ettin

@tdawg87 is mentally hurt and he still finds his stroke.

I doubt it, personally, but I think there will come a point in about 2-4 years where Trout will move over to LF, potentially, because Adell, Marsh, and even Adams have good range out in center. This is nothing against Trout, he has good range too, but eventually I think Mike will move for the good of the overall team defense. Could be wrong, but Trout will start slowing down at some point and I think even he will acknowledge it and pull a Torii Hunter type move.

Clearly the Angels thought Marsh is ready (yay!) and with all of our outfield injuries, bringing him up as a potentially full-time replacement makes sense. Not only is he skilled, but he brings energy with him, the guy bounces off the walls, brimming with the "Let's Go!" type of hype that I think will fit in well with this team (and in the future).

Speaking of rations of shit....

Because you are a nicer guy than what the original message came across as and AO admits to his flaws (as evidenced by his initial response). The message read aggressively to me, Doc, that is all. I understand and agree with your core thought, it is simply the tone you took. You seem to feel otherwise. I like AO, he is literally one of the only people here who will admit he is wrong. He is a mild mannered commentator who gets it wrong sometimes and owns it.

Yes, but when you share your reasoning with AO, he usually listens and even changes his mind, which a lot of people here would never consider or do. Just saying the approach seemed a little harsh, but AO does rail against the injury bugs, no doubt.

Seems a little harsh for AO, he is a reasonable guy who is more than willing to listen to reason, in my experience.

The Era of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani is Now In this Angelswin.com Trade Deadline Series, we examined the Angels standings in the League and how it impacts their Playoff Odds, made some practical assumptions about their potential posture heading into the Trade Deadline (July 30th), determined their areas of need, and probed prospective partners in any deal, whether the Halos decide to buy or sell (or both!). Here is a graphic of all of the teams with at least a 10% chance or more of making the playoffs in 2021, as of July 10th, 2021: 2021 MLB Playoff Odds for All Teams with >10% Chance as of July 10th, 2021 The top grouping represents the six Division leaders. Below that sit the Mets and the Rays. Further down, the Blue Jays, Rays, and Yankees are jockeying for position. Then, the grouping at the bottom, contains the Angels, Reds, Braves, and Phillies. It should be noted that as of July 15th, 2021 (5 days after this graphic), the Indians and Braves have slipped below 10% (6.7% and 7.4%, respectively, Angels sit at 15.4%). Based on this information, as of July 10th, 2021, the Angels have improved enough that GM Perry Minasian is likely recommending to owner Arte Moreno that they commit resources to make a more aggressive move to continue competing, even though the team will probably only be in the discussion for a Wild Card spot. This could include obtaining a front-of-the-rotation starter (if they can find an appropriate one in the market), a new backup catcher who can, preferably, hit right-handed pitching well, and one, possibly two, relievers, one of which should be competent against left-handed hitters. It seems ill-advised and unlikely, based on our research, that the Angels will consider a large acquisition in right field, at least at this moment in time. Author’s Note: And, in fact, the Halos signed Adam Eaton, prior to publication, likely as a platoon partner in a corner outfield spot, because he has excelled against right-handed pitching over his career. Again, the trade market may not support these needs and, certainly, there will be other teams the Angels have to compete with in the marketplace. In baseball, goals often go unrealized and many deals are never consummated. This will, however, in the author’s opinion, not deter the Angels from improving at this point, whether it is a blockbuster trade or one or more smaller transactions to help the Halos gain the extra inches they need to cross the playoff finish line. When you have a legitimate opportunity to get to the World Series, you should consider any reasonable moves to get there, particularly if it improves the team in the long-term as well. Now to be clear, Perry Minasian will be monitoring the teams performance for the next couple of weeks and if things shift dramatically in the loss column and the trade market looks inviting, for the assets the Angels are potentially selling, they could go the full sell route and add additional pieces for 2022 and beyond, likely making the team even more competitive in near-future seasons. This is what we talked about early on in this series about the information that is available to the Halos versus the information available to us, as fans. Do not think, for even a second, that the Angels front office has not contacted every team in baseball to check on player availability and also interest in our obtainable assets. Information is power! So whether it is promoting Matt Thaiss or Anthony Bemboom, behind the dish or acquiring Reese McGuire, trading for Max Scherzer, Luis Castillo, Shane Bieber, or even a guy like Jon Gray, sticking with the productive Taylor Ward, bringing up young Jo Adell, or picking up an established right fielder, or even snagging one or two affordable relievers like Chafin, Tepera, or Hudson, the Angels should have some trade space to upgrade the team. Also, with Mike Trout returning from the Injured List, this will only make the team leaps and bounds better and, if you tack on one or more trades, you can transform the Angels enough to make a real difference in 2021 and, possibly, beyond, if the new acquisitions have additional years of control. Trout returning, alone, could potentially bridge the current 4.5 game divide in the Wild Card race, not to mention a healthy Upton and Rendon returning near the end of July. The Angels seem poised, whether it is now or later, to make some noise in the A.L. West and Perry Minasian and the Angels front office know this and will do their best, based on the information available, to make it happen sooner, rather than later, for a 2021 Angels team that, to date, deserves the opportunity to improve and punch their own ticket to the playoffs. Author’s Speculative Opinion: The Angels will attempt to add a front-end starter with more than one season of control, but the trade market may not accommodate this need. It certainly is a missing piece of the puzzle that the Angels need to solve and one of our top outfield prospects will be the likely centerpiece of any deal for a controllable starter. If the Angels are targeting a pure rental, Moreno would probably kick in Luxury Tax money to pick up Scherzer and if the Halos want more years of control (more likely) someone like Luis Castillo or Shane Bieber may be possible. Additionally, the Halos will likely promote Matt Thaiss as the backup catcher to Stassi, he probably has enough chops to play a passable catcher and his bat can play at the Major League level, making him the cheapest “acquisition” at the Trade Deadline. The only roadblock will be if Thaiss cannot play at least marginal defense, thus necessitating a trade for a guy like Reese McGuire or another. Also, it would not be a surprise for the Angels to promote Adell at some point, but Taylor Ward’s bat has been solid and they have now taken a flyer on Eaton’s left-handed bat, so they could keep Jo down the rest of the season and start him in 2022 (Adell has 153 days of service time, not quite a full year, thus starting him in '22 would give the Angels a full six years of control). The Angels could also move Juan Lagares and promote Brandon Marsh to give him some Major League experience so that is a remote, but possible, transaction as a backup outfielder. Also, the Angels could move one or more of Bundy, Quintana, Heaney, and Cobb in order to promote one or more of Griffin Canning, Chris Rodriguez, Cooper Criswell, Jaime Barria, or top prospect Reid Detmers, for example. Finally, I could see Minasian picking up one or two of Richard Rodriguez, Andrew Chafin, Daniel Hudson, and/or Ryan Tepera in trade, probably out of the latter three or even promote internally, bringing Jose Quijada backup or perhaps one of Andrew Wantz, Hector Yan, Jake Reed, Boomer Biegalski, Jhonathan Diaz, and/or Jake Faria, to hold a more permanent spot the remainder of the season. If you were the Angels GM, what would you do? Post your thoughts in the thread and continue the conversation about the Halos future!

Of course he was clowned the rest of his life. No one can live with that stain on their reputation.

I think Quintana in a relief role is probably best for the Angels if they keep him.

I feel like the Angels will try to move Bundy, first and foremost. Then the rest of them will be determined by how well the team plays over the next 1 1/2 weeks. Not sure how bad Canning's injury is, but Rodriguez and Detmers are only a short hop away if the team gets bold and daring.

I am conflicted, here, with Heaney. I have always championed his cause, because he has shown glimpses of greatness, but he always seems to wind up underperforming in one form or fashion. Case in point is this year, I mean most starters who run a 22% K%-BB% rate are usually getting multi-year deals, but with Andrew he just keeps slipping under the bar. I could go either way, now, but if they do send him out, I hope it is to a National League team, I would hate to see him throwing against us for the A's, Mariners, or some other skullduggery.

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer Now that we have identified probable purchases, it is time to flip the script and discuss what happens if the Angels become sellers, rather than buyers. For the purposes of this article we will only discuss those assets that actually have some level of reasonable trade value as it will not be the best use of time trying to find someone with minimal or even zero value, like Tony Watson or Kurt Suzuki, a hypothetical home on another team. Also we will only consider teams that are actual buyers or are on the bubble of contention (i.e. teams that are clearly sellers will not be considered in this discussion). It should also be noted that some teams may be more aggressive than others, because a specific, targeted player might push them up the win curve significantly or they may want to keep their opponents from acquiring the player so that player cannot be used against them. Finally, the Angels, in any negotiation, will more likely target MLB-ready or near-ready assets, more so than prospects overall, simply because we need to make our Major League squad better now, rather than later. Raisel Iglesias 2021: 3.66 ERA, 34.9% K%-BB%, .194 AVG, 0.89 WHIP, 3.70 FIP, 1.89 SIERA Perhaps the Angels greatest asset at the Trade Deadline, Iglesias is having a heck of a season (Ranked 5th in K%-BB% among relievers with 30+ innings pitched) and, most importantly, he is getting outs equally well on both sides of the plate. Of course he is a pure rental, but there will be massive interest by virtually every team in contention, whether they really need him or not. Other than Craig Kimbrel, Iglesias should be the top reliever on the market, if the Angels make him available. Teams that may have the greatest interest in Raisel include the Blue Jays, Astros, Athletics, Brewers, Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Braves, Reds, and Phillies, probably. Again, other teams like the Red Sox and Yankees will likely inquire, despite their lack of urgent need, because a guy like Iglesias will improve any bullpen in baseball. So what would Raisel bring back in return? Probably 1-3 good, but not great, prospects, depending on the names involved. Some sample trade scenarios are below: Angels send RP Raisel Iglesias to the Blue Jays in exchange for C Reese McGuire and SP/RP Julian Merryweather. Here the Angels could pick up a potentially good 3rd wheel from the Blue Jays in McGuire who was designated for assignment earlier in the season but has raked well lately and has an above average glove behind the dish. Merryweather is capable of starting, so the Angels could continue to stretch him out or, alternatively, turn him into a multi-inning reliever. In lieu of McGuire, the Angels could ask for Jensen or Kirk, instead, but the latter is probably not available. Angels send RP Raisel Iglesias and SS/2B Luis Rengifo to the Dodgers in exchange for C Keibert Ruiz (#2), and SP Bobby Miller (#8). The acquisition of Ruiz would give the Angels a nice switch-hitting bat (better from the left side) to pair with Max Stassi and a starter with strikeout capability in Miller. The Dodgers get Iglesias for the stretch run and they almost acquired Rengifo previously in the nixed Pederson-Stripling deal, so the interest probably still exists. Ruiz may or may not be available, but with Will Smith locked in, the Dodgers are probably willing to move Keibert in the right deal. Alex Cobb 2021: 4.60 ERA, 20.2% K%-BB%, .241 AVG, 1.22 WHIP, 2.58 FIP, 3.21 SIERA A solid season has put Cobb back on the map and if the Halos become sellers or take a hybrid posture, other teams will almost certainly come calling. Just like Iglesias (and a lot of other guys on this list) he is a pure rental. Although his actual ERA is a touch above League average, his peripherals tell a different, better, story (FIP is 2.58 and K%-BB% of 20.2%, as of July 7th, 2021). He has been doing this equally well against both sides of the plate, to boot. Teams that may have the most interest in Cobb, include the Blue Jays, Indians, Braves, Reds, Rays, and Mets. Certainly other teams will inquire, but those just listed are more probable suitors. So what will Cobb bring back in return? Likely something similar, but slightly less, than Iglesias, again, 1-3 good, but not great prospects. Some sample trade suggestions are below: Angels send SP Alex Cobb to the Rays in exchange for C Blake Hunt and SP Seth Johnson. Here the Angels pick up an athletic catcher with some pop in his bat and Johnson, a right-hander who throws in the low-to-mid 90’s with a quality 4-pitch mix. Angels send SP Alex Cobb to the Braves in exchange for C Shea Langeliers and SP Jared Shuster. Langeliers is a noted, excellent defender with no flaws behind the dish, but the offense is the question mark, particularly his swing, which the Angels would try to fix. Shuster is an advanced arm that just needs to be stretched out over the next couple of seasons in the Minors, that could be an above average strikeout guy from the left-side of the mound, potentially. Andrew Heaney 2021: 5.38 ERA, 20.6% K%-BB%, .257 AVG, 1.35 WHIP, 4.15 FIP, 3.72 SIERA Despite an excellent K%-BB%, Andrew has, unfortunately, not had correspondingly actual results. Part of his issues has been one part bad luck (.328 BABIP), one part letting to many runners score (67.9% LOB%), another part walking hitters (3.04 BB/9), one more part giving up a little to many long balls (1.64 HR/9), and an uncharacteristically bad time against left-handed hitters, which traditionally has been a strong suit. Teams that may have the most interest in Heaney, include the Athletics, Braves, Indians, Reds, Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Yankees. Certainly other teams will inquire, but those just listed are more probable suitors. All of those parts listed above lead to the depression of Andrew’s value, so, unlike Iglesias or Cobb, he is more likely to bring back 1-2 good, but not great prospects if the Angels choose to move him at the Trade Deadline. Some sample trade scenarios are listed below: Angels send SP Andrew Heaney to the Athletics in exchange for SP Brady Feigl and C Drew Millas. This move would give the Angels an interesting arm in Feigl and a possible replacement for Stassi in Millas, who is strong defensively. Angels send SP Andrew Heaney to the Red Sox in exchange for SP Noah Song and SP/RP Aldo Ramirez. Song is an interesting flyer who throws hard, but has been serving in the military and could start as a high-octane reliever and then stretched out over time and Ramirez is a multi-innings type that has the potential to stick in the rotation if things break right. SS Jose Iglesias 2021: .275/.306/.394, .306 BABIP, 94 wRC+ Iglesias, known for his high quality defense, has certainly disappointed a bit on the field. However, he has exceeded his run production by about 6% over his career average, so there is some give and take here, based on expectations. There are two scenarios where Iglesias might get traded: 1) the Angels decide to sell off expendable assets, including Jose and 2) the Angels decide to upgrade at SS, before the Trade Deadline, and move him, then. Other than that, it makes more sense to keep Jose and then target one of the many shortstops that will be available in free agency this upcoming offseason. Teams that may have some interest in Iglesias, include the Reds, Athletics, and, more remotely, the Rays, if they feel their young prospects they called up are not getting it done. Other teams like the Yankees and Indians are struggling at SS, too, but the former has Gleyber Torres, who is scuffling, but has immense talent, and the latter seem to be falling out of contention, so they may forgo a Trade Deadline deal to bolster their middle infield. This leaves Iglesias’ trade market somewhat bare. When you consider that Jose’s defense should rebound, he makes for a low-level pickup by a contending team, but he will not bring back much, probably one reasonable prospect if the Angels move him at the Trade Deadline. An example trade scenario is listed below: Angels send SS Jose Iglesias to the Reds in exchange for SP Noah Davis. This would give the Halos a near-ready pitching prospect that features a fastball/slider/changeup combination with low-to-mid 90’s velocity. Could serve well in a multi-inning relief or starter role, depending on how his development continues. RP Steve Cishek 2021: 2.88 ERA, 7.1% K%-BB%, .219 AVG, 1.43 WHIP, 3.34 FIP, 4.70 SIERA Cishek has had a strong, results-oriented season to-date, living and dying by putting the ball on the ground and letting the defense do its job, in addition to making hitters miss enough to generate poor contact. Some teams might be afraid of the walks (rightfully so), but he is getting it done against both sides of the plate. Teams that may have some level of interest in Cishek, include clubs like the Phillies, Reds, Athletics, Giants, Blue Jays, Astros, Braves, Mets, and Padres. Other teams may have interest, too, but the teams listed are outside of the Top 10 in bullpen WAR, making them more probable suitors. Now certainly, Cishek is no Iglesias, but he has been running well and that should translate into 1-2 mid-tier prospects, potentially. Some example trade scenarios are listed below: Angels send RP Steve Cishek to the Brewers in exchange for SS David Hamilton. Here the Halos would pick up a good contact, great defensive shortstop. Not dissimilar to David Fletcher, but he strikes out more. Could turn into a utility guy if the power doesn’t improve, but not a bad guy to have, particularly if his development breaks right. Angels send RP Steve Cishek to the Brewers in exchange for SP Bowden Francis. Another alternate deal with the Brewers might bring back near-read starter Bowden Francis, who is a good command type of pitcher with a solid 4-pitch mix. Angels send RP Steve Cishek to the Astros in exchange for SP Hunter Brown and RP Brett Conine. Since the Astros play in the same Division, the Halos would probably try to extract a little more from Houston, snagging the high-potential Brown and solid Conine. Both have upside, at the minimum in the bullpen, but both, particularly Hunter, could enter the rotation at some point. SP/RP Dylan Bundy 2021: 6.78 ERA, 14.0% K%-BB%, .275 AVG, 1.42 WHIP, 5.44 FIP, 4.36 SIERA Unfortunately for Dylan, his 2021 season did not come even close to replicating his 2020 campaign. Despite a slightly above average K%-BB%, he simply has given up too many hits and the defense behind him did not help matters in the least. As evidenced by his recent move to the bullpen, the Angels are still trying to extract some value from him in the final weeks leading up to the Trade Deadline, but no matter what this will be a more difficult sell on the trade market for Perry Minasian. Teams that may have some level of interest in Bundy, include clubs like the Athletics, Braves, Indians, Reds, Blue Jays, and Red Sox. Other teams might make inquiries, but those just listed are the most in need of help against right-handed hitters, which Dylan does a better job against, overall. For all of the numbers listed above, Bundy represents low value on the trade market, but there will be modest interest. He will only bring back 1-2 mid-to-lower level tier prospects at best and the Angels may have to retain some salary based on the return in question. Some sample trade scenarios are listed below: Angels send SP/RP Dylan Bundy to the Indians in exchange for SP/RP Hunter Gaddis. As indicated Bundy will not pull much in, but Gaddis projects as a multi-inning reliever with above average strikeout capability, so the Halos may make this their ask in a hypothetical Indians trade. Angels send SP/RP Dylan Bundy to the Reds in exchange for SP Graham Ashcraft. This one might be a stretch, but Ashcraft could move fast through the Angels system to turn into a likely multi-inning or short-stint reliever. SP/RP Jose Quintana 2021 Starter: 7.22 ERA, 14.5% K%-BB%, .279 AVG, 1.93 WHIP, 4.44 FIP, 4.50 SIERA 2021 Reliever: 7.94 ERA, 22.2% K%-BB%, .320 AVG, 1.76 WHIP, 5.99 FIP, 3.00 SIERA So, looking at his numbers, as both a starter and reliever, you can see that Quintana has suffered at the hands of the baseball gods. A 14.5% K%-BB% should not equate to a 7.22 ERA (and his peripheral FIP and SIERA numbers suggest that), nor should a 22.2% K%-BB%, as a reliever, equate to a 7.94 ERA. In both cases, Jose is running a .400 BABIP, which is clearly saying he has suffered bad luck on top of it all. The peripherals highly suggest Quintana should have better actual results, but unfortunately for the Halos that has not materialized, yet. Teams that may have some level of interest in a reclamation project like Quintana, could include the Blue Jays, Reds, Phillies, Braves, and Red Sox, among others. More than likely they would consider him in a relief role, more so than in the rotation. Clearly, Quintana will not pull down more than a low-level type of prospect, so we should expect very little here (almost didn’t list him, but the peripherals will pique the interest of other teams). An example trade scenario is listed below: Angels send SP/RP Jose Quintana to the Braves in exchange for SP Jared Johnson. Even Johnson might be too big of a price to pay, but, currently, he is a projected 35+ grade prospect, per FanGraphs, that the Halos would probably feel happy acquiring back in return for Jose. Conclusion One notable takeaway from this mental exercise, is that a lot of the potential teams the Angels seem to partner up with, do not have a lot of notable pieces that are near- or MLB-ready types of players. This may prove a bit problematic, but should not be a roadblock for the Angels to get a deal or two accomplished. It seems quite plausible that the Angels will make at least one or two deals, because they do have assets down on the farm that they could bring up to replace the pieces they sell. For example, could the Halos trade Jose Iglesias and simply bring up Luis Rengifo to replace him at SS? Could Minasian designate Kurt Suzuki for assignment and promote Matt Thaiss behind the dish? Would the Angels consider jettisoning Adam Eaton after Trout and Upton return from the Injured List in order to promote Jo Adell? Could they move Juan Lagares and bring up Brandon Marsh before September call ups to get his first carafe of coffee? Maybe they move Cishek and promote Quijada? Part ways with Dylan Bundy and let Dillon Peters take his place? Move Quintana and promote Chris Rodriguez into the rotation? The point is that the Angels have assets on the farm that could replace some of our poor performers and, performance-wise, you probably will not know the difference and, in fact, they may improve the overall team. This is why you should expect to see at least 1-2 guys go out the door in trade, in addition to the potential acquisitions mentioned in the previous article. If you were the Angels GM, which players would you sell at the Trade Deadline? Up next - 2021 Angelswin.com Trade Deadline Series: Conclusion

So the Angels saw an opportunity to pair the left-handed bat of Eaton (and he has heavy platoon splits, overall) with either Ward or Lagares, so they did decide to go with a short-term veteran in RF. This probably allows them to keep Adell down the whole year, if they like (suppresses service time since he is at 153 days, still). Also @totdprods, I almost did an article on Daniel Norris, for AW.com, about 4-5 years ago, because I wanted to see if any pitchers in baseball had a similar skill set, velocity and pitch mix to Clayton Kershaw and he was about as close as anyone got to that comparison. I was calling Norris "Kershaw-lite" in that article, but I never finished it. After Daniel's groin injury he has not quite gotten back to being better, although he showed a glimpse of his capability in 2020.

Great summary, @Inside Pitch!

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer Now that we have spent some time getting the lay of the land, it is time to do a bit more speculative analysis, based on the Angels' needs, if they become buyers. Knowing the Halos most probable four areas of need and the list we created of likely sellers, we can use FanGraphs sortable statistics, looking at possible catchers, starters, right fielders, and relievers that might be targets of interest for the Angels and are also likely to be available in trade. The author, in addition to FanGraphs, will also utilize Baseball-Reference.com and Spotrac.com to examine player salaries and expiring contract information, as needed. Finally all charts presented were pulled as of July 8th, 2021. Looking at catchers first, here is a short list of probable targets for upgrade that have a reasonable combination of defense and the ability to hit against right-handed pitching: Probable Catcher Targets vs. RHP Sorted by WAR (As of July 8th, 2021) So the Angels have been playing Thaiss at catcher for over the last month (24 games as of July 8th, 2021), so if they think he can play a passable backstop, he would be a very inexpensive solution who, of course, hits from the left-side (and probably cannot do much worse than Suzuki, defensively... maybe). For the Blue Jays, top prospect Alejandro Kirk is on the verge of joining the Major League team, leaving one of McGuire or Jansen likely out on the side of the road. Gomes and Molina are in their walk years, with the latter more likely to retire than come to the team his good friend Albert Pujols just left. Contreras and Kelly are interesting, but will cost a lot. Stallings, Barnhart, and Alfaro will cost something, too. Here at Angelswin.com, beyond the semi-intriguing internal options of Thaiss or Bemboom, we would roll the dice with one of Barnhart, McGuire, Jansen, or Stallings, as the more likely picks, especially one of the Toronto guys, because Minasian knows them better than most and the Blue Jays are a little more likely to move one of them. Moving on to starting pitchers, here is another list of possible targets for upgrade: Probable Rotation Targets Sorted by K%-BB% (As of July 8th, 2021) From an Angelswin.com point of view, a majority of these starters are probably out of reach. Many of them have more than one year of control so, in that case, their price will be elevated, possibly beyond the Angels ability to acquire, currently. Based on this and the assumption that the Angels will likely only go after a top starter if and only if they improve markedly as we head toward the end of July, Angelswin.com would speculate that the Halos front office is slightly more likely to target a pure rental like Scherzer, Wainwright, or Gray to minimize the resource cost (i.e. money and players and prospects sent back in return), or, a bit less likely, they might go big and try to acquire one of Castillo, Berrios, Bieber, or Marquez (unlikely), all of which have additional control, but play for teams that run relatively low payrolls and thus may not be able to afford to retain them, in arbitration, moving forward. Notably, the Reds were shopping Luis in the offseason , the Twins may not be able to extend Jose, and Shane grew up an Angels fan, so if Cincinnati, Minnesota, or Cleveland decide it is time, you never know what could happen. Beyond catchers and starters, the Angels could consider the aforementioned temporary right field solution. Below is a list of possible targets: Joey Gallo Mitch Haniger Robbie Grossman And that is about it! The rest of the outfielders on the leaderboard either play for teams in contention, have long-term control or contracts, or are only slight upgrades (Tommy Edman for example) over Taylor Ward who is also on the leaderboard, albeit further down the list. This really is a situation where, unless the Angels are acquiring a top-tier outfielder with long-term control and then dealing off Jo Adell and/or Taylor Ward (for pitching as an example), this is basically a no-go and possible dead-end for Minasian to pursue. Probably best to stick with Taylor and then bring up Adell only when the Angels front office feels he is ready to face Major League pitching, again. It is the most affordable choice, with the highest promise, available to the Angels, from the outside looking in, on a near- and long-term basis. Finally we get to our fourth potential area of need, relief pitching. Here is a list of targets, based on our probable list of sellers at the Trade Deadline: Probable Reliever Targets Sorted by K%-BB% (As of July 8th, 2021) So, obviously, there are some names to choose from if Perry Minasian wants to upgrade the bullpen. Clearly some of these names (Kimbrel and Gallegos for example) will be more expensive than others. When examining the contractual status of this group, it may be better for the Halos to target one of the following names: Taylor Rogers, Richard Rodriguez, Andrew Chafin, Ryan Tepera, and Daniel Hudson. This group also happens to have strong numbers against left-handed hitters, so this would not only improve the bullpen as a whole, but would strengthen the Halos ability to put them to bed. If Angelswin.com was in the Halos shoes, one, possibly two, of Rodriguez, Chafin, Tepera, or Hudson, would make the most sense to bolster the relief staff, if the Angels choose to go this route. Again, this discussion represents a more probable set of areas the Angels could improve upon and the names suggested are more likely to be available in trade, but trade negotiations are very fluid and unpredictable. We, here at Angelswin.com, will continue to hammer the point home that we, the fans, do not have access to all of the information the Angels do and, thus, there may be many other avenues the Angels can take to improve the team, so anything is possible, including doing nothing, at the Trade Deadline. If you were the Angels GM, would you target any of the suggestions above and, if so, why? Up next - 2021 Angelswin.com Trade Deadline Series: Likely Targets to Sell

You should give up on this thread now, Lou, Toby has the Willis to win.

WHAT?!?!? I think this may be the first take from you, I fully don't agree with!

By Robert Cunningham, Angelswin.com Senior Writer So now that we have performed some basic analysis to understand where the Angels are strong and weak and which teams are likely sellers, buyers, or somewhere in-between, we can make more knowledgeable guesses about how the Angels might generally upgrade, whom they might sell, and the probable, more specific target areas of improvement. The first step is to determine who the Halos plan to build the team around moving forward into the future. These names represent likely, key, productive players, on the 40-man roster, that are either controllable long-term, are on contract, and/or are difficult to move in a trade: C Max Stassi 1B Jared Walsh 2B David Fletcher 3B Anthony Rendon LF Justin Upton CF Mike Trout RF Jo Adell CF Brandon Marsh DH Shohei Ohtani SP Griffin Canning SP Patrick Sandoval SP Jose Suarez SP Chris Rodriguez Most of the identified players above are either under contract for one or more seasons (Trout, Ohtani, Fletcher, Rendon, and Upton), arbitration-controlled for more than the 2021 season (Stassi), or are young and controllable (Walsh, Adell, Marsh, Canning, Sandoval, Suarez, and Rodriguez) talent for multiple seasons. This does not mean that one or more of them could not be included in a deal, but the Angels probably want or have to hold on to these names, in all likelihood. Nothing is promised, but this list represents a more probable part of the Angels future. Also, there are other players who are borderline keepers, such as Matt Thaiss, Taylor Ward, and Luis Rengifo, that are young, controllable, talented players, but may not have a positional home on future Angels squads. These are the type of guys you want to find playing time for, whether in the Majors or down in the Minors, but may serve the team's future, better, by utilizing their value in trade for a position of need. Now that we know who is more likely to stay, you can create a list of those players the Angels are more likely to move before the Trade Deadline. If the Angels are sellers then anyone with an expiring contract, such as Raisel Iglesias for example, would be fair game in discussions with other teams, as seen below: SP Alex Cobb SP Dylan Bundy SP Andrew Heaney RP Raisel Iglesias SP Jose Quintana SS Jose Iglesias C Kurt Suzuki OF Juan Lagares RP Alex Claudio RP Steve Cishek RP Tony Watson That is a lot of guys heading out the door after this season! Not to mention GM Perry Minasian will have to fill those spots from our farm system, trade, or free agency in order to compete effectively in 2022 and beyond. This is why the Angels may be faced with a tough decision leading into the Trade Deadline. If they don’t feel really confident they can sneak into the playoffs, selling is a near certainty. Of course, if they improve in July, a chance at a Wild Card spot could increasingly materialize, which may force Minasian and the front office to retain some, if not all, of the names above. So the bottom line is that if the Halos have less than a 10% chance at the playoffs in late July, they are probable sellers. If they are borderline (say no more than a 20% chance to make the playoffs), they could be both buyers and sellers, trying to move one or two key assets in trade, getting back controllable prospects and/or players in return, while at the same time looking at targets of opportunity to bring in for the remainder of the season. Also, if by some miracle, they make a sustained run for the Division in July, Minasian may gamble, if he can, on a much larger transformative transaction, such as a controllable, bona fide, ace-level starter or impact bat. Now that we have identified potential keepers and movers, we need to use some of the analysis from the previous articles, to make educated guesses at some of the more probable targets that GM Perry Minasian could focus on. Starting with the Angels as buyers there are four, more probable, areas that the Angels front office might earmark for upgrade: Backup catcher Starting pitching Right field Bullpen As much as everyone wanted Kurt Suzuki to succeed, he has not performed well at all. Known as an offensive-oriented catcher, he has, unfortunately, failed in that capacity and when combined with his very poor defense, he has been a serious liability, despite his apparent rapport with Shohei Ohtani. Finding a backup catcher with good defense and, preferably based on our analysis, the ability to hit right-handed pitching well is a move that would likely bring solid dividends to the team moving forward, particularly if that catcher has long-term team control. The Angels were in the hunt for Gerrit Cole, previously, and had interest in Trevor Bauer, more recently, so it is not a secret that the rotation has been a source of great grief for the team over the last few years. Finding an ace-level starter is not an easy task, there are not that many truly good top-of-the-rotation guys out there and gambling on a top prospect, who has little experience against Major League hitters, is also a perilous undertaking. This will not be a simple solution and generally teams do not part with this type of elite starter, so this is less probable, particularly when you consider the Angels odds of qualifying for a Wild Card spot. Here, Minasian is more likely to pick up a front-end or middle-of-the-rotation starter with an expiring contract (i.e. they are a free agent after the end of this season), if the Angels really do decide to push in on this season with the caveat that, should a controllable front-end type target become available, Perry may move assets, now, to make that a reality. Beyond the catching corps and rotation, the Angels could possibly pick up a temporary right fielder on an expiring contract. This will depend on a lot of factors, including the continuing production of Taylor Ward and the performance of Angels top prospect Jo Adell, who is slugging the ball well at AAA Salt Lake City, but is still striking out at an elevated rate. Here, it feels like Minasian will only go outside of the organization if he can acquire an inexpensive, temporary solution, otherwise the team is probably best served with one of the internal options, despite the fact that Ward has not been great on defense, but he has been solid on offense, while Adell struggled in his first call up, but has immense potential on both sides of the ball. Finally, the bullpen has been a real thorn in the first half of the season, with some acquisitions excelling (Iglesias for instance), while others have been underperforming (Watson and Slegers for example). Basically, if the Angels are competing, this is another area that the front office could probably upgrade without a large expenditure of resources. Finding a reasonably good relief arm, particularly if they are at least decently good against left-handed hitters, would add a lot to the later innings of a ballgame for the Halos. Of course there are always scenarios we cannot see from the outside and there is a lot of information the Angels know that we do not have, so there is a fog of war that prevents us, as fans, from seeing the full picture here. However, the basic analysis and identification of assets to keep and pieces to sell, based on strengths and weaknesses, can narrow down the search and provide more probable avenues for not only the Angels, but for us, here at Angelswin.com, to explore. If you were the Angels GM, which players would you keep long-term, which would you try to sell at the Trade Deadline, and what areas of the roster would you try to upgrade? Up next - 2021 Angelswin.com Trade Deadline Series: Probable Assets to Acquire

Personally he would start somewhere around #10, give or take. Have to go back and look at my personal list, again, but Marsh, Adams, Detmers, C-Rod, Paris, Kochonwicz, Jackson, Vera, and Soto are all ahead of him in my head, I think. Back end of the Top 10, somewhere.

I'm not to big a fan of him, either.

Yes, I suppose it is. I actually didn't know his background when he came on board so he seemed like a pick out of the blue to me. Makes it even stranger to me that he has a background doing this and still couldn't speak well to the actual baseball stuff.

Sutton seemed like a good guy, but his lack of baseball knowledge is a big part of what canned him. For example, during a game against the A's, he made a comment about Luzardo, who happened to be pitching in relief, that "He would be a big part of the A's bullpen, right?", to Gubi and Mark had to correct him as even a lot of casual fans know Jesus is an ace-level starter in baseball. He would constantly ask questions of Mark on-air and quite frankly I felt a lot of his commentary was a bit elementary. I will note that over the last 3 weeks or so, he was improving a bit, but it was to little, to late. Wish him well, but this was the right decision, I think. Mark and Mota both know a lot more about the game.

@Inside Pitch I wonder if this pick is a product of the Angels expulsion of scouting months ago in favor of video/statcast-type data? Or maybe I am off-base here?

WHAT????? Bachman????