Angels GM Billy Eppler addressed the media after a busy, but perhaps still incomplete roster-building effort this winter. He says there’s “nothing active right now” when it comes to trade talks, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.
That’s further indication that the team won’t be revisiting the deal that would’ve brought in Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling from the Dodgers. It also suggests that there’s no alternative arrangement already in the works.
Still, the Halos are understandably still scanning the market. Eppler says the club is “open” to bringing in another experienced rotation option — “if it fits and it makes sense.”
With news emerging that Shohei Ohtani won’t be in the rotation to open the season, the need is even more clear. As things stand, the staff is fronted by veterans Andrew Heaney, Julio Teheran, and Dylan Bundy. Younger pitchers such as Griffin Canning, Jaime Barria, Patrick Sandoval, and Jose Suarez would battle for the other two spots.
It’s still reasonable to hope that Ohtani will provide top-end results once he is back. And most of these hurlers have some degree of upside. But there’s an awful lot of uncertainty for a club that has clear designs on a return to the postseason this year.
Rotation that looked ok suddenly looks a lot worse.
What do you expect from organization run by clowns?
Clown…not clowns
Maybe Arte should not have had a juvenile fit and withdrew the trade because it did not move fast enough. From the past, fans have seen if Arte wants something, he aggressively pursues and will even overpay. We needed pitching but Arte chased Rendon and did not
Pony up for pitching. Fans are baffled. One other thing. Angels knew they were going to let go of a catcher and need find another starting catching. Yet it appeared they never tried to sign Grandal. Longtime fan but frustrated with management
You have no idea what the Dodgers wanted for Stripland.
From MLB
This is a farm system that definitely needs an up arrow next to its name, and that’s not just because top prospect Jo Adell has company in the Top 100 (though the Adell-Marsh outfield tandem should excite Angels fans). There’s a ton of upside in this system,
I wish the Angels would have signed Alex Wood. But we have no idea what the Dodgers wanted for Stripland.
Jordyn Adam was 79 on fangraphs today and called the most athletic prospect since Buxton. The island bros (Devaux and Knowles) are both developing too. Angels MO over the last 4 years is get SUPER YOUNG/SUPER ATHLETES and develop them. It’s yet to be clear if this works, but they have about 6 prospects that are likely star or bust type dudes.
I didn’t know they listed them… Thanks.
So Adell is #4, Marsh is 36, and Adams is 79, all are outfielders. Adell will get here soon and they have an ETA of Marsh in 2020.
If Upton gets hurt, the Angels outfield will be Adell, Marsh and Trout.
Stripling is a huge loss, Pederson, not so much.
I think Adams was in the stripling deal….. perhaps him sneaking into the top 100 gave Arte pause
@bkbk I am surprised Adams is that high. He is one of the fastest in the minors, but he has yet to show he will be able to hit. He is still young, so hopefully he will with time.
Well, you know what they say. Nothing ventured….. nothing ventured.
The Angels continue to waste Mike Trout’s time.
Trout had his chance to get out, he’s sleeping in the bed he made
This is such a tired narrative. As much money as they’ve spent does not equal wasting Trout’s time. It’s more like they’ve tried and it hasn’t worked out. Of course they’re aware they need pitching, but it’s more likely that the pitching market wanted to pitch elsewhere. Sometimes that happens.
I am frustrated with Arte not following through with the Stripling trade, though we don’t know who was going back other than Rengifo. Tough to validate my frustrations without knowing the entirety.
I thought the Trout nonsense would end when he chose to play his career in Anaheim. The Angels are a good team that has had an unusual amount of pitching injuries over the years. We now have 11 possible starters with varying degrees of talent and experience and a great defense to back them up. It’s time for the hand wringing to stop and wait as the season unfolds.
People enjoy hating other clubs. Why do others care if they don’t have any vested interest in a club or player? Just to be heard.
You’re absolutely right about the upside. I can’t wait for this season
The Angels are a bad team that only finished 4 games ahead of a horrible Mariners team last year. A healthy Trout, Ohtani and Rendon makes them better but not necessarily good.
Glass.. Sure, if all you know about baseball is last years record, then that’s the conclusion you will reach.
But for people who actually like to dig deeper, they see a much clearer pitcher. I believe Vegas over and under line is 84.5.
Of course they have professionals that actually dig deeper.
Tired narrative? It’s reality. Trout has three MVPs and four second place finishes in MVP voting. Trout has done his part. The “tired narrative” is Angels fans defending the unending mediocrity of Angels baseball. The “pitching market wanted to pitch elsewhere” because the Angels are a poorly built team. Trout has 12 career ABs in the playoffs – twelve. Your suggestion that “spending money” equals quality roster construction is absurd. The Angels are wasting Mike Trout’s time.
Your post is purely opinion based and not the reality you portray it to be. There’s a massive difference.
If Trout was a Pirate, you could say they’re wasting Trout’s prime. Your logic is flawed. Yes, spending does mean trying.
From an outside perspective his time is being wasted. They have prioritized hitting over pitching year after year. Every year it’s the same thing with the Angels….no pitching.
I can see your side, but it was pretty evident that they were in on Cole right up until Cole selected the Yankees. Angels pivoted to the next best player available. I completely disagree with people who say the Angels haven’t tried. Sometimes things just don’t work out. With the kind of money they have spent over the years, I’m not going to cast blame and point fingers. I don’t want to come across like I know the inner workings of their front office.
MLB keeps track of who wins games, they keep stats and records about many things. It’s not a matter of opinion, it’s reality. Trout has twelve career playoff ABs, that should bother all Angels fans – why are you so patient? The Angels inability to construct a pitching staff is inexcusable. The Angels are wasting Mike Trout’s time.
He chose to stay an Angel. The narrative gets old because it sounds like it’s coming from fans of teams that wanted/want him but never had the chance to bid on him. Comes across as being bitter rather than a objective..
I can’t argue the wins/losses and AB’s. But I’m patient because I’m happy they’re not saddling themselves with long term, over bloated contracts that offer very little return. It’s the disciplined approach. The right guy will come along at the right time. I think it’s going to be at the deadline this season. An obvious difficult starting point was the shallow top end minor league system. Now that it’s grown to respectability, prospects can be teamed with ready major leaguers for a 1-2-3 type arm. It’ll come.
The Angel’s haven’t prioritized hitting, they were perfectly set up after the 2014 season.
They had the best record in baseball, The team had Wilson, Skaggs, Weaver, Heaney, Shoemaker, Richards, Skaggs, Wilson, Shoemaker, Richards and Heaney all suffered injuries that cost them multiple seasons and Weaver went from perennial Cy Young candidate to out of baseball.
They haven’t recovered. You can’t build a pitching staff on the free agent market and they didn’t have the minor league system to get pitchers in trades.
MLB keeps track of winnings games.
From 2012 to 2018 the Angels were in the top ten in wins, number ten to be exact.
The Nats got Max, Corbin and Anibal off the FA market. The Angels could have signed a slew of FA pitchers and made a decent rotation and certainly much better than the one they have.
Mac … World Series rings?
I can appreciate your loyalty, Halo, but Trout is such a rare talent I can’t help but be frustrated by the Angels approach.
Oh it’s about World Series rings.
Well this century only three teams have more World Series rings than the Angels. The Dodgers have less.
What about record as LAA vs LAA of A? Could a name reversion be their answer?
vanilla, very true, they did.
The Angels tried to get Corbin, Sanchez was a flyer, hardly a priority, and a lot of teams didn’t get Scherzer.
And when Scherzer signed, I don’t remember a lot of people saying that was a good signing.
The Angels also offered Cole a huge amount of money. They have prioritized pitching. Teams just outbid them.
30 Parks… You’re Frustrated? Every Angel fan is.
For the life of me I don’t understand why the Angels didn’t add one more pitcher. For example, Why not take a chance with Alex Wood?
But with the Stripling trade, we don’t know what the Dodgers wanted and Pederson, although a good major league player, would have been problematic.
I would have loved to have Stripling. Loved it.
Angel project to be the second wildcard team this year and have BIG money coming off the books over the next two years. Like Huge. They also have a very high risk high reward farm after the top 2. This team is actually poised.
There were other P they could have signed. Even this year, Ryu or Keuchel the Cheater, Alex Wood, former Nats Gio and Tanner, Hamels, MadBum or even a mid-season shot like Rich Hill. I don’t understand how passive Eppler has been given this should be a decisive year for him.
Not bitter about Trout; I’m simply tired of the omnipresent zealotry praising Trout’s GOATness.
I felt the pain too. Here is what I think the thought process is/was from Eppler, Im not saying I agree or disagree.
Their are 4.5 rotation spots taken (Ohtani, Heaney, Tehran, Bundy, Canning) . The other 1.5 are being competed for amongst; Sando, Barria, Suarez. All the competitors are Angel pitchers on cheap rookie deals, so the hope is we buff out a gem in that group into a 4 or 5.
Epp seems to be taking the idea that the only pitchers we are interested in are ones that have little injury history and who’s peripherals look to show some growth. So with Wood, Rich Hill and Taijuan, I think he’s jsut signaling that we have too many lotto tickets.
All that said, I dont agree. I would seem that they payout on a Hill or Wood lotto ticket would be larger than then names on the list. BUt I think thats the strategy.
He clearly wanted ‘Strips, but Arte gonna Arte
Lets just say, Wood, Hamels… Sure… Even Rich Hill.
Ryu… Maybe.
Keuchel, Gio.. no.
Roark… Interesting. I haven’t looked at him.
You obviously like fangraphs, you should read what the write about Sandoval.
I will grant you the second point, that the Halos could jump into the FA pool again next year. As a devoted fan of your AL West rival (Oakland) I don’t see the Angels close to where HOU and OAK are in 2020. Yes, you can now mash with the best of em and Rendon’s gonna give us fits. However, the starting rotation is average at best and walking away from the Stripling/Pederson trade made NO sense.
I’m more concerned about Texas surprising in 2020. They have a sneaky-good rotation, and I expect a bit of a bump from the new ballpark.
While Oakland’s staff is young, they already have the talent to dominate. TB will be good once again, and their deep MiLB talent will keep them in the hunt. The ChiSox and Indians will also battle for a WC spot in a weak AL Central.
Until the LAA have horses in the starting 5, the team’s still a tease…
It’s also coming from the fans who spent a few years saying “TROUT IS LEAVING!! BANK ON IT!! HE HATES BEING STUCK WITH THE ANGELS!!! GOD, I KNOW EVERYTHING!! HE’LL LEAVE!!”
Mac … it’s about Mike Trout’s time being wasted as evidenced by his zero World Series appearances, let alone wins.
Shohei is a wild card in his first year back. Heaney has thrown more than 110 innings once. Bundy is really a number six or seven starter. Teheran has pitched so many innings, the odds are he’ll hit the IL for some time this year and his ERA may start matching his xFIP which make things pretty ugly. For a GM in a do-or-die year, you’d think he’d have his eye more on quality than it looks right now.
It does bother me. But as great as Trout is, part of that reason is Trout.
Please understand, I’m not ripping Mike Trout, but if Mike Trout is the person I think he is, I think he believes he is partly responsible.
2012, Trout caught a virus and got three spring training ABs, otherwise the Angels make the playoffs. They finished one game back.
In the 2014, Mike Trout got one playoff hit. Had he had a good series, the Angels probably would have moved on.
In 2015 he rolled over on his wrist, missed a couple of games, stunk for a month, and the Angels missed the playoffs by one game.
In 2017 he missed a huge chunk of the season, the Angels were in it most of the season. They entered September 1 game back of the eventual Wild Card Twins.
manilavanilla66.
You make some good points but nobody with a clue cares about Teheran’s xFIP
I’ll make it short, look go to fangraphs, look at zone contact percentage and swinging strike rate. That will tell you if a pitcher has good stuff.
He was 48th of 61 in swinging strike percentage (and falling from 2018’s 25th rather ominously) and 23rd in zone contact percentage (down from 13th in 2018), behind Eduardo Rodriguez and the dreadful Reynaldo Lopez. That’s not a good trend.
Could you please cite the data that shows that zone contact percentage is a better ERA predictor?
As far as swinging strike rate, I was talking about Heaney and Canning.
The reason no one cares about Tehren’s xFIP is he throws five pitches at any time, which is very rare, which is why xFIP and FIP are meaningless.
No one looks at xFIP and FIP for pitchers who always outperform their xFIP and FIP. xFIP and FIP are used to spot fluke season outliers.
I think the Angels biggest mistake is not being willing to punt 2-3 years of Trout’s career early on and rebuild. They kept trying to throw up a team around him and it kept falling apart. They could have dumped everything but him and built up a team before now.
The criticism is dumb because if they did that, people would have complained that “they have the greatest 23 year old in history and they are wasting him by rebuilding!”
LOL… plenty care about Teheran’s xFIP. He’s got a lot of mileage, and he’s gonna get lit up like a Christmas tree in the AL.
Teheran doesn’t throw any given pitch at any time and not even close.
Can you give me the link that states that pitchers who throw five pitches have statistically insignificant FIP’s? I am eager to see this.
No disrespect but I don’t think you have a very good understanding of FIP. Is FIP a component of any valuation variable? If so, what variable and why?
When a pitcher consistently outperforms his FIP, then only the clueless put weight in his FIP.
After seven consecutive years of outperforming his WHIP by half a run every year, EVERY wise person understands it’s not applicable.
Sure, google Teheran fangraphs, there was an article about him.
The question was why he outperforms his FIP? Wise people ask that question. They came up with a possible answer.
As far as understanding FIP, I understand when not to use it. And that’s when a pitcher outperforms his FIP every year.
The Angels got rid of the “of Anaheim” portion of their name four years ago.
news.sportslogos.net/2017/06/28/of-anaheim-no-more…
Not only is it a tired a narrative, but it is just dumb thing to say. Do you just go around on each forum, Indians and wasting Lindors time, Mets are wasting deGrom’s time, Reds are wasting Votto’s time, Yankees are wasting Judge’s time, etc. You must be a tired troll at the end of the day.
As a dodger fan I am glad he backed out of the Stripling/ Joc deal, would have been a bad deal for the Dodgers. Thanks Arte
It seems to me the Dodgers need Pederson more than the Angels. I don’t understand why the Dodgers want to get rid of him.
halofanatic. you seem like a rational person, such a rarity on a message board.
Haha, I try to see others perspective. Thanks!
What about me? I’m rational even if I’m passive-aggressive so why didn’t you include me? Or am I an existential threat to you?
I don’t think you’re such hot stuff Halo so let some air out of your chest.
Manilia, I thought you were rational as well. .
However that last post is kinda strange.
Manila… noted
It is a tired narrative but so is the one that pitchers wanted to pitch elsewhere. The Angels were outbid. There was crazy money thrown at starting pitching this offseason and if someone wanted to make the argument the market was out of control and the Angels were prudent not to overextend so far for a starter I could at least understand the argument. But where is everyone hearing the Angels were the highest bidder for a starter but he chose to go elsewhere? Cole signed a massive contract with the Yankees and I see no evidence that Cole signed with them over the Angels other than money. All the talk before free agency was he’d end up in SoCo where he’s from but he signed about as far as you can get from there. Until I hear otherwise I can only assume all of them signed for the most money
It also seems weird no one cares Trout uses HGH. People get outraged for some players, but he gets a pass?
I’m guessing that if Trout somehow found his way to the Twins, you would be stoked.
Not saying it’s good or bad simply interesting how we pick and choose our outrage. Seems to be a double standard
Evidence or it’s opinion… which you’re absolutely entitled to.
You mean the claim that was swiftly debunked by the MLBPA and MLB, and the idiot son of Brosius already backtracked, and all of this is over? That HGH usage that doesn’t exist. Good fact checking though.
Yes mlb is so trustworthy. Remember that whole “no changes were made to the baseball” thing. They’d do anything to protect the best player in the league.
The person who made the accusation retracted his comment. So a retracted accusation is all you need? Man you’re a dork.
Of course he did. He was threatened with serious legal action. You think you can just release someone’s medical information? That’s against the law. Mac you’re like 54 how do you not know anything? And I personally don’t care if players take steroids
What medical information? And sorry, you can leak anything to the press. It’s called a confidential source.
You have issues.
Confidential source? They guy said it how is that confidential? That’s not this scenario. My bad I didn’t know you were disabled. Enjoy your day Mac
You said he had medical records? That’s really hard to slip to a reporter and rename anonymous… NOT!!!!!
You’re an ignoramus. Enjoy your players who do cheat.
What about the Holy PA that represents the working man against the evil corporations? They debunked that story as well. And why are trusting the Instagram post of some rich spoiled kid?
You’re a liar. Or just ignorant. Hard to tell which.
A day later, Brosius (son of Scott Brosius) walked back his comment and said it “does not stem from information from my Dad or sources within MLB and has no evidence behind it.”
So basically, it’s an accusation came from a nobody based on NOTHING. Unlike Cruz and Polanco, Sano and Pineda.
The Trout/HGH thing was a farce. Totally debunked and retracted by the accuser
The Trout/HGH thing was a farce. Totally debunked and retracted by the accuser
you must have a proof of your post. or a dang good lawyer and a lot of dough to pay for the damage plus lawyer fees for his, too. what a dumb waste of carbons, hydrgen and oxygen!
It also seems weird that no one cares you set fire to puppies. There’s just as much evidence. Somehow you get a pass.
Why don’t you ask him that? He’d probably throw his extension and all of his awards in your face. Every player wants a championship. No one is entitled to it. And neither is any fan.
only thing the Angles owe Trout is a few hundred million dollars
No one’s wasting Trout’s time. He’s exactly where he wants to be and he chose to try and win with the Angels. It’s coming.
Will he be playing for the Angels when this time has come?
Mike Trout is a Angel he’d be wasting his time on almost any team American League or national league there’s only a handful of teams that are World Series caliber Dodgers Yankees Astros Washington nationals So if your team isn’t one of these teams Mike Trout would be wasting his time on your team
I think the Minnesota twins have improved themselves the Atlanta Braves are a good young team
Still say Joc to world Champion Nats. Do not include Stripiling. For 2 minor leaguers not kiebloom garcia rutledge or cato. Need 4th OF who can give some loss Rendon offence.
Teams don’t typically trade for an 8 million dollar 4th outfielder.
Pederson’s better than Eaton and Robles. He wouldn’t be the 4th OF for long.
Pederson has a career 118 OPS+, and its 126 over the last two years. I’d be glad to pay 8 million for that.
wakejeff, in a vacuum yes. Baseball isn’t played a vacuum.
Since the Angels two highly rated prospects are about to arrive and since the PCL is not a development league, which means leaving good prospects down in the PCL is detrimental to their growth, then it’s not such a good move for the Angels.
The parks in the the PCL make Coors Field look like a pitchers park.. You don’t want prospects to linger in the PCL.
Because the Angels can’t leave Adell in the PCL, he should be up in weeks. Since Adell isn’t going to sit on the bench, Pederson would be problematic.
The only way I-can see that work is if they trade a guy like Robles for bryant because there outfield is stacked. Soto/robles/Eaton
The Nationals aren’t going to trade the guy who was the best defensive OF in mlb his rookie season. A guy who just missed a 20/30 season as a rookie and has a cannon arm. Robles is the CF that every team in baseball other than the Angels wants. They aren’t going to trade him.
Was the reason the LA trade fell apart ever reported? I recall reading that they were frustrated by the wait but never a specific reason.
mlbtraderumors.com/2020/02/details-on-collapse-of-…
It was widely reported that after the Red Sox screwed up the 3 team deal, and had to rework things, they found the Angels trade to be unnecessary. With all the time that went by, they might have felt some backlash just as the Sox did and began asking for mire from the Angels. Either way, everyone’s time was wasted, and you can’t just sit by the phone with so much money going through the shredder by the minute.
*the Dodgers found the Angels trade to be unnecessary.
Except now they’re stuck with surplus and an extra $7.5 million on the books with Pederson.
Lol, everyone giving the angels offseason an “f” because of one failed trade.
The rotation isn’t screwed just because Ross stripling isn’t a part of it.
I don’t think everyone is giving it an “F”, but there is general disappointment. Reason being, there are 3 other teams in the AL West alone, who are capable of scoring in bunches, all of which have much better starting rotations than the Angels. The Angels didn’t do much to improve their starting rotation, unless they get career years from multiple guys.
Who are these teams besides the Astros? The Angels did as much as any team to improve their rotation that didn’t get an ace. All 5 AL West teams have rotations that can be easily broken down into major question marks. Verlander won’t live forever and the Rangers just stacked bodies where you never really know what you’re getting. PECOTA has the Angels in the first Wild Card spot.
Angels added Bundy & Teheran to their rotation. They are upgrades over Cahill & Harvey no doubt but still their rotation is pretty mediocre when compared to Oakland and Houston or even Texas. Plus they probably aren’t getting Ohtani back to pitch for at least 2 months to start the season.
I just don’t see a championship rotation there. No way. Too many things have to go right. Even Joe may not be able to win with this.
“Too many things have to go right.”
That’s true for any team to win the World Series.
Just like the Nationals who, even with their rotation, started 19-31, and had to score big runs in key moments late in order to win it. A lot had to go right for them like every other championship that’s ever been won.
Did you see a Championship rotation with the 2002 Angels?
Over the last ten years, three teams have won the World Series with mediocre rotations. You’d like to have a great rotation, but it’s baseball. It’s all about run differential.
All of a sudden, flippin’ Ross Stripling is Don Drysdale…..
Astros are vulnerable (using Glad bags, removed trash cans); A’s are overly dependent on young starters….Angels are still in it. They’ll have to play it game by game, maybe making the big splurge at the deadline….
The Angels have arguably a top 3 infield, the best player ever, Ohtani taking the mound in May and a stacked line up. They added a ton of pitching this winter, just not the shiny pitchers everyone wanted. It’s easy to complain about other people not spending their millions the way you want them to. I think they will be contenders for at least a playoff spot, as projected. The Astros are a worse team than last year and the Angels are a better team than last year. Plus the Astros’ unfair advantage is gone. We’ll see as the season progresses.
That rotation is trash.
Boyd oh Boyd
another year the offense looks great but no pitching
I thought Price to LAD was a precursor of Price reuniting with Angels-Maddon. There was a lot of wiggle room with the RSox paying the $48 M.
The RSox still have Eovaldi and I’m sure JBJ could cover one of the corners for the Angels. After eating 1/2 of Price the Sox might incentivize a fair amount.
I don’t think they’d want JBJ, but Eovaldi could be interesting, perhaps the deadline if he’s healthy.
Yeah, Eovaldi fits the always hurt profile that Eppler seems to like.
Joc would of been nice….where do you put a person that hit 36 hrs??? Let alone, a free agent year. Stripling would of been nice but we already have a bunch of #4 & #5 starters. Offense would of been stacked….just a lot of 9-8 games.
Joc would have been problematic. Adell will be up in weeks after the season starts and Marsh is not far behind.
Stripling would have been a great add.
If you trade for Joc, you then trade Adell to Indians in a package for Clevinger. Then, you truly have potential for a playoff berth.
Adell is not surplus. The Angels already turned down a Clevinger for Adell trade.
They shouldn’t have. I think Clevinger instantly makes them a favorite for the playoffs. With the Angels already having Upton and Trout in the OF, I think they can afford to lose Adell. Marsh fits better anyway being a LHH. They don’t need the additional power that Adell gives them over Marsh nearly as much as they need that true, 30-start ACE that Clevinger would have given them.
Tired of Arte.
What really hurts was it seemed the Angels were going to take advantage of the Dodgers and this made the trade even better.
No MOORE Arte
Has any “pitcher” ever gotten as much hype as Ohtani with around 50 career innings pitched? The guy has started like 10 games in the majors and none in almost 2 years and people just assume he is going to be an ace right from the start. It’s crazy.
Plus, he only is a DH. He is no more a two way player than every single NL starting pitcher. Just because he is a very good hitter is really irrelevant.
Ok, not exactly the same. How many of those starting pitchers will have at bats on the days that they are not pitching?
Well if that’s the case I guess Babe was a fantastic outfielder then.
@Hiflew yeah you might wanna go watch some of those 50IP.
Ohtani showed the league he has “ace stuff”. It remains to be seen if he regains his form but he probably didn’t forget how to pitch so I’ll say he figures it out. ST will show us if he has the upper 90s velocity, command of pitches, etc.
Will he be a 30 start, 200IP Ace? No.
Will he be a 18 start, 125-140IP Ace? I’d bet yes.
5toolMVP. Players typically don’t hit the floor running after missing most of a season with arm injuries.
I don’t see Ohtani making a huge impact this year. For the same reason, I don’t see Puk, Luzardo or Manea making a huge impact this year.
But everyone thinks the A’s are not going to be affected by this and every one thinks Ohtani is.
@mac. I never said he’d hit the floor running.
I do think he will ease into ST and ramp up as mid-May approaches. Ohtani should be fine. I’m confident he will pitch like Ohtani 2018, he’ll have good and bad games I’m sure – maybe a few 4-5IP 4ER stinkers and maybe a few 6-7IP 10K gems.
Of course we’ll all *should* have a better idea once we see him through ST into early April…remember his ST in 2018, he wasn’t exactly lighting up the Cactus League either so maybe that’s not a great tell as to how 2020 will go for him.
I’ll only be concerned IF his arm hurts, his velocity is down or command is way off.
The Angels are a screwed up organization. They waste money on hitters when they don’t build up their farm team, so lack pitching talent. They play in Anaheim which per the map is not in LA. They throw money at unnecessary players while ignoring needs. They deserve the crappy club that is dysfunctional.
How is the back end of the Dodgers BP looking? The Dodgers will be looking for a bounce back year from their 6th 8th and 9th inning pitchers. Teams in every sport, looks to attach itself to the bigger market that they are surrounded by. The Jets and Giants don’t even play in the state of NY. The Red Skins play in Maryland. The Giants play 25 minutes from San Francisco. The Reys play 45 minutes from Tampa Bay. Get over the name.
Dodgers fan?
No wonder
Why does Mike Trout get booed at dodger Stadium?
Dodger fans jealous 3-time MVP
Dodgers had too many irons in the fire and Arte got butt hurt that he wasnt priority number one. I hope Rendon enjoyed his world series in Washington because he wont be going back any time soon.
I don’t think Rendon I’ll be in the World Series in Boston either
cant believe the outrage here. why are we so sure it was Eppler or Arte that blew up the trade? and why are we so sure it should have been made without knowing who else was in the deal? (which was surely a decent piece)
Wouldn’t be a bad idea to deal with Cubs for Quintana. It would give them a solid number 3 or 4 starter, and help the Cubs get below the tax.
Get ready for the “Eppler looking for arms” headlines in May, again. The bullpen will be toast in June because they have to get 12-13 outs every single game. Temper-tantrum Moreno screwed the pooch on this one. Bad form Arte
Not that Stripling was the answer (to obtain an ace) but he would have been an upgrade over what they have. He had cause to get irritated with the dragging Red Sox, but he needed to suck it up and look at the big picture.
How is Ross Stripling all of a sudden Max Scherzer? You people need to stfu, most people dont even like this team why are they soo concerned. Why in such need for a trade if you hate the angels and they suck soo bad. Shouldnt you be rooting against them not to make trades?
The Trout/HGH thing was a farce. Totally debunked and retracted by the accuser
Love to know what the Dodgers wanted for Joc and Stripling.
Why have a deep lineup, starting caliber right fielder, depth to give Upton days off his slow feet, and a pitcher we desperately need when you can have a temper tantrum?
The widely reported trade was Luis Rengifo, Taylor Ward, and a prospect lower in stature than the one we’d get back.
But, nah, arbitrary deadlines have worked so well in the past, let’s keep at it.
Joc is dropping 50 bombs this year. Arte blew it!
Captkrunch,
It’s really hard for a part time player to drop 50 bombs.
Adell is coming up. If someone tells you he wasn’t very good at AAA, then they don’t understand the PCL. He wasn’t, but it’s also irrelevant.
He was good in the Arizona Fall league, which is more important than the PCL. There is a reason why Bellinger, Lux and Trout all got less than 200 ABs in the PCL, it’s not a development league. Star prospects don’t stay there.
Ready or not Adell is coming up and he’s going to play. When someone says AAA and not PCL, then they don’t get it. When someone talks about PCL stats but excludes the Arizona Fall League stats, they don’t get it.
And if anyone gets hurt, Marsh will be here.
Pederson is a good major league player, but not so good that a team will sit on their two best prospects so he can get playing time.
Well, we have known that we need pitching for the last 10 years so there is nothing new.. I guess..
I see a lot of comments regarding the pitching staff. On paper, it doesn’t look the greatest. But rather than pre- maturely trashing the staff, I wanna see what a new pitching coach can do with them. We get into June and the BP is tossing 5-6 innings a day, then the proof of a trash rotation is there. Let’s see what Callaway can do.
Ohtani=Bust
pburns.
Congratulations, the dumbest post of the day.
Even just hitting, The last two years Ohtani is 19th in wRC+ That’s between Austin Meadows and George Springer.
Thanks for the laugh.
I think what doesn’t sit well with me is that the other 3 teams involved, “found a way” to make a deal that benefited their team.
…
On the surface, this seemed to be a February Christmas gift as the Dodgers needed to shed payroll and those specific players fit almost perfectly (esp Stripling).
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So who or what mechanism is in place for the Angel’s NOT to “find a way” and get something done?
…and by the way, the 3 teams that found a way have all been recently successful: Twins, Dodgers, and Red Sox. Winners find a way…
Hahaha, you do realize that the trade between the Angels and Dodgers had nothing to do, with the three team trade right? It was a completely different trade. The Dodgers informed, Peterson, Stripling and the minor league player, that they were being traded to the Angels. The Angels informed their players that, they were being traded to the Dodgers. The Angels even had a representative at Peterson’s arbitration trial. The Dodgers kept putting off finalizing the deal. So I don’t blame the Angels for saying enough is enough.
The Pederson Stripling trade was contingent on the Betts blockbuster. Pederson Stripling were being traded as player and salary dumps. The reports were very clear on this. Bottom line, the Angel’s missed out on key pieces to their roster for what seems to be a lack of patience. Thats ridiculous.
@dirkg then why did the Dodgers inform the players involved, that they were being traded to the Angels? If it wasn’t finalized? Why do Dodgers fans all of a sudden think Peterson is good? When they have been screaming for the past three years, for the Dodgers to trade him? Even without Betts, the Dodgers were going into Spring trading with 7 outfielders, with only one having minor league options. Now the Dodgers have 7 outfielders and none of them have minor league options. So they will wind up losing two of them for nothing. But let’s blame the Angels. Even Dodgers fans that actually know baseball, think the Dodgers were dumb for not just going through with the trade.
@Angelsfan I think a lot of people on both sides agree that the trade should have been made. It essentially was a win-win. Where you and I differ is you don’t blame the Angel’s for being impatient. I do. Stripling was that much-needed rotation piece that could provide at least league-average performance (which is basically what this potent offense needs). With Ohtanis unknowns and Heaneys health history, the Halos need one more arm.
Here’s the deal: Arte will NEVER pay out for pitching. This is not on Eppler. I’ think in Arte’s view he’d be paying hundreds of
Millions of dollars for 15 starts a year versus 80 games at a position like 3B – and he wants butts in seats, beer sales, merch sales, etc. It’s all about ROI. And in addition to the lesser number of games you add a higher risk of of injury and greater insecurity over long term success. Business first.
By # of games I mean home games.
Arte has paid for pitching. Colon and Wilson. He went big after Corbin and Cole and fell short.
And before you say Wilson. For the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Wilson was 9th in WAR for pitchers. Weaver was 6th and Haren, another Angel was 8th.
And Moreno spent big bucks on all three.
I think people’s frustration has affected their ability to research.
Who is CJ Wilson for $40!!
Who is CJ Wilson for $40.
The ace pitcher on back to back World Series teams and was the #1 free agent pitcher on the 2011-2012 market.
And a counter-example to the claim that Arturo won’t pay for pitching is the point.
Angels should trade for Jeff Samardzjia. He has one year left on his contract and had a healthy bounce back last year (32 starts/181 innings/1.11 WHIP/3.52 ERA).
Don’t know who the Angels might have that SF would want. (besides Adell, who clearly isn’t being traded, and probably Brandon Marsh). Jose Soriano?