mulwin444

I'd rather hang on to arguably the best defensive CF in the game who can post a .750+ OPS to go with it...all while being around league minimum.

Logged onto the board the was immediately hit with a whiff of manure... found the source Why people still take this guy seriously after all these years is baffling...

I've never been an Aybar fan so I had always hoped we'd see him leave at some point and Segura would get a chance. That was all made moot by the 4 year deal that Aybar signed leaving no definite path for Jean to the MLB. Angels needed a SP and traded from a position of which they believed they had a surplus. Not every deal is going to be lopsided in favor of the Angels. I didn't like the trade at the time but I understood the thought process. You have to give to get. I remember when people here would get swoony over Amarista and to me he just seemed like Almezega 2.0 which him and his lifetime .227/265/.628 has essentially supported

Wasn't really in favor of any of those deals. Didn't hate them but didn't think they were great value either, Would have preferred Fielder to Pujols (younger and "cheaper"), would have preferred to keep Segura unless they went balls-out to sign Greinke, and Hamilton just seemed like too much of a gamble for the money. However, if Arte is willing to shell it out, so be it.

Exactly...

Don't get me, YOT, you may be 100% but this is the same board that can look at a Scioscia's stoic visage on TV and start declaring "he's arrogant, stubborn, etc" with the confidence of an FBI profiler...

Those on the "Arte-is-the-problem" binge, do you actually have anything to support the belief that he's one of the more trifling owners in baseball? Or is this just another typical aw.com "psychic poster" ass-pull that's is built on a foundation of biased assumptions and leaped conclusions?

Yeah, it's odd that his guy is on the roster. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=Scott-Cousins He's nothing special

Does voodoo count?

Yep

Haha...Disney as good owners. Awesome

Howie is not very bright when it comes to situational awareness. He makes good contact, has some pop but is really limited in terms of baseball IQ. Just has a poor approach at the plate...

C - Ianetta/Conger: Ianetta is cheap and was productive last year when healthy...average defensive C. We could move him but he won't bring much back. Conger could be packaged in a deal, maybe something similar to Montero. 1B - Pujols: Immovable. Will be here until the end of his contract . 2B - Kendrick: Relatively cheap and above average in most aspects of the game. He's movable but who takes his place? Maybe Jean Segur...oops! SS - Aybar: see Kendrick 3B - Callaspo:Movable with an unkown in Lucho Jimenez. Cowart is at least 2 years away OF/DH - Trumbo: Talented, cheap, and should be a part of the Angels core for years to come...no way you move him. OF - Trout: About as untouchable as it gets OF - Bourjos: He would probably be the one to potentially trade but his lack of track record means minimal return. Maybe a combo of Bourjos/Conger gets you a mid-level starter. OF - Hamilton: About as immovable as it comes. Bench - nothing to see here SP - Weaver: Affordable ace who loves playing in SoCal. No way you trade him. SP - Wilson: He's a lefty so someone will want him. Could be a way to get a SP prospect but will leave a hole in an already resiously depleted rotation. SP - Vargas: Again, a lefty so he has value but, due to his impending free agency, don't see much coming back to the Angels. SP - Hanson: WIll probably get what we gave for him...a MR arm SP - Blanton: Trade him for anyone who will take on his salary. He's hot garbage. SP - Richards:How bleak are the Angels pitching prospects? I give you the "top". Could return something decent but the Angels need rotation depth. SP - Williams: Ugghh. Maybe a mid-20's pitching prospect BP - I got nothing The cupboard is bare, gentlement

Everything that could have went wrong, did... Including a double-post...

Pretty much...at this point, the Angels have to ask, do we have a team that win right now or do we set ourselves up for next season. I think it might benefit the team for Pujols to fix his foot, rehab completely and get healthy for next season. Also, put the focus on deveoping the play of Trout, Trumbo, Bourjos, Ricahards, Conger, and any BP arm they think has a future.

Sounds like they're finished then...guess you either find positives in what's left or stop watching. I have no control over what the team does or doesn't do so I don't carry it around with me. Do I get pissed? Sure, but it really accomplishes nothing since i have no input into the team's day-to-day operations. I know the odds are good that Arte, Mike, Jerry, and the team they assembled don't want to lose so I'll see how it develops

"Love our Halos, but I see clearly through the "spin fog" some of you guys/gals like to post" Nah, it's called having the perspective of a baseball fan who has seen some crazy sh!t happen to random teams over the years. There are lot of fun things left to happen, lots of crazy come-backs, dramatic home-runs, diving catches, etc that I want to watch this team accomplish. I don't see how you can have fun watching any baseball team if your only criteria for enjoyment is "win or else" because 29 teams are going to be assed-out of a championship again this season so the odds are against you going in. Right now, there are 130 games left and I really can't imagine going through the 5 stages of grief everytime I turn on a game...it can't be healthy.

I highly doubt Arte will decide to "throw it on the wall to see what sticks" when it comes to someone running his $170+ mil investment which is why he will probably keep Scioscia who has a track record of success. Besides having a lot of grit and being hired by Nebraska, what qualifies Erstad to be the manager of a MLB team?

Scioscia definitely wants Aybar to be a lead-off hitter, as past seasons have demonstrated, but he's not skilled enough to pull it off. He has the speed and ability to make contact you want but he doesn't have the discipline necessary to get on base enough to be optimum for the role. Trout's best position in the line-up is either 2nd or 3rd due to OBP and power but, with no definite lead-off hittter to speak of, the chance to take advantage of his skills is limited. I agree that Callaspo is probably your best option to lead-off but odds are against it as he's not Mike's obvious choice.

don't know if it's fair to single out lifetime or DMVol...there are quite a few master baiters in this thread, in my opinion

Let's look at it another way...if the Angels roster from the beginning was: 1B - Trumbo 2B - Kendrick 3B - Lucho Jimenez SS - Brendan Harris/Andrew Romine DH - Pujols LF - Shuck CF - Trout RF - Hamllton C - Ianetta/Conger Rotation - Wilson, Hanson, Vargas, Blanton, Williams BP - Richards, De La Rosa, Kohn, Brasier, Enright, Frieri What would you project their win total to be? I think it would be optimistic for this group to reach .500

AJ, what some are trying to say here is your optimism and perspective are messing with their negativeity/hate-fueled buzz and it is not welcome. The only possible outcome is continual descent into oblivion. Please note this for future posts.

Yes, we definitely need a new punter on this team...

Personally, I feel the root of the problems can be laid at the feet of DiPoto rather then Scioscia: 1) Traded Santana for nothing 2) Opted out of Haren 3) Traded decent SP prospects and solid MIF depth for Greinke and didn't re-sign him 4) Because of #1, #2, and #3 traded offensive depth in Morales for a 5 starter in Vargas and AAA filler in Blanton 5) Signed Josh Hamilton to a contract that basically rewards him for what he did with the Rangers and not what he'll do with the Angels 6) Signed Ryan Madson and crossed his fingers hoping he be okay Essentially, if just opt in for one more year of Haren and Santana, your rotation is Weaver, Wilson, Santana, Haren, and RIchards. If those two suck in 2013, they are gone. As for the offense, if they kept things as is: C: Ianetta/Conger, 1B/DH: Pujols, 2B Kendrick, SS Aybar, 3B Callaspo, LF Trout, CF Bourjos. RF Trumbo DH/1B, Morales You can't blame anyone really for the injuries, they happen to every team, but the depth is lacking which, again, falls on DiPoto. I'm not a huge Sciocscia fan but, apart from some questionable BP moves, I don't see how this falls on him.

The so-called "Nap-sackers" vs the "Nap-whackers...been a while...