Several young Rangers prospects have been investigated by Dominican police after a reported sexual assault occurred in a hazing incident a few months ago. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on the matter recently, with Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports providing additional information today. At this time, no charges have been filed, but Passan notes that prosecutors have stated an intention to do so with regard to four players. The Rangers organization reported the matter to Major League Baseball, which placed the players on administrative leave.
Here are more notes from the American League West:
- The Rangers announced a series of front office moves in the wake of the departure of former assistant GM Thad Levine. As Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News explains, the organization promoted a trio of executives to AGM posts. Mike Daly, previously the player development director, will most directly step into Levine’s shoes. Josh Boyd will take charge of professional scouting, research and development, and the team’s operations in the Pacific region. And Jayce Tingler, who was previously a uniformed coach (most recently, major league field coordinator), will take charge of player development.
- ESPN.com’s Keith Law takes a look at the Astros’ recent series of moves, arguing that the team managed to shore up three areas of need without dedicating too much in the way of resources. Adding Josh Reddick improves the team’s flexibility while installing a near-regular corner outfielder, and Law finds the four-year, $52MM payday to be palatable. He’s also bullish on the value signing of righty Charlie Morton, who the team will look to as a solid rotation piece after he missed most of the 2016 season with a hamstring injury. Law is somewhat less enamored of Houston’s trade for Brian McCann, who he views as a more-or-less average performer behind the plate whose age is a concern.
- Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports isn’t convinced of the Angels’ current direction, suggesting that the organization is in the process of wasting some of the best seasons of Mike Trout’s already incredible career. Though Trout was again recognized as the A.L. MVP despite the team’s losing season, Rosenthal says that he’s playing in “relative obscurity” since the Halos haven’t managed to complement him with enough talent. Meanwhile, of course, there are no indications that Los Angeles has any interest in trading the best player in baseball. There’s no doubt, from my perspective, that the organization is in a bit of a bind given its largely moribund farm and the fact that it’s still feeling the effects of some ill-fated signings. The only real path to improving its roster at this point is to take on yet more future salary obligations, or to roll the dice on less-appealing (but more affordable) open-market options. The Angels have already set out to find some budget-friendly solutions in the early going — dealing for Cameron Maybin and signing Jesse Chavez and Andrew Bailey — but it’ll be interesting to see if a larger move or two is in the offing.
Yeah I’m sure it would be nice for Mike Trout to be on a team that’s in the playoffs every year. But who’s to say the team he’d go to wouldn’t end up in a similar position, being forced to go for it every season. That’s the price a team pays for having a superstar like Mike Trout. You want to acquire him? Be prepared to give up a ton of talent and risk the future. Many all-time greats played on mediocre ball clubs for years. I think this ‘wasting the best years of Mike Trout’ has been run into the ground. And to me it’s simply a matter of being in love with the ‘idea’ of Mike Trout playing on a perennial contender. What it comes down to is what I always say…
That’s baseball.
Couldn’t have said it any better
Agree 100% with Ryan
I personally feel like Eppler tanked last season on purpose and is going to tank this season as well for higher draft picks to restock the system. DiPoto’s last draft and Eppler’s first were very strong.
I think he’s making a lot of moves for 2 or 3 years down the line so that when Trout’s contract is up he won’t want to leave.
An example was the Simmons trade. We didn’t really need him last season but we will in 2 seasons.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another random-Simmons type trade for the Angels. Like a Dozier or Longoria … just using those names as hyperbole for how left field that Simmons trade was
You don’t have the prospects needed to get a Dozier or Longoria. You can probably get another Maybin-type player but top tier players are off the table.
Well put
completely true, and half these people saying that he should be traded to a team that can build around him are probably yankee fans.
Largely agree, but 2021 is not that far away. For the next two years, there’s little benefit in trading him, and giving up the best player in the game never makes sense. But if we get to the middle of the 2019 season and the ship still isn’t righted, it’s time to start thinking about it. Because it would be a bitter pill for Angels fans to swallow to watch the best player in baseball put on pinstripes and only receive a draft pick in return.
Since there’s really no comparable trades on a guy like trout, I wonder if the haul isn’t as large as we think
The Ken Griffey Jr trade from December 1999 would probably be the closest comparable in recent memory.
– Griffey was also a superstar at the time
– Griffey ‘only’ had a few years let on his contract
– Griffey also had a full NTC at his disposal (and in fact, he nixed a deal that could’ve sent him to the Mets to play with Mike Piazza)
But there are a few catches:
– Griffey was already 30 years old at the time of his trade
– Griffey expressed a ‘desire’ to play closer to home
A lot of people would like to see Trout traded because they don’t give a rat’s ass about Anaheim.
I don’t see Dougy crying about Joey Votto or even all those old Cubs. But they are loved by their fans and city.
Granted, if Gretzky can be traded, anyone can. But as Edmonton can attest to, it will cost dearly.
Votto’s name has been floated in some trade rumors. The issue with Votto is he’s 33 with an expensive contract who plays first base. Mike Trout is a 25 year old outfielder who is mentioned among the all-time greats already. The Angels have only been to the playoffs once in Trout’s career while Votto was part of good Reds teams in his prime. The value from dealing Trout is so much greater than dealing a Votto. Plus the Angels currently have one of the historically worst farm systems in baseball while the Reds do have some decent players in their farm.
Votto wasn’t always 33 with an expensive contract. Trout wont always be 25. Trout has lots of his career left. Votto’s career is winding down. Votto gets my sympathy for not playing on a winner. Trout, not so much. Plenty of time.
I think the sympathy is kind of nullified when he continually states he won’t approve a trade. Votto has meant a lot to the Reds to whereas if he were to ask for a trade they’d probably accommodate his wishes.
“Votto’s career is winding down”
No, it isn’t. From a contract standpoint, he has at least 7 years left.
From a performance standpoint, he led the NL in OPS+ and OBP last year. I’m not a huge fan of BA but he hit over .400 in the second half (.408). Over 12 WAR the last two seasons. He’s still one of the best hitters in baseball.
Rosenthal, you make me laugh. Lots of great players are wasting their best years on bad clubs who never, or seldom, make the playoffs. Where are the articles on King Felix, Sonny Gray, Chris Sale, Giancarlo Stanton, Paul Goldschmidt, and Joey Votto to name a few. Quit trying to stir up the Mike Trout trade hype. Angels couldn’t get back equal value without the other team gutting their minor/major league roster. The team is two years removed from a 98 win season. And as we all know, last year was a disaster for the starting rotation of the Angels. Weaver threw an 83mph fastball, Wilson didn’t make a single appearance, and Richards, Heaney, and Tropeano went down with TJ-related injuries.
Trout does not play in obscurity. This is not the 1950’s or ’60’s where Harmon Killebrew played in Minnesota with only the local papers covering him. Mainstream and social media are at everyone’s fingertips. Even the casual fan of baseball appreciates Trout, Stanton, and Hernandez for what they bring to the game.
Good grief
There it is! 98 Wins! Lol!!
Your point?
Like most fans angel fans are in complete denial about how bad their team is. The angels need to go through a aggressive rebuild but will probably just float in the 70 win range for the next few years. their farm team is real bad and not much hope for the future.
And what do you propose would be a fair offer for the Angels to take for Mike Trout? I don’t think their fans are in denial, but more that they understand that trading Trout is unrealistic because his price tag would be absurd. Take a team like the Cubs for example. A trade for Trout isn’t going to revolve around good prospects (like Soler, Happ, Candelario, Almora, etc) it’s going to take their young stars. While I could see Bryant being off the table, you’re still probably talking a combination of Schwarber/Rizzo/Russell/Baez/Hendricks/Contreras. At that point, the Cubs are making their team even worse by trading for Trout. It doesn’t make sense for the Angels to trade Trout unless they’re acquiring established talent and it doesn’t make sense for the acquiring team to trade for Trout since their team will not be significantly better.
Agreed
Interesting how that ends up with the Rangers DSL kids, if anything. Many of thos kids are only 16-17YO, minors here. Oldest are 20-21 tops. How would the teenagers be treated by MLB, if they happened to be a Rangers high $ bonus kid?
Yes, many of those kids would likely be high school age (college at the most). We all have seen or heard stories of hazing incidents gone wrong. Those type of issues have even plagued kids here in the United States. Never a good situation when those things come to light.
Yeah you have to somewhat feel bad for Mike Trout. Unless you are an Angels fan, or maybe live on the West coast, Trout pretty much flies under the radar.
For as good as Trout is, and for how amazing a talent he is, he just simply does not get the publicity he deserves. He is truly a once in a generation type talent, if the baseball world has even really seen a talent like Trout.
Unfortunately, he is just playing his heart out for a team that has zero upside and zero direction going forward. Not only is their farm system one of the worst in baseball, it is truly one of the worst farm systems in the past couple of decades, if not THE WORST!!
The Angels have done nothing to improve this team over the years, and Trout can truly only do so much to help this team win..
I know Angels fans will come to their team’s defense, but really every team faces injuries, look at the Dodgers last season, but depth is what helps teams overcome and win. The Angels have NO DEPTH!!
Yes, other teams have some stars that haven’t had very many opportunities in the playoffs, but really they are not Mike Trout…More importantly, their teams do not have such a barren wasteland of a farm system…
Their honestly is no defense for what the Front Office has done, baseball fans can only hope somehow they magically turn it around or Trout finds his way onto another team. He should be the face of MLB, BUT unfortunately this Angels team has neglected to find him any help whatsoever!!
In no way does Trout fly under the radar. He is well known nationally.
Lmao he’s MLB’s poster boy. He’s getting NBA level of Jordan treatment by the MLB
Well there is a defense for Eppler. Essentially that’s what he inherited essentially a team in bad shape.
If you honestly think a good farm system would’ve saved the Angels, or that the Dodgers would’ve overcome losing their equivalent of what the Angels lost then you’re just nuts.
The Angels have done everything in their power to put a go d team around Trout. But the realities of baseball have hit them hard. Well all I gotta say is tough!!!
That’s baseball!
The Angels would’ve made the playoffs if they had not lost all the key pitchers they lost. And there’s statistical proof of that.
It’s tough to see the angels getting back to the playoffs anytime soon. Next year is out of the question with TEX, HOU, and SEA all being obviously stronger. They probably finish ahead of the A’s, but that’s not guaranteed. Last year our season pretty much ended in late May with half our team already on the DL by then.
I think the Astros made a mistake not extending a qualifying offer to Castro, though I believe trading for McCann was also a positive.
You would pay 17.5 million for Jason Castro?? Yuck.
Catching might be the weakest position in the majors with only 3 players above a 3 WAR.
He’s compiled a total WAR of 4 over the last 3 seasons. He’s not worth 17 million.
Part of the answer for the Angels may be through the FA market by looking to pick up useful players–not great ones– and flip them for prospects closer to the deadline to contending teams that have emergent positional issues.
Hire more quality scouts. Draft better. Get the better players signed. Have better coaches. Develop the players better.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
I’m all for signing better anyone (players or executives) on team-friendly contracts. And flipping applicable players.
The real problem there seems to be not getting much from what already exists. Once the signing and developing problems are fixed, other things are a piece of cake.
See (Cubs, Chicago)
Yup, didn’t mean to suggest FA was the only path. Leverage whatever assets your have. LA looks a little like when the Yankees went bad in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Weak pipeline, players who got old early (like Mattingly) and FA signings that didn’t pan out. Yankees were under .500 for four straight years. And boring.
Only way they improve over next 5 years is trading trout. They need the prospects. Call the Cubs
Yes because the Cubs would be willing to trade Schwarber,Baez, Almora, . Because that’s the only package you trade Trout for.
Plus plus plus
The Angels are not accepting a package of prospects (implying Soler, Happ, Candelario, Almora, etc) for Trout. Unless the trade involves all of the Cubs top 10-15 prospects, there is no way a Trout for prospects trade is going to be even close to equal. Any trade for Trout, from any team, is going to involve at least two current ML players. So for the Cubs, for example, you’re talking some combination of Schwarber/Russell/Contreras/Rizzo/Baez. There is no scenario where a team trades for Trout and keeps all of their core players together, part of that core is going to be broken up.
Yeah it’s a trade that doesn’t make sense for the team trading for Trout. It’s different if he’s on the last year of his contract. Although they would accept prospects in the deal but your expecting bonafied major leaguer. Schwarber
Baez, and Almora would be the logical starting asking price. And then it’s prospects. It has to be a highway robbery situation to move the best player with four years left. It’s why these types of guys aren’t traded. Add onto that Trout has to agree to it. And yes it doesn’t make sense if your a Cubs fan but Eppler won’t survive unless it’s clear that the Angels won a jaw dropping trade.
I am a huge fan of McCann. However, I am a little confused on why the Astros went for him. I guess him and Gattis splitting time is their plan. Good luck to him and the Astros.
I think the Angels should trade for Jeff Locke. He’s a guy who needs a change of scenery and a fresh start to finally prove what he is once and for all. He’s a west coast guy, too.
Is he a solid back end starter who was good enough to make an All Star game once or is he a mop up long reliever?
He’ll just be the latter with the Pirates, but for a team desperate for innings like the Angels, he’s a guy I’d be willing to take a chance on if I were them.
A serviceable MLB reliever or a boom or bust prospect is all it would cost.
pujols is the reason the angels are where they are
Wrong….Pujols .he has been productive. The Josh Hamilton signing and not wanting to go over the cap limit….not spending money on scouting, pitching injuries …have been the main reasons.
No them drafting terribly, bad trades, and injuries is the reason why they are where they are
Since the Angels finished just below the luxury tax, subtracting Albert’s contract still gives them about $160 million left in AAV on their payroll. Subtract Hamilton and they still have about $135 million left. Those big contracts are a poor excuse.
did i say money? pujols is a team cancer, money had nothing to do with my previous post.
That’s usually what people are getting at when they point to Albert as part of the Angels’ problems. And I don’t know where you get team cancer from. He’s been a serviceable cleanup hitter for them. And I doubt his presence is good by to bring down the team when offense hasn’t really been their biggest problem over the past 5 years. They pitching issues — mainly recent catastrophic injuries — that have held them back.
The Angels are in a position where they are going to have to buy low and hope guys are able to have bounce back years. Look to acquire a bunch of guys coming off injury and waiting out guys who think they will get bigger contracts than the ones they wind up with.