ettin

Hi Ithaca, I guess I kinda assumed that the club wasn't completely brain dead but yes you are correct.

Doc, if they start Trout's contract off small, say $8 million for 2014, even if we do exceed the threshold it would only be by no more that about $10 million or so. That is only an additional 1.7 million next year and then, if we continue to stay over by that rough amount, by about 3-4 million the following year (and 4-5 million in 2016). In 2017 we have a lot of money coming off the books and it wouldn't even be an issue. Considering that we may even DFA someone like Blanton and eat $8 million (not to mention the $19 million on Vernon) this is pocket change to be honest. There is really no reason to not extend Trout now and just pay him less the next 2-3 years and then kick it in after.

Dochalo is quite correct but tdawg is right in pointing this out. Going over the luxury tax for 1 or more years would not be a burden to a team that has no debt and receives undisclosed amounts of money from the 25% share of FSW it receives. We keep looking at the luxury tax threshold as some hard wall when in reality it does punish teams but doesn't punish them particularly hard for going over the threshold for a year or two. It is when teams like the Yankees go over for 2+ years that the tax rate skyrockets.

You are correct about the AAV but I've been thinking there are other ways for the Angels to shed money off of the payroll in small amounts here and there. Blanton is an example of where we could absorb $6 of his $8 million contract and send him to another team for instance. This can be repeated in smaller doses with other players (for instance we could simply DFA Juan Gutierrez and his base $750,000 instead of entering arbitration and having them bump it up to 1 million or so). The thing is that you can start the first year of Trout's extension off small. In the end he will only care about total value and starting him off at $8 million for instance is manageable. Next season our total base payroll reduces by about $10 million so you can continue to increase it incrementally as we move on year to year. Also there is nothing wrong if the Angels go over the cap temporarily for one year. The team has no debt and makes a lot of money off of their RSN share with FSW. We look at the luxury tax as some type of hard barrier and it is not if the owner doesn't want it to be. I still think it is quite achievable.

I don't think obtaining a starter who can eat some innings and give us a chance to win will be that difficult. They certainly won't be outstanding, without a doubt, but we just need a decent 3rd or 4th starter to get us to a point where one of the two "traded-for" pitchers is ready to come up (sometime in the Summer). Tanaka shouldn't really cost us more than $10 million per season so considering he is a projected #2 or #3 he is a good target to be sure. If we were real risk takers we might go after Roy Halladay for a 2-year contract (risky but with possible upside) for instance? Also I think I was pretty clear at the end that we are a "few steps away". I agree with you Doc that it may not be enough but the hypothetical outline does give us renewed depth and a better chance of getting back to a contending season. I like Howie and Mark I think they are both serious prepared players when they come to the game and play but they are the ones that have value right now and would give us the best chance of rebooting for next season, in my opinion. The one thing I would say about your the last sentence in your first statement is that trading Howie for another Major League player won't get you as much as if you trade for prospects. Here is where I think Dipoto might shine as a GM because I believe he is capable of identifying rising stars and figuring out ways to acquire them. Acquiring Major league talent costs more and usually they can't be controlled nearly as long as the prospects. The flip side is that there is usually more stability in terms of production (i.e. You generally know what you are getting). However I'd argue that the Angels have not done a good job of evaluating MLB players in recent years (Kazmir, Matthews, Hamilton, et. al.). The other thing that I know you are aware of Doc is that almost every MLB team will use more than their starting five throughout the season. Those two acquisitions at AA/AAA would most assuredly end up pitching either because someone is injured or they are underperforming so the value is there (although you are correct that it could not be as much as it may appear from the article). Thanks for reading it!

Some of you may have noticed that I left out Kevin Jepsen. I know he throws hard but he just seems to never really get it together to make it in our bullpen. I imagine the Angels might trade him this off season but he is still relatively cheap enough to keep. I wouldn't mind seeing a trade where we send Jepsen plus a Minor League prospect for a closer like Casey Jannsen who has an option for $4 million next season and would be a big improvement to the back end of our bullpen. There are probably other options but some teams would like Jepsen and his price.

Thanks Geoff, it has been strangely silent here! LOL! Long read so maybe some couldn't leg it out? Just some thoughts on what trades can accomplish for our depth situation while allowing us to still extend Trout.

Well why not since he keeps giving his competition dirt naps?

How's that different from any other day?

1) DH Kole Calhoun 2) LF Mike Trout 3) 1B Albert Pujols 4) RF Josh Hamilton 5) 3B Luis Jimenez 6) 2B Grant Green 7) SS Erick Aybar 8) C Hank Conger 9) CF Peter Bourjos Trumbo and Kendrick are the more likely choices to be traded considering they probably have the most value and demand in the marketplace. The Diamondbacks, Giants, and Phillies are all looking for a power corner outfield bat and so there is an opportunity to maximize the return on Mark. Bench will be a FA RHH Catcher (or Iannetta might stay), Andrew Romine, and Shuck to start the season.

Fixed.

They have really spiked since Weaver had to throw at their heads two years ago. Tiger fans are douches.

I doubt the Padres would give him up, much less cheaply. He throws nearly triple digit heat (although this year he has been in the mid-90's) and would probably cost us more than we want to give. I like him though and would love to have him on our staff!

It is an interesting thought. His last handful of starts have been terrific and it seems like he may have recaptured some of his Rockies magic. It might be a low cost option that makes sense.

Dwyer is clearly a fan of gift baskets.

I hope it is with the Angels, but either way Vlad deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Great player and even classier human being!

This is the part that we need to be careful with. I don't disagree about looking into him and from what I have heard he seems like a potential investment but I would hope that we scout him heavily before an attempted purchase. Remember there have been more failures than successes from Japan.

Ghost of Juan Rivera

Notably I believe that is Calhoun's first HR off of a LHP this season....

Let me stir it up some more so you can preceed and follow the new rage. Since we are attempting to let some of these young players play in games that don't have an impact on our playoff chances, why not play Cowgill? The guy has a career Minor League batting average of .292 and an OBP of .373. I mean clearly in partial playing time over three seasons he hasn't got it done (his best partial season was in Oakland so far) but is it terrible for us to see if he can manage Major League pitching? If he could be a .270+ BA/.350+ OBP guy in some type of reserve OF role would that not be something to keep? I have no problem with Scioscia shuffling the line up and seeing how guys play and perform as we close out this losing season. It isn't about winning or losing at this point but taking a look at some of our talent (or lack thereof). I'm hoping Cowgill succeeds and if he doesn't it didn't cost us anything to find out did it?

I would agree with this and even take it a step further if we were able to identify another high on base player to put in front of Trout and move Mike to the 3-hole. Otherwise I am happy with that 1-2.

Better than voting for George W. and wanting Hatcher back.

Cameron Diaz and Madonna's neighborhood then?

No the hip/hamstring deal is a real injury. But it is only one injury, not plural injuries. There is a difference. It does not mean "prone".

Since August 15th: .329 .406 .529 .936 Let's hope he carries it over to next season. I could live with those numbers for sure.