ettin

Wow 12 people?

Fixed.

Well it certainly could be that, where we just don't have enough extra international slot money to grab a higher upside player. It could also be that the organization is f**king stupid, but unlike some of you I think Jerry has some brains. From comments made by Arte himself, it appears that Dipoto is using some advanced analytical systems to assist with decision making and perhaps those systems identified these two players as possible upside targets. It doesn't mean that it will pan out (see: Blanton, Joe) but perhaps there was some characteristics or data that pointed to either one of these players being more than meets the eye. Example: Using Data Mining a major grocery chain used advanced computing techniques to analyze customer shopping patterns. It was discovered that a large percentage of customers who purchased baby diapers also purchased beer in the same trip. The store used this data to modify the product layout and present those customers with specifically priced options that helped to maximize the customer's exposure to many other products in the store and to higher margin products (say Heineken vs. Coors Light for instance) to increase revenue. The point that I am trying to make is let this play out over time. It is quite possible both of these players flame out in the Minors (most do to be honest) but Jerry's analytical systems might have identified these two as potential "candidates" that could possibly excel in specific roles. Perhaps Dipoto's system has identified that players of a certain height and build tend to perform better and reach the Majors on a more consistent basis? Maybe Concepcion has a good throwing arm and they might try him as a pitcher? Maybe Dipoto's coaching staff identified a mechanical flaw in Perez's throwing motion that got him away from his good numbers in 2011? You guys want a rebuild but you want multiple Mike Trout's and Bryce Harper's!?!? (tdawg please go wash your Trout pants now please) If you can build a base of average MLB players it goes a long way towards saving you money in the long run for those big contracts you have to hand out (like Trout).

The more awesome part is that he has walked more times than he has struck out!

Now we know the real reason Dipoto felt Ervin was expendable!

To the Sugarland Skeeters? (For a PTBNL?)

Are we talking about the team or AW.com? Both?

I'd like to see Jimenez at third base and Lindsey at second base with Field sharing platoon time with the both of them against opposite side hitters (Field has decent splits against both sides of the plate but is better against LHP). Jimenez, as of the last two years, hits right handed pitchers better just like Lindsey (although Lindsey's split is more pronounced). Don't get me wrong I like Howie a lot and would rather see him stay at second but if we have to upgrade our pitching staff Kendrick might be a piece that could bring back a significantly good top of the rotation starter.

The interesting thing is, that, he is throwing at 95 mph, with his fastball. It looks like he had TJ surgery in 2011. Might be worth the risk if he is finally recovering from that surgery and throwing at that speed? It also allows us to trade a reliever since we just picked one up.

You really are obsessively worried about this particular issue (Cano) aren't you AO?

He will stare, longingly, at himself in the mirror for hours on end.... oh wait he already does that.

I just hate to see AW.com members fighting among themselves....

Although I can't entirely disagree with the article on some level you have to remember it is written by Dave Cameron, notorious Mariners fan.

HaloThunder has a point.

We all have to pay for our mistakes.

I'm to lazy to look it up Chuck, but could this just simply be a service time issue to keep him an extra year? He already has some big league time on the clock and they could simply be looking longer term since the season appears to be tanking?

Calhoun has been playing at 1B off and on down in AAA, so Trumbo could easily be in play just like some other Angels bats.

The team has zero debt so why is this a problem if they go over one or two years? I understand that we are scraping the top of the ceiling but Arte knows what he is committing to with his money and if he chooses to go over the luxury tax threshold I would imagine he could without blinking an eye. Also we have no idea what our share of Fox Sports West is bringing in, which could be substantial.

It's not necessarily Anaheim that produces that effect AO. Look at the Uptons in Atlanta right now, heck even Heyward is struggling and that was supposed to be one, if not the, best offenses in all of MLB. Morse and Morales were decent hitters too and they haven't been stellar for Seattle? I just think we should get back to building our farm system again (which I know you agree with wholeheartedly) so that we are the ones getting the best years of our hitters and then sending them off to pasture for prospects.

Wait for free agency and take a look at him. He is a flyball pitcher which would fit into this year's theme. As a 4th/5th starter he wouldn't be a bad choice, probably. If they could get him back to throwing his cutter that he threw in his strong 2009 season that might be a positive towards getting more value out of him.

One other salient point I would like to make is this: We complain that Dipoto and company don't sign this or that player but sometimes we forget that maybe the player(s) don't want to sign with us? Is it possible that Joe Saunders was so hurt by the original trade that he doesn't want to return to Anaheim? Maybe, maybe not. In the case of Torii Hunter I think the front office might have been taken off guard by how much money other teams started throwing around in contracts. 2 years/$26 million is a lot of money for a 38 year old corner outfielder. I highly suspect that the Angels didn't give Torii a qualifying offer because they thought he wouldn't make more than $12 million on the open market and in hindsight they were wrong. Perhaps Torii got so annoyed with the offers that the Angels were making that he decided to just cut off discussions and move on? No one knows for sure. Players salaries have skyrocketed in the last two years and I think it makes it difficult for any GM to properly judge a players value, especially with the massive influx of new cash to teams from regional sports network deals and also the MLB's new deal with FOX that also funnels more money to the teams from a National sports network deal. The overall point I am trying to make is that sometimes the players don't want to come here or stay here. I don't think that was the case with Torii, for instance, but we are not privy to most of the private discussions and negotiations that happen between the front office and players.

However it does have Marissa Miller and James Hong (Lo Pan!)..... saving graces?

This is part of the reason why Major League Baseball fails in its marketing and promotion of the sport. They should realize that viewers are already watching a "slow pace" game (unlike basketball for instance) and that by adding a crap load of commercials they are just pissing people off. Same thing with the World Series, it just doesn't get the viewership that a Superbowl gets.... not even close.

Please turn towards tdawg.... he won't notice it anyway with all of the excitement of Trout hitting a double in the All Star Game. Besides he has to clean those pants constantly anyway.

Luckily for Cab, Dav, and Bau, they are spread out across three teams....