How Will The Angels Spend Their Money?

I don't think the Angels have a problem benching Gary Matthews Jr., although it does seem like a waste of money, but I mind, its 3 OFs battling for 4 spots (counting the DH). So the Angels could very easily go after a corner outfielder and feel no remorse in having to sit out Matthews. Ideally, I'd take Manny, but as said, is a bit of stretch at this point. From the players list, I'd personally cross out Bobby Abreu and Garrett Atkins as for players I would not want signed to the Angels.

What about a trade for Mike Lowell? Probably wouldn't cost them much in players if they take on his contract, which they can afford to do.

Kenny Williams should be aggressively shopping Konerko to Reagins right now. Perfect situation to unload Paulie.

Joey Votto being traded is the funniest thing I heard, ever.

The Angels would have to give the Reds half their ballclub and still pay their salaries for Votto to get moved!

Thanks for the laugh guys!

Trading for Joey Votto? Why not Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez, and Johnny Cueto as well? That should be easy enough.

I'm on record as being opposed to trading Jermaine Dye but I will happily waive that objection if it will bring the Sox Chone Figgins.

Sign freaking Dunn and try to trade for Peavy! that's the best route to go now!

Dear Angels,

Please Please Please sign Manny so he will not be in pinstripes.

Sincerely,

The minority of Yankee fans (who seem to be the only sane ones)

I think this moves pretty much assures the world that Lackey will remain an Angel next year.

I agree with candocantu. Why no discussion about a starting pitcher for the Angels? They need a starter more than they need a closer.

I am a dodgers fan but I am man enough to admit that they are already one of the best teams in baseball. Their rotation is set, don't worry about Peavy.

Dunn gets a bad rap, he's as consistient as any other player out there. Bat him behind Vladdy and you have another AL West championship at least. You angel fans just have to pray the BoSox don't make the playoffs! :)

By the way I think that the angels will still have a run at Tex, they are calling Boras' bluff and banking on the fact that Tex will not want to play for a team like Baltimore (even though its his home town) or the nationals. We'll see how this pans out.

"The Votto trade is laughable, as no one has done their research. Votto is almost the same player as Kednry Morales. Why would the angels changed figgins for another Morales?"

Uhh, excuse me. No. This is insanely stupid.

Votto actually has proven something on the major league level. Morales hasn't. Votto is a MUCH better player than Morales right now, and has a higher ceiling.

I feel the Angels and Sox would match up better with Willits rather than Figgins. With a very crowded outfield Willits, while a coveted player of the Angels, could be better served bringing in better talent. Konerko finished very strong at the end of the year and with the Sox eating some of the money these two would be a solid start. If Pauly drops the ntc.

"The Votto trade is laughable, as no one has done their research. Votto is almost the same player as Kednry Morales. Why would the angels changed figgins for another Morales? Rameriz or Dunn is the only answer. Dunn isnt a bad answer at DH."

Research - may want to try that yourself.

The Reds are constructing their roster around Votto, Bruce, Volquez and Cueto being their cornerstones for many years to come.

Trading Votto is like saying the Cardinals will trade Pujols or the Brewers trading Ryan Braun. Votto will be an all-star very soon.

The Angels should sign Adam Dunn, he was good. Really.

I could definitely see the Angels trading for someone. Maybe even Carlos Delgado?

"Research - may want to try that yourself."

Morales has hit very well every time he has been called up. He projects as a 20-40 hr 300 avg 1b/of. While you gotta respect Vottos #'s statistically were MUCH MUCH worse during the second half of 2008.

With the agreement hat Votto hit pitchers pretty well in 2008, the Angels are far from guaranteed production after one year of heavily skewed stats. I see these two players as very similar.

"Trading Votto is like saying the Cardinals will trade Pujols or the Brewers trading Ryan Braun."

I get your point...but...no. just no.

Lets address a few things:

"How about this? Cubs trade Derrek Lee to the Angels for Chone Figgins."

No, bad, terrible, awful, not going to happen. Figgins is too valuable in Scioscia's system and too valuable defensively, whether as a GG caliber 3B or an above average defender at every position on the field other than P or C. Also, the Angels don't need any more right handed power bats.

"Sorry Morales, you arent anything until you can hit well in the majors. Votto has done that. Case closed."

Morales has been stuck on the Salt Lake Shuttle, blocked by Kotchman and Tex, for more than 2 years now. Hardly the same situation as with Votto, where Votto got the job easily.

"Signing Dunn and sticking him at first base is likely the only possible move they can make short of dealing Adenhart."

1) While Adam Dunn is valuable to some teams, he makes no sense for the Angels' system.

2) Why not move Adenhart? The Angels are extremely well stocked with Pitching and Adenhart has serious command issues.

""Trading Votto is like saying the Cardinals will trade Pujols or the Brewers trading Ryan Braun."

I get your point...but...no. just no."

Well, I can see someone stretch to Ryan Braun, but comparing Votto, or anyone for that matter, to Pujols is ridiculous.

"Okay this will probably never even be discussed but how about this trade...Vlad to the Cardinals for Ankiel and Chris Perez."

No. Just No. Vlad is FAR more valuable than that combination and a virtual lock to resign if offered a reasonable deal. Ankiel will never inspire the fear in pitchers that Vlad does, simply because Ankiel doesn't have 1/10th the talent for hitting a baseball.

''Sign freaking Dunn and try to trade for Peavy! that's the best route to go now!''

Honestly, when I saw on the ESPN ticker last night that the Angels were no longer pursuing Teixeira, this is what I thought to myself.

I would say another route would be to sign Manny Ramirez, but it really makes no sense now that Juan Rivera is back in the fold.

Sign Dunn with the versatility available to either put him at DH, first, or either corner outfield position if needed, and then send those prospects to San Diego.

Angels need a SP? How about Marquis for Willits, Cubs eat a couple million and throw in an organizational filler type? If Willits could approximate his 2007 season he could provide the left handed bat that the Cubs are looking for, and cheaply too. Then the Cubs could cut Gathright... it's a win/win. Don't know if the Angels would consider Marquis but I'm guessing they would. How's Escobar coming along btw?

"How about Marquis for Willits" I'd trade Willits for a 12 pack of coke

"How about Marquis for Willits" I'd trade Willits for a 12 pack of coke"

Is Pepsi okay? ;)

I am a life long White Sox fan. I will take the rally monkey for Konerko. I am so done with how slow he is and his 5 months of .230 average.

Kenny, as a White Sox fan, i telling plz trade Konerko, NOW!
The angels r out of the the Tex race and they need a first basemen
Trade him for:
1.Budde
2.Willits
3.Moseley
Thats a fair trade for both sides
budde can be our back up catcher for a year til Flowers comes up
Willits is a better Owens
Moseley builds depth in the pen and the SP

Trading Votto is a terrible idea. Who is going to be there power hitting first basemen. Alonso is a year or two away. Keep votto and get Byrnes and Adkins.

Personally I don't think a deal for Peavy and Gonzalez is completely out of the question. The Padres have made it clear they wanted to keep Gonzalez, but the Angels have the prospects to possibly change their mind. A package with Weaver, Adenhart, and Willits would be a good start.

"But what happens if he moves to a park that does NOT aid his Home Runs"

Most of Dunns home runs have nothing to do with the field he plays in. He hits Bombs that would go out of anywhere. Switching from Cincy to Wrigley would likely do very little to his HR totals.

By the way...Dunn's road numbers were BETTER last year than his home numbers...he had a .934 OPS last year on the road.

"Most of Dunns home runs have nothing to do with the field he plays in. He hits Bombs that would go out of anywhere."

That is the argument, but the numbers did tell a different story after the trade to AZ.

"Plus, there is always the chance that Dunn's Offense drops of a cliff like Richie Sexson's did."

I am no Dunn fan, but I don't think it is fair to equate him to Sexson. 1) Dunn hits left-handed, which is more valuable; 2) Sexson's career high in walks is 98, which doesn't bode well given that he no longer regularly hits .275.

"Sign Dunn with the versatility available to either put him at DH, first, or either corner outfield position if needed, and then send those prospects to San Diego."

Did you just call Dunn versatile? If by versatile, you mean bad defensive player, ok. Otherwise, Dunn is not "versatile". Dunn doesn't fit the Angels system, but at least he can be hidden at DH in the AL. The problem there is that you have a need at 1B and Vlad needs to DH once a week or so to stay healthy.

Stop it with all of the Brian Fuentes to LA talk...unless the team indicates its interest,..which it hasn't.

To the contrary, the Angels have stated, after Fuentes self-promotional article (more of a agent's job), that they're happy with Shields and Arrendondo. What more do you need?

The Halos need another starter and two big bats....end of story.

Dunn, Peavy...and I'll predict Beltre or Lowell in a trade.

A Lowell trade may be closer than you think...

.

During Sexson's age 26 to age 28 seasons, he had more Hits, RBI's and a higher Slugging Percentage than Dunn and did so while playing in a Home park that wasn't as hitter friendly.

From 2003 to the time he was traded, Dunn hit 124 Home Runs in GASP (in 1470 At Bats)and 101 Home Runs on the Road (in 1478 At Bats). That turns out to be 1 HR in every 11.85 At Bats at Home and 1 HR in every 14.63 At Bats on the Road. Either way you look at it, Dunn hit 20% more Home Runs at Home than on the Road.

Now, put him in larger West Coast ball parks where Home Runs are harder to hit to begin with and watch his totals drop. This is especially true in San Francisco and Seattle.

Also, in larger ball parks, Dunn's Outfield Defense would get worse because his range isn't good and more balls would fall in for Hits.

But go ahead and spend your money on Dunn. That way, Reds' Owner Ca$htellini wont be tempted to bring the object of his man love back to Cincinnati.

"Burrell or Dunn can at least play some first base."

Uhh, Tim, has Burrell EVER played first base? Do you just assume that any major leaguer can play first base?

I wouldn't be so quick to make that assumption.

Every hitter is for the most part, going to hit a little better in hitter's parks. Most players are going to be a little worse in pitcher's parks. But if you are warning me as a Cubs fan that he is going to be bad because he isn't playing in Cinci...I am just not very worried about it...at all. His defense is what worries me, but I have no doubt he is around a .240/.380/.500 type of player with his home games in Wrigley. I'll take that...what I don't love is the defense.

Aduncaroo,

I am pretty sure your last three years argument includes his time with the D backs. Look at his Slugging Percentage with the Reds in 2008 and then with the D backs. His OPS stayed about the same because of his Walks.

Since Dunn is a slow base runner who bats in the middle of the line up, his getting walked doesn't really help a team if they are looking for him to provide Home Run power and RBI production.

Now, if a team is wanting Dunn to lead off, then.....

Also, my stats go back 5 1/2 years and are the times he was only with the Reds. This means they are a larger sample size which gives a much better and clearer picture.

For my money, a top of the order hitter should be fast and have his On Base Percentage (and thus OPS) inflated by Hits and Walks while a middle of the order hitter should have his OPS inflated by a high Slugging Percentage.

Aduncaroo,

I think it is because of his Defense that a LOT of teams are looking at players OTHER than Dunn.

Back at the trading deadline in 2007, the Dodgers were rumored (on this site) to be intereted in trading for Dunn but ultimately didn't. It was later said, on this site, the MAIN reason they didn't trade for him was because of his Defense and that was because they were worried about his range and playing in larger Outfields.

The reason they weren't as worried about Manny R's Defense was that Offensively, a career year from Dunn would be a BAD year for Manny R.

Now, when you look at what Manny R did for the Dodgers and Dunn did for the D backs, you can see that the Dodgers were right.

That is why Manny R is still getting a lot written about him this offseason, even though he does have a supposed attitude problem, is older than Dunn and is wanting/asking a LOT more than Dunn will probably be.

So, again, if I were looking for a Left Handed batter, I would spend my money on Bobby Abreu before I would on Dunn.

It looks like the Angels will have 7 Draft Picks in the first 2 rounds.

2- Regualr DP
Texiera=Type A x2
Krod=Type A x2
Garland=Type B x2

=8

"Since Dunn is a slow base runner who bats in the middle of the line up, his getting walked doesn't really help a team if they are looking for him to provide Home Run power and RBI production."

For a team like the Cubs...he would make perfect sense. They don't need someone fast. If Dunn batted 4th, he would likely be ahead of guys like either Lee or Ramirez, Soto, DeRosa, and even Zambrano. All of whom have a very large amount of power. There is no way that a .900 OPS guy is ever bad for an offense.

"I completely agree. Abreu is one of the most underrated players out there and has more to offer than Dunn."

While this is arguable, Abreu is really good but he is yet another outfielder (the one thing the angels don't need) and Dunn can (arguably) play first place, which is a position that needs to be filled.

In my opinion, both are good choices and would make this already good team great.

Aduncaroo,

You just don't get it do you? Abreu has a higher career On Base Percentage than Dunn. He walks just as much or more than Dunn and has more speed than Dunn. So, when he gets on First he can steal Second, he can go First to Third on a Single, score from Second on a Single or score from First on a Double. All things that Dunn has trouble doing.

Also, because of his speed, Pitchers will pay more attention to Abreu on First than they will Dunn. This means it is more likely that they commit a throwing Error or a Balk. It also means they are NOT concentrating as much on the batter and are more likely to make a mistake Pitch.

This isn't too mention that Infielders will have to cheat closer to Second so as to be able to cover the bag for the throw from the Catcher. It also doesn't take into account that Abreu can be used in Run and Hit situations to stay out of Double Plays.

Finally, Abreu has driven in 100 or more RBI's six straight years and seven out of the last eight years and has done so by being able to get Hits and not JUST relying on Home Runs.

So while Dunn is swinging from his heels trying to pull every Pitch for a Home Run (and failing most of the time) Abreu could be up there taking what the Pitcher gives him, hitting the ball to all fields and hitting "measly" Singles. Singles which start or keep rallies going and either advance or score runners.

No, again I will take Abreu over Dunn every day of the week. That is why because of everything I just pointed out, as a Reds fan, I am more scared of the Cubs getting Abreu than Dunn.

ctownboy,

1 - Go away. I am personally sick of seeing you bash Jocketty and Castellini all the time. Jocketty is a great General Manager and produces winning ballclubs. He did it for both the A's and Cardinals. I challenge your baseball knowledge, or lack there of.

2 - You don't pay a guy $20 million/year to hit singles and "start rallies." An outfielder that gets paid that kind of money produces runs. Abreu hasn't hit more thas 31 home runs and 110 RBIS his entire career. Abreu played for the Yankees, which meant he had Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon hitting in front of him. Who did Dunn have? Griffey...that's it! For his entire run with the Reds, Dunn had Griffey batting before him and was the only person that was worth 2 cents and could get on base! You put players in front of Dunn that can get on base and "start rallies," you'll see an inflated RBI total. This is a no-brainer. Barry Bonds walked a lot too...most power hitters do.

3 - I honestly can't understand why you would say Abreu is better than Dunn because he "could force a balk or throwing error." How many times does that happen in a season in the major leagues to a SINGLE player? Evaluate your responses please.

4 - Again....go away. Thanks.

off the wall

The Angels are fine financially. Just look at what left:

K-Rod - $10m
Garland - $12m + $3m for Cabrera's contract
Anderson - $12m
Teix - $8m or so for his pro-rated contract

That's approx $40m with nothing committed outside of Rivera's $4m contract. Without increasing payroll they could add Dunn + Burrell + Peavy + Fuentes (assuming Olney's right and Fuentes comes on a $7m deal).

Not that I think they will - just pointing out that is possible from a financial perspective.

Thats a horrible way to look at a player that bats between Damon, Jeter, and Arod, then look at one that bats between...well, no one very good. Runs + RBI - HR has everything to do with who is hitting around you.

Try OPS+ or WARP, or VORP...something credible please.

Simply put:

Expected projected OPS for next year:

Dunn

Marcel: .871
James: .913

Abreu

Marcel: .810
James: .844

If both aren't good at defense, who would you prefer to hit #4 and break up the right handed hitters in your lineup? I'll take Dunn.

"Juan Rivera is able to man 1B, so it is not like that would be an issue."

Right, but he doesn't have the power that Dunn has. That's kind of the basis of this conversation, the Angels are in need of a power bat (as well as some other pieces). I'm sure that they could scrape someone up to man first, but with all the money they would have given to Tex, why not go after someone to bolster their offense.

"Home runs are overrated, remember, a 2-run double is more valuable than a 2-run homer."

But for a 2 run double to occur 2 men would be on base, so a 3 run homer would be the equivalent and it is better.

almost...

To ToledoHalosFan,

Are you smoking crack? Vlad has been on a slight decline since the second half of 2007 he did do ok the second half of 2008 but his turf knees are taking a toll...Yes he had surgery but he isnt getting younger.His a word I'm tired of "Potential" Brandon Wood has great "Potential" Kendry Morales has "Potential" to hit 20 hr Howie Kendrick has "Potential to win a batting title.Reggie Willits has "Potential" to take the bat off his shoulder(but he won't)Oh and because John Lackey was waiting to see what kind of offense we'd put behind him you can "Potentialy" say good-bye to him after this season as well. Dynasty? Wasn't that a soap opera on t.v. btw it was cancelled too

"LOL, you claim that total runs based on Historical facts isn't accurate and then submit "projections" for next year?"

If you are looking at Runs - Home Runs, that has everything to do with who is hitting behind you, not what you are actually doing rather than get on base, which we know Dunn does at least as well as Abreu. Oh, and your whole "he is fast, so he is good" argument doesn't really work when he is getting caught steaking 1/3 of the time he tries.

"Home runs are overrated, remember, a 2-run double is more valuable than a 2-run homer."

Wow...well if two men were on base, it would be a 3 run homer, which is obviously better than a two run double. This isn't statistice, this is 1st grade math.

"Statistics are for losers."

Wow...just wow.

"Educate yourselves by checking out the "OPS+ or WARP, or VORP" of the '72,'73'74 World Series winning Oakland A's and then get back to me."

Maybe you should educate yourself by, well, educating yourself. Oh, and I'm not a reds fan.

Off The Wall

Let me try the math again - my first post wasn't terribly clear:

Dunn - $12m
Burrell - $11m
Peavy ($11m includes CY escalator clause)
Fuentes - $7m

Total = $41m

Juan Rivera got a raise of approx $1m. Oliver might see a similar type increase. The team has another $10m or so in escalating salaries.

So, the team is writing off approx $45m in salaries and looks to add about $50m in new salaries. A net increase of $5m - $7m is within the budget.

Again though - I would avoid Fuentes. I don't want to spend $7m on a set-up guy + lose the draft picks. A winter of Dunn + Burrell + Peavy would be plenty.

ToledoHalosFan,

Congrats on being a scout...Maybe since you were a scout I'm sure you've seen many HOF players start showing signs of getting old.Such as the bat speed slowing down a bit or the wheels not turning as fast.Vlad has reached the top of the hill and is getting ready ready to pick up speed going downhill.Yes 11 years in a row the first 9 were easy for him the 10th not as easy and the 11th well he had to have a late streak and then rest his bad wheels after that to stay on his streak.Don't get me wrong he is still a force just not one to build a team around anymore. 2-3 more years thats about it and the way the GM is working that will be wasted.We will see how his surgically repaired knee holds up this year.The smoking crack part was more in reference to the GM doing a good job not as much Vlad I didn't make that clear enough my bad.