Junkballer

It would be nice to move Rendon but with his no-trade clause and him being a Boras client, I can't see him agreeing to being moved without something (besides going to a contender; read$) extra.

Well Lowder, Dollander and Meyer were gone by 11 so I didn't have much vested in any particular bat that they selected here. I had thought they would get Teel (C) who was still available, or Gonzalez. If Teel was picked and develops nicely, it would be interesting to see who among O'Hoppe, Quero and Teel would become a valuable trade chip.

I would think that any Angels offer would have to come with a detailed outline of how they will be spending in the upcoming years. There will have to be some guarantees that they will go past the luxury threshold in order to build a legitimate roster along with creating depth that doesn't require utilizing farm capital. Barring such a commitment to going over the threshold to "get over the top" why wouldn't Ohtani see any offer as asking him to sign in blind faith that things will be different.

Hoping they can use the same combination of luck and savvy that netted us Neto. If available, I would be satisfied if they selected any of Meyer, Dollander or Lowder. Outside of those arms, I've no idea who the best player available would be, but, I wouldn't be upset with J. Gonzalez, who would probably be 3b for us and allow a future move of Rendon to 1b.

Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.

Pugs are awesome. My 15-y.o. pug is my first small dog after only having large dogs and I'm closer to her than any other. She can barely walk now, but she's still happy and fiesty. She's always thought she was a bad-ass, trying to bully the bigger dogs, which is incomprehensible considering her size and underbite.

I don't think Arte loses any sleep over potentially seeing Ohtani walk, not that he doesn't care or want to sign him, just that he doesn't see it as a long term hit on the franchise's value and as devastating as Angels fans do. Nor do I think that he sees going over the threshold as a primary factor in retaining him. He seems philosophically opposed to going over, just based on some of the friction he's had with the more free spending owners at the owner's meetings over the years. That being said, I think getting to and doing well in the playoffs this year is his main goal, for himself and the sake of the franchise first, and then as a subordinate factor in retaining Ohtani. He's obviously been pondering how long he has left to be at the helm of the franchise considering the recent nixed sale, considering his legacy as an owner, and be more willing than any other time to go against his philosophical bent. I don't think he'll creep over the threshold just to add mid-rotation starters or average bullpen arms. He's said before he'd go over for the right player in the right circumstance, so If he does go over (which I still doubt) it will be for someone that can't be had outside of a somewhat unique trade opportunity.

Runny

blanket

Also, I think it's likely that a ss/2b (Guzman, Placencia, Paris, Jackson, Soto, Vera) will be a "throw in" in any trade package . Neto is locked in and they have adequate options for future 2b. My uneducated guess is they hold onto Quero to avoid selling low and offer up a pitching prospect.

Plan a trip to see some spring training games in AZ. 1) there's a very high chance he will get player autographs (research spring training threads here to find out the best ways to get those opportunities) and 2) its unlikely that he'll get any opportunity to get such an opportunity at their team hotel.

@Blarg Curious as to how many Cleveland fans you saw were wearing Chief Wahoo hats vs. Guardians hats?

You don't want to see any major injury to a starter, especially with the assumption that they need to go deep in the playoffs to keep Ohtani, however, if it has to happen, there could be worse positions for it to happen to. Hopefully he'll mend exceedingly well and be able to help the club towards the end of the season.

The ghost runner wasn't adopted for the likes of those on this board, the die-hards. Like the hockey shoot-out, it was implemented primarily to cut costs of paying staff and infrastructure costs for the extra time that the owners don't get any additional revenue for. Also, to create instant tension (excitement) for casual fans. In my opinion, curtailing marathon games is a smaller factor than the first two. The die-hards are going to watch no matter what, so MLB doesn't care what we think.

I thought this was going to be a caution to not use the M-word. *Magical

It was a straw cowboy hat. I think everyone knew what he was referring to and most have no need to correct those things which are obvious.

The shift ban will benefit lineups with more left handed batters, so the right heavy Angels will likely benefit less than some other teams.

It was fun but has run its course.

Don't apologize. Own it and double down. Some of the most liked posters here were and are curmudgeons. Just don't expect people to agree with every take.

Never too early to push the panic button.

Phillips will likely start a small share of games and be a late inning defensive replacement more often. Walsh may be out there against RHPs occasionally. I infer that some of the off-season acquisitions were so that they don't have to run Rengifo out there any longer.

Blind

At least it's limited to regular season games. I hated when the NHL went to the shootout but casual fans love the tension of the imminence of scoring. I suspect that MLB and their broadcast partners want to make sure that those extra innings have that tension for casual fans.