CartiHalos

Not mad at that at all. Once upon a time he was the best catching prospect in the league.

I seriously don't see him going to a team if he's being expected to play outfield, considering A. He could get the same paycheck to be a full time DH and 2. He has played literally 3 games in the field over the last 2 seasons. Playing MLB level outfield is hard.

I've been loving being here! Merry Christmas to you too!

That's what I'm trying to suggest in this post, how we can use our new flexibility in an offense forward way that covers multiple facets. Mainly why I'm against JD as an option, but pro-Garver and Soler - we need a backup catcher and corner outfielder anyway.

I mean... if you want to get into semantics, no. I will cede that it reads like Yamamoto told the Giants they're out. If you want me to phrase my post in more user-friendly ways, I think that knowing the Giants, they'll turn to their plan B very hard. The next best starting pitcher on the market loves the west coast and has a connection to their new manager. I would guess that'll be their plan B.

Not loving Joc as an everyday outfield option, both because of his defense and because him + Moniak leaves a large weak spot in the lineup against lefties.

Yeah, at that point our options are like, Robbie Grossman or Eddie Rosario (or maybe Bellinger, but...). I'd rather get a decent righty like Pham or Duvall for that price and leave Moniak as our lefty 4th OF.

Just the way I feel like they operate. Kinda how when they lost out on Judge last year they were immediately in on Correa or how after losing Gausman and not getting Scherzer they went out and got Rodon. They're strong pivoters.

This reads to me that the Giants are turning their full attention to Blake Snell right now.

Very interesting. Justin Turner would be great to get Rendon in there a couple times a week, I just hope we get someone in the outfield too, I wouldn't love to see an outfield of Ward-Moniak-Adell multiple times a week in May.

This is pretty much the point of my post, who to sign in order to have enough depth to where we can afford to keep Trout and Renton off the field. That's why I don't like the idea of J.D too much.

Figure I'll throw in the actual numbers in case anyone doesn't feel like looking them up (2023 Only) Blake Snell being caught by Gary Sánchez - 18 GS, 11-3, 1.29 ERA, 147 K, 5.83 IP/G Blake Snell being caught by anyone else - 14 GS, 3-6, 3.60 ERA, 87 K, 5.35 IP/G

Yeah, I think if we sign a 5th infielder like Urshela which we almost certainly will this is a very real possibility, but the only thing that worries me is stringing ourselves too thin in the outfield. Definitely would be down if it would keep them healthier.

One of the most interesting question marks the Angels have right now is how they'll handle their newly uncovered DH position. For the last 4 or so years, it's been Ohtani pretty much every game without much wiggle room. With him moving on to LA, the Angels have a great opportunity to utilize this DH spot right, which could potentially aid the health of some of their players. As it stands, the DH spot either belongs to Brandon Drury (according to Fangraphs) leaving Rengifo to take 2nd base, or Jo Adell (according to what I think will happen without supplemental moves.). However there are many free agents that I think could provide value if the Angels decide to go that direction. I have them ranked here from most desirable to lest desirable, in my opinion. Mitch Garver - I hate to say it, I'm not a very big fan of Matt Thaiss as our backup catcher. I think Garver is not only great at hitting the ball (3 different seasons above 135 wRC+), but I really like his ability to draw walks. His 12.8 BB% would have been second on the 2023 Angels behind Nolan Schanuel's absurd (but unqualified) 15.2 BB%, a good boost for a team that finished in the bottom third in BB/Game. He has the offensive ability to man DH everyday, but the defensive ability to cover Catcher every 5th day or 1B if Nolan needs a break. Jorge Soler - Jorge's on here purely because of how elite his 2023 was with the bat. Mind not the fact he's incredibly fun to watch, but he absolutely rakes, consistently finishing in the 80th-99th percentile in stats like xwOBA, Average Exit Velo, Barrel%, and BB%. He lands higher on this list for me than others because of his ability to cover corner outfield positions if necessary, but I think he'd be a force in the middle of our lineup and super fun to watch. Joc Pederson - Joc is very similar to Jorge - mashes the ball, lots of 3 true outcomes, but with slightly less production over the years, landing him just below. I still put a lot of stock into his ability to play corner outfield and first, if necessary. J.D. Martinez - J.D. is on here purely because of how elite his production was last year, and how it was nowhere near an outlier. His entire career all his does is hit - but that's a double edged sword. He hits VERY well - if I had one nitpick it's the 31 K% and 8 BB% - but that barely matters with how well he hits the ball. The problem is his lack of positional flexibility, and if he's producing at a high level, it will be hard to fit in guys like Trout or Rendon if they need a day at DH. Teoscar Hernandez - Teoscar is, to be blunt, like if a worse J.D. Martinez wanted the same AAV on a longer term deal. He has a similar hitting profile, with somehow a worse walk rate and worse in all the batted ball stats. He's a fine fielder in the corner outfield, which helps, but the cost is what's really dragging him down in my eyes. Gary Sanchez - I threw him on here because it'll be interesting to see if we pursue him *IF* we get Snell. He isn't even a great defensive catcher or anything, but Snell's numbers with/without him were night and day. Putting that aside, I like the idea of the backup catcher DHing, but not Gary. It's hard to get past the fact that he was underperforming in Triple A last year, or that his bat hasn't been impressive for like 4 years. Add on top of that he's looking for a deal in the $8M-12M range, and I'm out. So there are some options and how I feel about them. What do y'all think the right move is? Do you like any of these guys? Did I forget someone? Let me know.

Classic Angels-Never-Have-Real-Rumors-So-Their-Name-Gets-Thrown-Into-Every-Market offseason that will end with a lovely 2 year 30 million pitcher like Mike Clevinger

I agree that Gio's periphs have been bad, however I don't mind having a player with that archetype making spot starts near the bottom of the order. Between the 4 people who I think will be looked at in free agency as the 5th IF/Utility piece, he's my favorite purely based on my enjoyment watching him last year and his familiarity with the team. I think its between Gio Merrifield (Gonna be probably the most expensive and really doesn't provide much better on that savant page than a little bit better Sweet Spot% and some better baserunning) Tim Anderson (Just bad at baseball) Amed Rosario (Similar hitting numbers with great speed, but remarkably atrocious on defense.) More than likely I think they end up sticking internal or making a trade, but as far as free agent utility men in that price range go, I think Gio is the best bet.

I think anyone but Tim Anderson will suffice. I also don't want Whit Merrifield but that's a personal matter. I'd like to see Urshela get a full season's chance with us.

I want Snell big time. Pitching as a market is just risky, and Snell is more consistent than his year-by-year ERA shows (peripheral wise). I'm a believer in the 3 S's: Snell, Stephenson, and Soler. I think those 3 (among other pickups obviously) bring good value but keep us financially flexible down the line.

This is remarkably similar to how I feel. I think if it goes more than $180M I'm out, but I like to gamble.

Definitely. I could see giving him a big contract ending up very Rendon-Esque.

A couple of days ago, Anthony Franco with MLB Trade Rumors wrote a piece on remaining fits for Cody Bellinger. He had 3 categories of teams: Likeliest Fits, Longer Shots, and Payroll Questions. Among the likeliest fits were the Cubs, the Blue Jays, and your Los Angeles Angels. The 'Longer Shots' were Mets, Nats, and Phils, and the 'Payroll Questions' include the Padres and our divisional pals the Mariners and Rangers. Keep in mind this, as far as I can tell, is nothing to do with his actual market or team interest, simply based on the fit of the player. Franco mentions that it's hard to tell how aggressive the Angels will be in terms of spending. After missing on Ohtani, they have a decision to make on where to go - as it stands, despite a slightly bolstered bullpen and some minor league acquisitions, we have a 73 win team that just lost a .304/.412/.654 hitter and a near Cy Young pitcher. He mentions "Bellinger would give the Angels an option to cover center field if Mike Trout needs any time on the injured list" and that Bellinger is "also a marquee name who starred in LA, which could appeal to owner Arte Moreno." I'm of 2 minds about signing him. My primary worry is the $$$ behind the deal. It's been reported he's seeking upwards of $200M and has been projected to make between $25M and $30M AAV. I think this price is too steep, especially if we're still pushing for one of the upper end starters like Snell or Imanaga. On the other hand, I think purely from a roster building standpoint, having Bellinger could be a great thing. He's a polarizing player, but I'm in the camp that his 2023 was a resurgence, not just lucky streak. He plays great defense at all 3 outfield positions and first base if needed, and his offensive upside is maybe one of the only available players that could even fill 80% of the Ohtani void. I don't think he's a catch all fix, but I'm big on his abilities so if the money is right, I'd be in favor of a deal. Priority should still be pitching though in my opinion. So how does everyone else feel? Is it a good fit? Do you think Bellinger will have sustained success? Is it not even worth arguing because he'll inevitably end up in Chicago or Toronto (Probably)?

Evan White is by far the most enigmatic player in the Angels organization right now, and I would like to hear everyone's thoughts about him. I think it's genuinely absurd how bad he is at hitting. Not in the sense that it's absurd how bad someone can be at hitting, but I don't understand how HIS hitting stats are so bad. Before I dive into how terrible his numbers with the bat are, let's give the guy some flowers first. He's 1 of 2 current Angels with a Gold Glove (shoutout Griffin Canning), he's one of the 6 first baseman since 2020 to put up 5 OAA on at least 100 attempts, and is top 20 in Statcast's FRV for 1st baseman (500 inning minimum) since tracking began in 2015, despite only playing 84 MLB games. So the guy can do it with the glove. I think that in itself gives him value as a depth piece. If Schanuel goes down, would you rather give those 1B innings to a 65 OPS+ guy with league average defense (think 2023 Jake Lamb), or a 65 OPS+ guy who was the best defensive first baseman in the league (2020 Evan White)? Now the part that makes him so interesting - his peripherals. It's shocking to me that he's been so bad, and equally as shocking that no hitting coach has found a way to fix him. The elephant in the room is his lack of sample size, playing only 84 games in MLB and then spending most of his time in 2022 and 2023 injured, playing 30 Triple A games in that span. So, if you're the Angels, you've got a guy that, to this point, has pretty much never been a league average hitter, even in Triple-A. Then you have a guy who's been 90th percentile or better in AVG Exit Velo, Barrel Rate, and Hard Hit Rate during a qualified season. They're the same person. He hit .176 during said season, and it's clear his problem is a strikeout issue, as he had a .264 BABIP and a 41.6 K%. Once again, this is strange. Players with high strikeout rates like White often have chase problems: I think of players like Chris Davis or Salvador Perez. Evan White's profile would seem to fit more of someone like a Kyle Schwarber or Max Muncy: High K%, but lower Chase%, and hits the ball hard when he hits it. However - that's not right either. He walks no more than an average player, and in 2021 he was significantly below the league average in BB%. His profile reminds me most of the lower points of Cody Bellinger, which isn't great, but shows potential if he's able to cut down on the in-zone whiffs and backwards K's. I think a change of scenery and some good coaching could turn him into a serviceable bat with a great glove, but I'm not super optimistic on it happening. I'd like to hear some other takes on him.

I do like Kiermaier a lot, but also as I mentioned the best defensive centerfielder on our roster last year was Moniak. If he's in our long term plans then he could handle it in tandem with Trout.

I don't think any of the injuries so far have been because of CF, but full seasons of playing could make him slower to recover and potentially be an injury risk in the future. Clearly it's taxing enough that he was taking, like, a day off a week last season before he got hurt. I'd just prefer to see him in the lineup in some capacity is all.

He's only DH'ed 76 games, and he still gets on base at a near-.400 clip in those games. Why would you willingly leave that out of your lineup? Also, is the implication here that his hitting ability changes based on his defensive position?