ettin

I'm not adverse to trading Calhoun I'm just afraid that other teams don't see his real value which I think is pretty high. At this moment in time I feel we would be selling low on him. I'd rather move Trumbo and take a gamble on the more toolsy Calhoun I think.

In my next 'Hot Stove Trade Speculation' article I mention this possibility but only because of Bourjos' depressed value right now. If Bourjos isn't traded this off season, I think having him play one more season in CF next year will help reestablish his value so that if we don't make the playoffs in 2014 we will have a much more valuable trade chip during next year's off season. I think Mike's defensive drop is just an anomaly. He is good defensively.

Doubront is a no for me. His fastball velocity dropped nearly 2 mph in 2013. I'd say pass there are better options out there. Middlebrooks has similar power to Trumbo and is younger but he has many of the same issues Mark does. However he does play a position of need so? Guess it comes down to the particulars of the trade.

Oh as another side note the Indians do have two really good shortstop prospects of which one I am sure is available in trade.

Even though this turned out to be total BS, I'll still go on the record as being a proud member of the Corey Kluber Society. He is actually a pretty good pitcher and with 5 years of control it would likely be a fair swap. If we were getting extra value (hopefully) then that would have been icing on the cake.

Overtime amounts made me laugh. Probably! Fair enough Mud. To be honest I don't see Sandoval as the centerpiece of that trade really it is Crick. I still see value in Sandoval despite the last two years and if he rebounded (that's not a fat joke btw) it would be a plus. It really just comes down to how cheap he comes. In the end I don't think players like Headley or Sandoval are as available as some would like but I included them anyway because they are both in their walk years and their respective clubs might try to deal them for some value. Again I'm an advocate of the Scenario # 2 trade but I wanted to show another path that the Angels could take to fill some holes. Thanks for the response!

Funny enough my next 'Hot Stove Trade Speculation' submission involves the Tigers, lol. I'll get it to you soon Chuck. I focused on Scherzer or possibly Rick Porcello (who might come the cheapest but he is a good pitcher) in a Kendrick based trade. The reason I didn't consider Fister for Kendrick straight up is that Fister appears more valuable than Kendrick from a WAR standpoint. However Mike if a straight up trade of Fister for Kendrick went through I'd be pretty ecstatic.

That or the sexual arousal.

Oh yes I certainly agree that Trumbo is a goner. That is why he is involved in virtually all of my Hot Stove Trade Speculation articles. His time is short for this club barring some trade of other assets that extracts a lot of value.

Certainly he's a good player but he is on the wrong side of 30 and he wants a massive contract that would cripple us 3+ years out. The compounded interest of Pujols, Hamilton, and Cano would turn us into the 2016 version of the 2013 Yankees.

Team defense is actually a reason I think the Angels might trade Aybar. He seems to be entering a slight decline in his overall range. He still has a great arm and pretty good instincts but as he ages his range will slowly degrade. Romine would actually improve SS defense albeit at the cost of offense. I think our middle infield defense will be approximately the same no matter if we trade either or both of Aybar and Kendrick.

IP I really just think this is posturing to raise his price. Dipoto and the rest of the GM's know that power hitters are in short supply and he is just playing to those concerns to extract value. The last administration didn't do this from what I recall? Also I think Trumbo's personality and play style does fit the Angels mold, it's just that he is, as you said, a one trick pony that isn't a multi-dimensional asset for the team.

I'm going to call you Tobydawg from now on.

Thanks tdawg. I guess my ultimate goal with these speculative trade scenarios is to show the fan base that there are ways to improve the team. Trying to be the glass half full type of person I guess. The Giants do need a starter but it is more of the back-end type. Vogelsong has been rumored to be resigned but there are a plethora of starters the Giants could pick from. Heck we could even include Hanson, Blanton, or even Jerome in a trade to them if they simply want a 5th starter (assuming they would want one of those three). Surkamp and Petit are rotation options for them as well, I believe. I think if they did let go of a young starter it would be one of Crick, Escobar, or Mejia. They don't want to move one of them but you have to give to get.

Hembree is ready for the Majors and he has definite closer type stuff. Crick isn't quite ready yet so yes the Angels would still have to go out and acquire pitching. The good news is that they would have additional money freed up to go after Tanaka and Vargas. Assuming they sign one of the two we would then have to find a pitcher for the last slot which could come through another trade (Aybar, Bourjos, or possibly Iannetta) or through free agency (not as ideal to be honest). Please remember that these trade proposals are within the context of what can the Angels do to improve the team both short term and long term. It is quite possible we move Bourjos or Aybar and acquire the MLB ready starter to fill out our rotation in addition to this trade. I'm simply trying to show possible avenues. Thanks for reading it and the input. You are correct that there is danger in a Sandoval trade that may make the front office adverse to the idea.

Mud you may very well be right about Sandoval. A couple of things to consider: 1) Sandoval has stated (again) that he will come into camp in shape. 2) He knows he is in his walk year and that his future ho-ho buying capability is directly tied to his on-field performance "motivating" him to actually commit to an offseason regimen. 3) The projection systems (Steamer for instance) see him at 4.7 WAR next season, which is in-line with his "typical production" and defense. I actually am not a huge (see what I did?) fan of Sandoval because I feel a player who is making the kind of money he is should keep themselves in game ready shape. If the Angels could buy low on him it would be worth the gamble I think. Personally I'd rather go the Scenario # 2 route but I do think the Angels should inquire simply to see if he is available and what the asking price is.

I sincerely believe that the Angels could absorb most if not all of Blanton's contract and trade him to a team in need of a 5th starter of which there will be many before the 2014 season starts. If we ate all of the contract we could probably extract a Minor League bullpen piece.

That is mainly why I thought he might be a target since we could acquire him without having to spend the Vargas money. We could then apply that money towards Tanaka perhaps or other areas of need.

Good point I hadn't realized that the Angels tried to draft him. His peripherals are what caught my eye as a target. Crick is pretty awesome. His control isn't great but he has massive strikeout potential. I look at Surkamp like this: He is a cheaper version of Jason Vargas that will give you approximately the same production with a touch of upside. He is not a sexy choice for sure and I'd rather see Scenario # 2 I think because Escobar is a pretty good pitcher that would probably play well in Anaheim.

Something about the erection lasting longer that 4 hours comes to mind....

Iowa I will direct you my article I wrote here for my thoughts on a Padres trade: http://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/8628-hot-stove-trade-speculation-the-complete-reboot/ They certainly are a team that we could match up with in trade.

Actually that full season line that author offers is a possibility as well. The only thing I might worry about is the league adjusting to Kole but I have a good feeling about him and think he will do well, especially if he gets a full time role either as DH or OF spot.

LOL For the record I took his projected Steamer line off of FanGraphs, based on 199 plate appearances, and multiplied it by 3, on the counting stats, to arrive at that projected line. That would put Calhoun at 597 plate appearances if he becomes an OF/DH guy if Trumbo and/or Bourjos are traded. Kole really does have a similar skill set to Choo..... they both do a little bit of everything. Even their defense is probably on par with one another.

Player A is of course Shin-Soo Choo. Player B is Kole Calhoun who is a controlled player for the next 6 years and is projected, over those same 6 years, to make close to $33.5 million in minimum salaries and arbitration. Kole Calhoun is our equivalent version of Choo in my opinion.

*Projected Batting Lines: Player A: .272 (BA)/.385 (OBP)/.432 (SLG), 99 R, 60 RBI, 18 HR, 19 SB, .362 wOBA, 6/$100 million, 31 Yrs Old Player B: .273 (BA)/.340 (OBP)/.447 (SLG), 75 R, 72 RBI, 18 HR, 12 SB, .351 wOBA, 6/$33.5 million, 26 Yrs Old Who would you pick from a value perspective?