed since the author first penned this part of the Primer Series (boy this market moved fast in the week leading up to the CBA expiration!). Scherzer, Syndergaard (signed!), Verlander, and Greinke strike me as the type of guys the Angels would more likely target this offseason, simply because they all may be willing to sign for no more than two years, which would fit an aggressive financial push by Moreno, if Arte does significantly exceed the CBT threshold for the first time since 2003. Noah may seem odd, here, but he is coming off of Tommy John Surgery (TJS) and, whether the Mets do or do not make him a Qualifying Offer, he may be willing to sign a soft 1-2 year pillow contract to re-establish his value (and, of course, he did!). Beyond that group, the remainder contain a mix of established names. Perhaps the most interesting one is Carlos Rodon who had a breakout season in 2021, although he had some injury concerns near the end of the year. Rodon was actually the best starter, on a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) per Innings Pitched (IP) (WAR/IP) basis last year, out of the available free agents (even better than Scherzer). He, too, may be willing to sign a 1-year pillow contract to re-establish his health on the open market. Carlos Rodon 2021 Statcast Percentile Ranking Also here is Rodon’s Statcast player similarity profile, showing Scherzer (and Peralta, May, et. al.) as comparables: Carlos Rodon 2021 Statcast Player Similarity (R = .80) Also, Robbie Ray, who compares favorably, per Statcast, to Scherzer, Cole, Darvish, Nola, and Cease, was probably of interest to the Angels front office before he inked a deal with the Mariners: Robbie Ray 2021 Statcast Player Similarity (R = .80) Additionally, if Koudai Senga is posted, he would be a potentially interesting and possibly more affordable arm. Of course, Marcus Stroman, who has effused his admiration for Mike Trout, could be a target. The other names could eat innings and have certain characteristics that will attract a host of suitors. One name the Angels are quite familiar with is Alex Cobb, who could potentially be extended or resigned. He compares favorably to two other interesting starters, German Marquez and Luis Castillo: Alex Cobb 2021 Statcast Player Similarity (R = .80) The trade market is more difficult to pin down, but it seems very plausible Minasian could go this route, in addition to free agency. As was mentioned near the Trade Deadline, this year, SP Max Meyer’s name popped up as part of a proposed Marlins deal that fell through, potentially involving Brandon Marsh, so he could still be a target (or not, since the Angels didn’t go for it, mid-season). In fact, Minasian could pick up a combination of starters out of both free agency (two already!) and trade, for an additional premium arm, increasing team depth in the rotation and using any spare starters out of the bullpen. Other trade targets of interest might include names like Luis Castillo, German Marquez, Shane Bieber, Max Fried, Tyler Mahle, Antonio Senzatela, Sonny Gray, Tyler Glasnow, and/or Pablo Lopez. On the prospect side, the Angels might be able to find a name like the aforementioned Max Meyer, along with others, like Matthew Liberatore, Daniel Espino, Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore, Aaron Ashby, Jhoan Duran, and Nick Lodolo, among others. Perry Minasian will have to be very mindful about team payroll when considering the various names in free agency and trade. For reference, as discussed on MLBTradeRumors.com, Justin Verlander, entering his age 37 season, signed a 2-year deal for $66M based on a 2019 6.4 WAR campaign, so Max Scherzer, heading into 2022 at age 37 coming off a 5.4 WAR effort, will probably pull in a larger contract (and, in fact, he pulled in an AAV record-breaking 3-year, $130M deal from the Mets!). This essentially means, based on the Finances Section of this Primer Series, that signing a guy like Max will eat up most of the available payroll, creating a quandary for both Minasian and Moreno; putting increasing pressure on the latter, to open up the wallet, further. The bottom line is that the starting pitching staff can, should, and will be reinforced this offseason. Despite the Syndergaard, Lorenzen, and Loup signings, the Angels currently have a little over $20M to work with, barring a yet-to-be-seen Moreno push over the Luxury Tax, but that should be enough to get at least one of these names to add to the staff. Remember that there are permutations to this offseason that Minasian and the Angels front office see a lot more clearly than fans. It could be free agent signings and/or trades, but if you sign 2-3 starters from free agency, you can probably package up 1-2 top prospects along with one or more other players/prospects and trade for another starter, i.e. addition by subtraction (numbers!). For example, it might be signing Syndergaard and Stroman, then dealing Detmers, Marsh, and Barria for a guy like Luis Castillo. The combinations are out there, it is just a matter of finding one that makes sense for the team.

I like Mahle.

So no different from any other day, then?

Los Angeles Angels General Manager Perry Minasian (Source: OCRegister.com) Just like Moreno’s looming financial decision, GM Perry Minasian also faces a series of challenges of his own to answer this offseason. First on his list is solving the riddle of the starting pitching staff, which has been an elusive target in past seasons. Using every draft pick in the 2021 Rule 4 Draft on pitching was a start, but one that will probably not bring immediate returns. Making an early strike to sign a frontline-capable rotation piece, like Syndergaard on a one-year, $21M deal, is also another good start. Following that up with a back-end rotation piece, like Lorenzen, is a depth move and may be setting the stage to trade one of the many young starters we currently have on our 40-man roster. Certainly, the Angels are also beginning to see some of the fruit of past drafts start to impact the Major League roster. Names like Chris Rodriguez, Reid Detmers, and Jhonathan Diaz, are all making their presence known, but are still relatively young and inexperienced, despite recent time spent on the 40-man roster (and C-Rod is now out for most of 2022). Additionally, recently acquired names, like Janson Junk and Packy Naughton are also in the mix trying to forge their own path at the Major League level. What the Halos have aimed for, but failed to acquire, is a controllable, top-of-the-rotation arm. The Angels chased Gerrit Cole in FA, but watched, helplessly, as the New York Yankees snagged him away. Other names have eluded them, too, forcing the Angels to gamble more, signing or trading for arms like Dylan Bundy, Jose Quintana, and Alex Cobb, with mixed, but generally disappointing, results (and even Syndergaard has some health risk attached). This cannot be the case this offseason and Minasian knows it, which is why he acquired “Thor” and needs to continue to strengthen the front part of the rotation and, fortunately, there are some names in the free agent market that can support that effort. Whether it is an experienced veteran like Max Scherzer (who, as of this writing, has apparently signed with the Mets) or a journeyman starter such as Marcus Stroman in free agency or a guy like Luis Castillo, Shane Bieber, Max Fried, or Pablo Lopez in trade, Minasian needs to announce his presence, as the Angels GM, with authority. Acquiring one or more free agent starters or trade targets, is almost certainly the highest priority on Perry’s to-do list. In fact acquiring two or three arms would be even better, but he will be resource-constrained by Moreno’s looming payroll decision. Beyond the rotation, the Halos have a clear need at shortstop. The free agent market is brimming with options, but all of those names will cost just as much as a starter and, barring a wild increase in payroll, the front office will have to prioritize needs and make tough decisions and David Fletcher, Luis Rengifo, or another internal option are either contractually-controlled (Fletch) or making League minimum (Luis) salary, so the Angels might “scrimp”, here, as Mike DiGiovanna recently reported. Another hole is a backstop to play behind the excellent Max Stassi. This is almost certainly a lower priority than finding a starter or shortstop, so, although they need to fill the spot, the Halos will probably punt here, and find an internal or low-cost solution, in free agency or trade, for next year. Finally, the possible loss of Raisel Iglesias from the roster may force Minasian to search for additional bullpen arms prior to 2022 Opening Day. Picking up a high-quality back-end bullpen piece, like Loup, was a solid strike, but the relief corps still feels unfinished. Notably the Angels did, rightfully, make a Qualifying Offer (QO) to Raisel, which he rejected, resulting in a 2022 compensation pick, partially making up for the loss of their 2nd Round pick due to the Syndergaard signing. Additionally, they can still re-sign Iglesias, but the price may be too much, based on the available payroll number provided by Arte. Arguably, if the Halos do re-sign Iglesias, the bullpen becomes a big plus for the 2022 season, based on the projected relief lineup. If the Halos do not re-sign Raisel, replacing him will be very difficult, but with the addition of the veteran Loup, the Angels do have a base of young relievers to draw upon and if they can find an additional bargain-bin guy in FA or as a finishing piece in a trade, that is probably the tact they will take to rebuilding their relief corps this offseason, unless Moreno monetarily intercedes. Like backup catcher, the bullpen is a lower priority in comparison to obtaining viable rotation pieces, so unless they retain Raisel, expect a lower allotment of resources to this issue and a greater reliance on the emerging arms from our farm system. So to recap, GM Perry Minasian and the Angels front office will need to address, at the minimum, the following holes in the roster: 1-2 Starters Shortstop Backup Catcher 1-2 Relievers There is a lot of work needed to help shape the 2022 Los Angeles Angels roster. GM Perry Minasian and the front office will need to balance the use of veteran and prospect talent to find the right mix of experience and production. Upgrading the roster will not be easy, but it is necessary for a team that has been looking through an open window of contention and has yet to truly step through it. The Syndergaard, Lorenzen, and Loup signings are good first steps, but the offseason is not complete, by any means. Particularly, the free agent market will be difficult this season because a large number of teams have significant amounts of payroll to spend, increasing competition for the top-tier players. This will bleed over to the trade market, as well, where it would not be surprising to see one or more brand name players, with high-salary, near-term expiring contracts (think 1-3 years left), finding new homes next season. The market has already been unusually aggressive, so sparks are flying and Minasian needs to have both hands on the welding tool, to guide it down the right lines. Ultimately, Perry will have to find the right permutation that significantly improves the 40-man roster and gives the squad the greatest amount of support to make a real push to the 2022 postseason. The quality of this improvement should be well correlated to the amount of financial leash provided by Moreno. In the end, the good news is that the front office knows what it needs, it is just a matter of finding it at an acceptable price in terms of payroll and resource (prospects) expenditures. At Angelswin.com we expect to see a solid combination of free agent signings (three already!) and one or more trades, in what will be a busy offseason for Perry Minasian and the Halos front office.

It is my impression that by adding Lorenzen to the back-end of the rotation, it will allow the Angels to deal away other starters for an upgrade. Additionally, if the Angels like his glove work he could pick up reserve outfield duties and someone mentioned on Twitter that he could substitute in as a pinch hitter, too. Seems like a versatility play for our roster, particularly in NL games and just as importantly a way to deal out some combination of Detmers, Marsh, or possibly one of Canning, Sandoval, and/or Suarez/Barria to a team like the Reds, for instance, for Castillo, perhaps?

Special thanks to @Jeff Fletcher and @Hubs for answering some questions to iron out some kinks in the Financials. Back to rewriting the Rotation section of the Primer Series....

Lorenzen could possibly get some backup OF playing time, in addition to his SP duties, true.

2021 Marked 50 Years of Angels Baseball - Time to Throw a Fancy Party? So, before we dive into the numbers, we need to have a discussion about the approved payroll number that Angels owner Arte Moreno provides to General Manager (GM) Perry Minasian. As the Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher reminded me recently, that number Moreno provides is not transparent, it could include or not include player salaries, player benefits, Minor League player salaries, non-guaranteed salaries, the cost of a Pepsi or Coca-Cola out of the clubhouse vending machine, yacht fuel, etc. The point is that we, as fans, do not know, so determining how much payroll the Angels have available for the upcoming season is not entirely clear. The current 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), clearly states the following regarding ‘Actual Club Payroll’: This definition simply means that player benefits (part (a)) plus player salaries (part (b)) plus any player salaries outrighted to a Minor League club (part (c)), constitute ‘Actual Club Payroll’. In principle, you would think that Arte’s official payroll number he gives to his GM, for each season, would include these three core components dictated in the CBA, but we have no idea if Moreno is accounting for player benefits or outright assignments, outside of that guidance, or if it is included. There is just no way to know. So, based on that, Angelswin.com will, here in this Series, report the accounting, per the CBA, by adding player benefits to ‘Actual Club Payroll’, which will simply be player salaries plus player benefits (we have no outright assignments, currently, to add). Additionally, we will place a second column for the calculation of Average Annual Value (AAV), which will determine the payroll number used for the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT, also known as the ‘Luxury Tax’) total, based on the Halos current 26-man roster plus Minor League salaries and pre-arbitration call-ups, minus the following impending free agents (Note: One or more of these names could be re-signed): Kurt Suzuki Dylan Bundy Steve Cishek Alex Cobb AJ Ramos Dexter Fowler Juan Lagares Jose Iglesias Below is that approximation, which includes the recent free agent signing of Noah Syndergaard and, also, reliever Aaron Loup: First of all, the arbitration numbers for Max Stassi, Mike Mayers, Tyler Wade, and Phil Gosselin (in italics), were obtained from the MLBTradeRumors.com Projected Arbitration Salaries for 2022 article. Although these numbers are estimates, this annual series has proven consistently accurate. It should also be noted that the Angels do not have to tender an arbitration offer, they can simply release one or more of these four names, letting the player in question enter free agency. Secondly, the Halos have no players on outright assignments, nor do they owe money to a player that is no longer on the team (thankfully, Pujols’ contract is off the books). Finally, the author has made the following financial assumptions: League minimum salary for 2022 is $600,000 Player Benefits are $16,000,000 Estimated Minor League salaries are $2,435,000 Estimated salaries for 40-man roster players are $3,000,000 To make things easier, moving forward, Angelswin.com will presume that the ‘Actual Club Payroll’ number, will consist only of player salaries, nothing else, despite the fact we reported it correctly, per the 2017-2021 CBA. This contradicts the language in the CBA, but without better information, such as knowing what components constitute Moreno’s payroll number, we are grasping at straws. So, instead of $169,550,000, per CBA accounting, we will use the base player salaries, totaling $153,550,000 as our starting point for determining how much Minasian has to spend the remainder of this offseason. Bottom line is that we will compare projected total salaries to our best-guess estimate of Moreno’s official payroll number he gives to Minasian. Last year, the team ended the season with an actual team payroll of $182M and an AAV of just under $200M. Based on historical spending, expect team owner Arte Moreno to maintain a robust actual payroll that stays under the CBT threshold. Presuming a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) maintains an ever-increasing CBT threshold (this could definitely change), actual team payroll should correspondingly increase from $182M in 2021 to $185M-$195M in 2022. For the purposes of the 2022 Angelswin.com Primer Series, we will assume Arte Moreno authorizes an actual team payroll of $190M for the 2022 season. This number could go up or down, but represents an educated estimate despite what could be an unusually aggressive offseason. Based on that historically-based assumption, and taking our projected total player salaries and estimate of $190M to spend, this leaves approximately $36.45M in actual team payroll operating space for General Manager (GM) Perry Minasian to work with for the remainder of 2022. When you take into consideration that the Angels will likely keep a reserve of payroll available, leading into the Trade Deadline, this number likely drops a few million, to $27M, give or take. For the purposes of the 2022 Angelswin.com Primer Series, we will assume the Los Angeles Angels have $27M remaining, to spend, in free agency (FA) or trade. It should be noted, again, that if the Angels do not retain one or more of their remaining four arbitration-eligible players, that number could increase to as high as $31.7M. There are, however, some potential, mitigating monetary factors to consider, regarding this upcoming offseason, that should be discussed. The first item is the aforementioned, potential, new CBA. The current CBA is set to expire December 1st, 2021. MLB and the players union are currently negotiating to either implement a new CBA or, more remotely, extend the current CBA. If they cannot reach a consensus on either of those two options, baseball could come to a standstill, possibly resulting in an owner and/or labor strike. Both sides probably want to avoid the latter, but there have been some contentious negotiations and discussions, so nothing is promised. Notably this debate has accelerated a lot of offseason transactions prior to the CBA expiration date, rather than delaying them after a new basic agreement has been settled. This aggressive set of transactions feels both player- and club-driven, because the former want to lock-in something for 2022, even if the season is abbreviated due to a player strike, and the latter are, collectively, flush with available payroll, necessitating the need to spend, even if a strike occurs for a lengthy period of time, as a result of a breakdown in talks. One part of these negotiations, that was leaked to the media and could impact the Halos offseason, is the idea of lowering the CBT threshold to $180M and raising the penalty tax for exceeding it and creating a minimum team spending floor. It is the former that may throw a wrench into the Los Angeles Angels financial planning and spending because if the current CBT threshold moves from $210M down to the suggested, proposed, $180M level, that will further constrain team spending, based on Arte Moreno’s penchant for not exceeding the Luxury Tax. If that new Luxury Tax threshold is implemented, and staying under is what Arte directs, Perry Minasian will likely have no more than a maximum of $5M to allocate the remainder of the offseason, presuming the aforementioned Trade Deadline reserve, as noted above. This is now the point where we bring up the second mitigating factor in this payroll calculus. In recent weeks, Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Manager Joe Maddon have made remarks about the need for the team to spend and improve the Angels odds to win next season. It should be very concerning to Arte Moreno that the two best players on the team have so vocally expressed their opinion on the state of the franchise. If this issue is not addressed it could lead to Shohei Ohtani leaving the team for FA after the 2023 season, which, quite frankly, would be an unmitigated disaster. Additionally, Mike Trout could grow frustrated and ask to be traded, too, which would also be an unmitigated disaster. This may force Arte Moreno to take more drastic financial action this offseason. If you assume that any new or extended CBA retains the softer Luxury Tax penalties for teams that go over the CBT threshold for no more than two years (the penalties increase significantly on the third year and beyond, currently), now may be the time (and the author has been wrong about this in previous seasons) that Arte Moreno decides to open up a no-more-than, 2-year increased financial window for the Halos. In fact, if a new CBA is implemented and the aforementioned lower CBT threshold ($180M) is instituted, Moreno will likely have no choice but to go over it, if he wants to avoid player morale issues. Additionally, Arte and Minasian may have an inside track on CBA negotiations where, for example, they feel the current CBA may be extended an additional year or two while negotiations proceed toward a new CBA. Once the CBA situation works itself out, we, the fans, will know more, but this offseason may prove to be a pivotal point in franchise history, forcing Arte to go big or risk losing one or both of the teams greatest superstars, not only in the history of the Los Angeles Angels franchise, but in Major League Baseball history, as well. Collectively, it is doubtful that anyone in the Angels organization or the fans want this to happen, but history is chock full of stupid decisions, like Babe Ruth to the Yankees. It is because of these two, potential, mitigating factors that our assumed team payroll of $190M might be the wrong number. Presuming, again, that the relative structure of the CBT base tax surcharge levels do not change and the Base Tax Threshold is the same as 2021 ($210M), Moreno could (and again, historically, he has never even sniffed this) authorize a major increase to Actual Club Payroll, up to a maximum of $210M or, if he gets truly ambitious and jumps into the 1st Surcharge Rate, a maximum of $230M, based on how aggressive he feels. Also, to be clear, IF Arte does this, he will likely clearly instruct Minasian to bring the team back below the CBT threshold by the end of 2023, in order to avoid the truly severe surcharge rates that are detailed in the currently implemented CBA (and may change in a new CBA!), which means that any significant expenditures in FA, or for trade acquisitions, would likely be for no more than two years in length. Ultimately, the front office has better visibility to ongoing CBA negotiations, but it will be interesting to see what the new CBA offers and the related impacts to every team across MLB, particularly the Halos. This CBA discussion will be important for long-term financials as well. Upton’s contract comes off the books after 2022, leaving some room for a longer-term free agent signing, internal extension candidate, or higher-salaried trade target. However, all of the pre-arbitration players on the current 40-man roster and those yet to be added, will begin to significantly impact payroll starting in 2025, based on probable Major League service time accumulated. Now, certainly, Minasian can and will trade players away and manage the total payroll number, possibly moving guys like Barria, Suarez, or Junk, for instance, so this is likely not a major concern, but 2025 and 2026 will be significant arbitration seasons. So, expect the Angels to retain their major stars while selectively moving other pieces in trade, to keep overall payroll steady, as they continue to build and maintain a contending team. This future payroll management could prove even more important if the CBT threshold is lowered in the next CBA. Oh and before I forget the other 800-pound elephant in the room, there is the fast-approaching decision to sign Shohei Ohtani to an extension contract, which, based on his recent comments about wanting to win, may or may not materialize if the Halos don’t get good, really fast. It should be noted that the front office can fit an Ohtani extension into long-term payroll and, when you consider the total value he brings, should be an absolute no-brainer proposition for Minasian. Perhaps, building a contender around a young Shohei, is a third mitigating factor that will push Arte to break the bank or it may turn out to be his greatest mistake as owner of the team, only time will tell. Angelswin.com’s educated guess is that the Angels front office will aggressively pursue an Ohtani extension, it is the only prudent and sane thing to do. As always, the financial ball is in Arte’s hand, and, for better or worse, the financial and baseball decisions made this offseason will echo for years to come.

RUN AWAAAYYYY!!!!

The Only Numbers that Truly Matter? I love numbers. The numbering system has provided a strong foundation for human knowledge dating back thousands of years. The Mesopotamians used it. The Egyptians used it. The Greeks used it. Indian and Arabic cultures used and improved it. And so on and so on and so forth. Numbers, calculations, theories, and formulas have contributed to many advancements in a truly diverse set of fields from farming and irrigation, construction, the automobile and airline industries, medicine, the electronics industry, and spaceflight. All of these fields, and many more, were developed, advanced, and improved upon, by the foundation of the mathematical system. Numbers are the underlying framework of fact-based, proven theories across virtually every aspect of human existence. This also includes baseball, which aggressively uses numbers. This is probably, in part, why I love both numbers and baseball. Cartoon Excerpt from BaseballSavant.MLB.com The basic science of hitting a baseball is one of the fundamental principles of rocket science (trajectory analysis). The vertical drop a baseball experiences once it leaves the pitcher's hand (Newton’s Laws), and the spin imparted by the tips of their fingers (rotational energy and airflow resistance and friction) also have their place in dynamics analysis across many scientific fields of study. Baseball is numbers. Baseball is science. Baseball is grounded in facts. Baseball is both predictable and, strangely at times, unpredictable (especially when Joe West is the home plate umpire). In fact, this is probably a love that I share with Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno. In advertising, numbers are constantly used, whether it is the number of impressions a particular ad generates or how much revenue an advertising campaign makes, for example. Moreno understands numbers not only in advertising, but also in relation to the finances of baseball. And, as we will discuss, Arte will be faced with a critical decision that will potentially impact the franchise’s future numbers, across the board, for years to come and will reveal whether the Angels are a pretender or the true and rightful kings to the Los Angeles throne. So, welcome to the 2022 Angelswin.com Primer Series, where we will use the numbers of baseball, in particular the numbers of the Los Angeles Angels, to understand where the Halos have been and where they will go in preparation for the 2022 campaign. Angelswin.com will look at the facts, examine publicly-made statements and other valid sources of data, infer information, make reasoned speculations, and attempt to expand our knowledge of what the 2022 Angels team will look like and what steps they need to take to turn their fortunes around. Everyone strap in.

No Cole in my stalkings?

The virus is spreading. I AM SPREADING!

Pretty rough comment @AngelStew43, for a guy named "Setup Reliever of the Decade".

Okay Caitlyn....

Current 40-man: Candidates, in my opinion, that could be cut, include: Sam Selman, Phil Gosselin, Keon Wong, Andrew Velazquez, Chad Wallach, Hector Yan, Jose Rojas, and Cooper Criswell. Potential Rule 5 guys I would lean toward keeping, include: D'Shawn Knowles, Orlando Martinez, Livan Soto, Michael Stefanic, Aaron Hernandez, Robinson Pina, and Gerardo Reyes (presuming the Angels think he is healthy).

You cited the reference in the article that was stating Arte doesn't go after long term contracts. Yes, Arte went after Cole, because, at that time, they had more free long-term payroll. Once Rendon signed, that long-term payroll shrunk, considerably, and we now sit in a time and place where, if the Angels want to extend Ohtani, they cannot take on another long-term contract in addition to a long-term FA signing or trade. Was simply pointing out that Moreno made the Cole offer in a different time and place in comparison to our current payroll situation. Could Arte make a long-term offer to a FA pitcher, now? Yes, but then Ohtani will not be extended and that would be a disaster in my opinion. Probably I should have clarified it a little more to make it clear.