With the Angels sitting only $22MM underneath the $189MM luxury tax threshold and holes to fill at second base, third base and in left field, owner Arte Moreno may have no choice but to incur luxury tax penalties for just the second time since purchasing the team in 2003, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. When asked about the possibility, general manager Billy Eppler sounded open to the concept. “There are scenarios where you can see it being reasonable, and there are scenarios where you can see it not being worth it,” Eppler told DiGiovanna and other reporters. “Undetermined is probably the best way to put it,” added Eppler, who said scenarios which put the team over the luxury tax will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Eppler did admit that he’s had a wide number of trade and free-agent discussions in his search for an outfield upgrade, including names at the top of the market. While he declined to discuss specifics, players such as Jason Heyward, Alex Gordon, Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes are all available in free agency, and the former two would give Anaheim a much-needed left-handed bat to help balance out the lineup.
A few more notes on the Halos…
- Tyler Skaggs recently threw a 90-pitch bullpen session in Arizona, Eppler also told DiGiovanna today. The GM said the plan for Skaggs, who missed the entire 2015 season recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in late 2014, is to “let him roll” in Spring Training, indicating that he won’t have much in the way of limitations placed on him. Eppler added that C.J. Wilson is expected to be “unrestricted” in Spring Training as well. The 35-year-old Wilson underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow in August. DiGiovanna points out that Wilson could become a trade candidate in Spring Training if he can demonstrate his health on the mound.
- If the Halos do make a run at Heyward, fellow Gold Glove right fielder Kole Calhoun won’t complain one bit about moving across the diamond to left field, he told MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. “If our team is going to get better, and that’s the way we’re going to get better, I’m all for it,” Calhoun said to Gonzalez when asked about a possible shift to left. Calhoun did go on to discuss the difficulties of such a switch, elaborating on the difficulty of essentially being forced to read swing paths and calculate routes in reverse. Gonzalez speculates that Heyward is the best fit among the potential free-agent outfielders for Anaheim, though he noted he’ll also be the most expensive of the bunch.
- It should also be noted that both DiGiovanna and Gonzalez note that Eppler expressed satisfaction with the Angels’ rotation and bullpen, so if further additions are made to the club, expect it to be on the position-player side of the equation. As Gonzalez writes, Eppler and the Angels will head into the Winter Meetings without a set target in mind. Rather, they’ll entertain a wide variety of scenarios to address multiple holes, but Eppler would only state that the goal “is to walk out the door with more information than you walked in with.”
- Though he notes that any club in baseball could use a star-caliber outfielder set to enter his age-26 season, MLB.com’s Mike Petriello lays out a case for his belief that the Angels need Heyward more than any other club in the Majors. The Halos’ left fielders were collectively the least-productive unit at the position in 2015, and they have at least three pitchers in their rotation — Jered Weaver, Andrew Heaney and Hector Santiago — who were among the top 25 in fly-ball percentage for starting pitchers, making Heyward’s glove all the more valuable to them. (Matt Shoemaker, too, was in the top 25 he notes, though Shoemaker isn’t necessarily guaranteed a rotation spot.) Also, with a poor farm system that was thinned out further with the acquisition of Andrelton Simmons, the Angels probably can’t add an elite talent by way of trade. It’s a well-reasoned case and well worth a full read.
Heyward would be a perfect fit for the Angels. I just hope Arte opens his checkbook this offseason
either Heyward or Gordon , but they still have other holes to fill. I think they should trade cj wilson + Bedrosion to the twins for plouffe
Ya maybe if he didn’t have to pay Hamilton
Good news is the Angels have 47M coming off the books after the season courtesy of the expiring deals of Weaver, Wilson, and Smith with Hamilton’s 25M annual salary clearing the books the year after. Sure they might have to add a SP or bullpen arm during that time, but Richards, Santiago, and Skaggs is not a terrible foundation for pitching going forward and they plausibly can survive without the addition of another top-level starter for awhile (see Royals). That 72M is serious change and accordingly, can structure a deal with Heyward without difficulty to stay under the tax for one year. However, the likely departure of the two starters makes the trade of Sean Newcomb a little questionable, given how nicely he could replace one of them at a potentially very cost-effective basis and the lack of starting pitching depth in their minors.
I think weaver should be kept around, he’s an angel for life, He would be a great mentor to the angels young pitchers. He would be open in taking another home town discount
While I love Weaver has much as the next Angels fan his sub 85 MPH fastball does not have a place in the MLB. So while he would have to take little to no money to come back but it is time for him to retire.
You forgot about Heaney, so they Angels will have him, Richards, Skaggs, and Santiago most likely to start 2016, and also Matt Shoemaker if he turns it around.
Don’t tell Angels fans they don’t need an ace though. Most of them think there should be a Hall of Famer at every position, and if there isn’t they go, “Who?” The only reason many of them even know their team’s farm system is barren is because their broadcasters say so…
@RyÅnWKrol Oh man, you hit the nail on the head. Though I do like to think that the halos fans who comment on this site are at least a little smarter than the average Angels fan. Don’t ever bother commenting on the Angels Instagram account. That is where your comment rings true with every single post.
On a side note, the respective disasters of deals that are Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols goes to show you the difference of a high money, 5 year deal versus an exceedingly long deal; with Hamilton, amazingly there is some light at the tunnel but Pujols’ deal seems never-ending.
The Angels needed to make a deal like the Pujols contract to prove they were serious about continuing to be a high market contender, and that their run in the previous decade was not just some fluky thing because they happened to hit the jackpot in their farm system. The Hamilton was unnecessary though, as they needed to overhaul their bullpen. They still could’ve done though, and not waited until the middle of 2014. Basically, there’s no reason they can’t continue fielding a winning team with those contracts on the books. 2014 was proof of that. But a ton of money is coming off after 2016 any way.
Maeda is going to be posted, the angels should make a run at him as well. Also, I would take a look at Mike Leake and Samardizja. If the angels are all out of options for a third basemen, just give Uribe a 1 year deal
You would think they would make a strong push for Gardner. Financial commitment of half to a third of the free agent options. Granted the Yankees won’t give him away but for a team up against the tax it may be worth the cost of a young pitcher.
You guys are right about Heyward. Good team man also. It’s apparent the the Cardinals GM is sitting on his butt and a coward to make a deal with Heyward. The Cardinals loss. The GM continues be cheap when the funds are there.
And yet the Cardinals GM made the second best offer for David Price.