Pancake Bear

I would only do it for one guy over the next several years: Arenado.  If the pitching improves and they are banging on the post-season door next season, that could be a great signing a year from now.
But if it would prevent re-signing any of Trout, Simba, or Ohtani, and I was Arte, I would regrettably probably have to refrain even from signing Arenado.

This is what I mean when I say that throwing money at every high-priced FA might not be the right route to success. 

Mike Trout has never won The Sporting News Player Of The Year.
Worse yet, he has never won the Player's Choice Player Of The Year Award. 
Sporting News.... who cares... who even knew that was still around?  Players?  That's not only poppycock...  it's a damn shame his peers have never honored him with that title. 

Harper would be nice to have in the middle of our lineup but his inconsistency and poor defense scare me.  He'll probably get his $300 mil and someone is going to get an excellent player.  Just think there's almost zero chance it's us.  

AL: For (in order)
- Indians
- A’s
AL: Against (in order - top team being who I least want to win)
- New York
- Boston
- Houston
NL: For
- Dodgers [They’re my sister’s team - since the Angels aren’t a division rival, I don’t have the anti-Dodgers sentiment most do]
- Atlanta
- Milwaukee
- Colorado
NL: Against
- Cubs 
Basically, if the Rox take down the Cubs, I’m fine with anyone in the NL. AL is a different story - probably in part due to rivalries, although for some reason I don’t hate the A’s. The Yanks are up there with the Pats for team I hate the most in pro-sports. Boston and the Cubs are like the geek who everyone made fun of in HS and then showed up at the 10 year reunion really rich, successful, and douchey. Nuts to them. 

At some point results matter.  I don’t care if Skaggs has potential to be a top of the rotation guy, he has to actually perform like one.  If he can’t comsistently perform like one then we have to find pitchers that can slot ahead of him.   I don’t care about Cam’s stuff, he has to actually get guys out with that stuff or fuck him, go to the next option.   Especially with Cam, he’s had a relatively healthy career and still hasn’t made the jump.  

AL: For (in order)
- Indians
- A’s
AL: Against (in order - top team being who I least want to win)
- New York
- Boston
- Houston
NL: For
- Dodgers [They’re my sister’s team - since the Angels aren’t a division rival, I don’t have the anti-Dodgers sentiment most do]
- Atlanta
- Milwaukee
- Colorado
NL: Against
- Cubs 
Basically, if the Rox take down the Cubs, I’m fine with anyone in the NL. AL is a different story - probably in part due to rivalries, although for some reason I don’t hate the A’s. The Yanks are up there with the Pats for team I hate the most in pro-sports. Boston and the Cubs are like the geek who everyone made fun of in HS and then showed up at the 10 year reunion really rich, successful, and douchey. Nuts to them. 

Indians.
Brewers or Rockies.
Very bad, gutwrenching, knife-twisting things for Boston.

indians vs. brewers
the tv ratings would be insane.

Since the Angels probably aren't going to be a serious contender in 2019 regardless of whether they make the playoffs, a move like this makes a lot of sense instead of overpaying for someone who is already 30 and probably doesn't get them over the hump anyway.

Rockies and Indians. 
I would have trouble rooting for the A’s, Yankees, or Red Sox if they were playing a team of radical Muslim communists called the Puppy Kickers

I'm not picking on you specifically. I'm just tired of the idea that the Angels operate with one hand tied behind their back while other teams don't. The idea that if the Angels tried they would succeed. If the Dodgers, Red Sox, or Yankees went "all in" they could make all those moves too and their all in beats our all in. So no, if Arte went all in he couldn't get them unless other teams don't go all in. The Angels don't control their destiny completely. All teams operate under financial constraints and the Angels need to be smart to maximize the production they get given their limits. 

Since the Angels probably aren't going to be a serious contender in 2019 regardless of whether they make the playoffs, a move like this makes a lot of sense instead of overpaying for someone who is already 30 and probably doesn't get them over the hump anyway.

Eppler will do what he thinks is best for the team going forward, that doesn’t mean he will go all in for 2019, but whatever he does will be to make sure he doesn’t cripple the team for years to come.  My guess is a couple of solid 3 year contracts to guys that can help going forward and trade for a pitcher with a lot of years of control.  We could see some one year contracts to a catcher and a 1st/3rd base man.  But in the end he will continue to value the farm and to develop the farm so at some point he will use free agency less and less to build what he views as a championship team.

What other needs? If you think they're trading Cozart, you're high. If you think they don't love what they saw from Fletcher and have expectations that Ward or Rengifo could fit as well as a Kinsler type (who was 5-10 among 2B when healthy), you're high. Calhoun is questionable, but given Adell is expected up at least by 2020 (if not sometime in '19), they're not making a move there. With Pujols, they won't make a serious move at 1B, either.
I'd love to go out and grab Cesar Hernandez or Whit Merrifield, but I don't know if that's likely or not at this point. I don't believe it's necessary by comparison to the rotation.
So, outside of catcher, there is no move to make. And if you think they're going to go all in on Realmuto? I don't see it. Would cost too much and probably would involve pitching leaving - that we can't spare.
On the flip side, exactly where is this pitching reliability we have? I don't think we've had bad luck in the rotation, I think we've been cheating by paying low for guys with a higher likelihood of injury and we've been burned by it. Skaggs and Heaney are solid, middle of the rotation types, but neither has shown themselves to be an ace (not that I think we will acquire one), but the upshot is that we have no reliability in the rotation. Result: Bullpen gets overworked and looks like crap. 
Could we use another pen arm? Sure, but the bullpen's problems are basically a result of the rotation's problems. Until the rotation is solidified with some more solid, reliable arms, we're going nowhere. Maybe Barria, Canning, and Suarez are the solution, but I'm not convinced. I think we need at least one solid arm. Who that is, I'm not the right guy to ask. 
 
Well, looks like one of us is on the same page as the guys making the money. 

Pitching pitching pitching 
“The general manager said he’s more comfortable with the internal options among the everyday players, so his outside shopping is going to be focused on pitching.   We are going to be in the pitching market, both in the starting and relief market,” Eppler said Monday. “What that’s going to yield, that’s hard to predict, but we’re going to have a lot of conversations.”

I think it’ll be shortly before or shortly after the WS. More likely after IMO.

From today's presser...
 

Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you view it Eppler is the man that makes the decisions and he isn't going to ask any of us our thoughts.

Starting pitching isn’t a luxury. Their lineup isn’t the issue, the issue is and has been for a long time their rotation. Until that is dealt with, they will be at best a mediocre team. The rotation is priority #1 and nothing else comes anywhere close. 

He’s also 29, which may not fit into their rebuild window (assuming they’re rebuilding, I don’t actually have a clue what’s going on with them). But, yeah, I don’t know if they would move him or not, or if they did what the cost would be. 

Merrifield is the only guy I know who’d qualify for what you’re looking for. I have no idea if he’d be available or how much he’d cost. If the price is Adell/Canning, pass. If something along the lines of Marsh, Suarez, Jones - players like that - get it done, I’m all in. 

He’s also 29, which may not fit into their rebuild window (assuming they’re rebuilding, I don’t actually have a clue what’s going on with them). But, yeah, I don’t know if they would move him or not, or if they did what the cost would be. 

Your conclusion is based on flawed reasoning. The Angels have been rebuilding for the last couple of seasons. Rebuilding does not of necessity equal poor standings. You clearly read what you want to read instead of what is actually being said.