MacNasty

I like to keep my teeth well-flossed!

Someone say 70s??? This train just keeps a rollin'...!!!

That story will change if Cowart keeps killin it. At this point they probably have zero faith he's ready, so the statement makes sense. For now.

I'll take it!!!

You can have all kinds of picks and chances are you will not find a player of Trout's caliber. That's the thing. It doesn't require 5 years to rebuild a roster. Angels have money coming free, they simply have to make a shrewd signing or two and keep up the key trades to get the right guys in here. If the Angels trade Trout, well, no need to get into it but it's gonna be bad! I'm talkin firepit and gasoline type of bad.

Givin me withdrawals stop it! 3 in a row!!!

Win Streak! Cue the conga line! Seriously, ladies, can I get in there?

Dealing for Simmons and then quitting on him right away is a great recipe for a GM to find another job. If that is your goal I think presenting it to Arte would be fabulous.

Agreed. I do think the Angels need to be careful, though, and avoid the big ticket FAs. Those guys rarely work out, particularly for us. As the money comes off the books Eppler will start to fill around Trouty with affordable FA signings and some shrewd trades. The trade for Simmons, btw, is going to be great for the team long term. He is just getting started. My biggest concern right now is whether Sciosh has gone past his shelf life. This team is flat, and dead, in a way greater than I'm used to seeing when they start the season slow. It's more than just the injuries in my opinion. Getting a manager in here that is young and hungry, who will bring some energy and seamlessly use the analytics to pair with Eppler is probably needed.

Only trade that I hated was Segura. Outside of that he did try to reload the organization's pitching depth and did a reasonable job given what he had to work with. His main failure was not having the clout to constrain his owner and inability to deal with the fat man.

Pretty much. But Arte doesn't look like he's going to sell so the question is whether he'll learn from his failure. Way I look at it he's on his third GM on Scioscia's watch and this will be the guy he puts some trust in. Eppler is his last chance really, if he can't get behind this guy and empower him he is never going to get it right. And I think Eppler might be that guy who is good enough to keep Arte's interference at bay, too. First indicator is going to be what happens with Mike after this season if they don't start playing better ball. If the Angels don't win this division there's gonna be another power struggle because this GM is smart enough to know he's gotta reset the staff and get everyone going in the right direction, or as you said single vision.

Change is coming under Eppler. Mike has won a couple power struggles but his run as the most secure manager in MLB is coming to an end, barring a miraculous turnaround which doesn't look likely. Managers just tend to reach that point where their message and effectiveness degrade, and in Mike's case he also is at his best when he's running an aggressive style of ball he likes best. I expect Eppler will bring in a manager who believes in the modern OBP and analytics approach and can manage it, tie it in effortlessly to what they do daily, etc. Sciosh just isn't that guy in my opinion, and he also needs to recharge and start fresh somewhere else.

When a manager hits his shelf life it's hard to tell what you need. When Maddon took over the Cubs people were saying he'd need a roster overhaul. Team started like crap out the gate, but in the second half they finished strong and ended up +24 games over the previous season. I'd let Sciosh finish the season, but if I were the owner he's gone. They already started the overhaul of the front office, this offseason will be about the staff.

Whatever. Not like it's a surprise given how bad the drafting has been not to mention the trade for Simmons. But the good thing is the Angels do have a young roster, and once fans get to see the impact of Simmons saving runs every inning they're gonna realize that maybe that move was a good one and the value of those guys is well served at SS. The thing that irks the F out of me, though, is the mere mention of trading Trout. It is an asinine thing to say this early. Sure, beat up the Angels for the bad drafting, or the bad signings of FAs that helped put them where they are financially. But there is plenty of time to get things right in the farm system or not before we have that conversation. It's a bull$#!t article for that reason alone.

I've settled into an opinion that Sciosch is a good manager who had a fantastic staff when he won us that championship. Pitching and particularly the pen was never the same after Bud Black left, and the team was not the same after Maddon left in terms of its fire and energy. I do think making a change is best for the team if they miss the playoffs because sometimes managers can get too comfortable and if there's one manager in the league who looks that way it's Sciosh. I never liked Butcher and still don't, btw, although he's never had a great staff to work with. But then again look at Black's staff when they won it all, hardly the stuff of dream teams. So I do think whatever happens Butcher needs to go too. Stoneman has a great eye for managerial talent, he's the guy that brought in the pieces around Mike to start this org's winning run. So hopefully he stacks it right one more time before he rides off into retirement again.

I'm not too worried about the hitting. They have the pieces just need to settle down and get into their groove. Really like how Pujols and Freese look so far and even though Freese's average isn't that impressive the dude has always been clutch. It's the starters that I want to see more consistency from and I think Richards is the key. Might be expecting too much, but I want to see him become the Angels' ace this season. If he does that, all of a sudden this rotation looks like they can get 'er done. That series vs the Royals was tough, but gonna chalk that up to a hot team vs cold team and cross my fingers.

Nice OP, enjoyed the read. Last year I was very skeptical of JD, but he's really turned things around with this year's team and staff/pen with shrewd moves. Impressed with this team so far, and when you consider how good Hamilton was playing this team could be really special. Last time I recall Hamilton looking like he did pre-injury was when he was in Tejas, I believe that was his last MVP season as well. If the Angels can get that production from him on top of the other pieces, well, wow. That would be fun to watch.

I would assume Ibanez goes. Cron is ready, and I think he is going to be a critical part of this team deep into this season. I'd be shocked if he were to be sent down. But yeah Green has been very impressive in the box, and gives Sciosh more defensive flexibility. I really like the way this team is shaping up. Ibanez is the guy who doesn't really fit where they're going, imo.

Interesting read. Personally, I think at times he's not trying to just put the ball in play using the whole field but trying to get his pitch so he can hit it out. I believe it comes from his change in the order, where he's not thinking his primary goal is to get on base but is worried about driving in runs. I just wish they'd put him back at leadoff.

I think Arte might go pretty high on him. Angels' rotation would suddenly look pretty good if they can find a way to add him to it. All it's gonna cost is money, and I think Arte will see a better return on overbidding for him than he will with either of his sluggers. Screw the Mariners, get 'er done Arte!

It is hard to say what impact a big upgrade in a bench coach can do, since it depends on the manager. I just go back to how much better Sciosh was when he had Madden as his bench coach, there was a difference. And the hitting coach, I think sticking with Eppard was a mistake to begin with. While I think he was better than Hatcher who was probably too comfortable, was he automatically the best guy out there? I think they should have talked that one over a bit, but they probably weren't talking. So at least it's good that the two seem to be hell bent on working together. Now here's hoping they bring Ersty onto the staff.

They need to find a way to get Erstad on this coaching staff. These guys need someone with some fire, and grit. So either hitting coach or 3B coach, I'd be very happy to see him sign on.

Right now if I were Trout, I'd have serious concerns about the direction of this franchise. Since Arte has taken over his GM hires don't look good. People grouse about Stoneman, but that was a GM who knew how to assemble a team and staff. We can look at this team now and say all we need is pitching, but it might not be that easy. I am praying the Angels sign Mike to a long term deal. But I don't think it will happen unless Arte gets his act together. He's a great owner when he's sticking to the big picture, the beer prices, stadium condition, and happiness of the fans. Just needs to stay the @$!# out of the baseball operations.

I don't think Dipoto is good enough to run a perennial contender that Arte envisions. He also doesn't have the clout, obviously, to properly influence his owner. So my hope is that Arte gets himself a GM that he will listen to and let that GM make the call on manager and everything else. Stoneman would be perfect, as this franchise's downward spiral started with his replacement. But that won't happen. Sciosh has been stewing for a while now, from his loss of influence in the org seen in a move away from defense/little ball, to the firing of Hacker. I think he's gonna force Arte's hand and accept a termination agreement to walk. It's gonna be Sciosh who goes.