After another season of underwhelming results on the mound, the Angels poured a significant portion of their resources into the pitching staff. This year’s arms have more upside than most of the Anaheim staffs of years past, but there’s still some uncertainty at the back end and a couple notable question marks on the position player side.
Major League Signings
- RHP Raisel Iglesias: four years, $58MM
- RHP Noah Syndergaard: one year, $21MM
- LHP Aaron Loup: two years, $17MM (deal also contains 2024 club option)
- RHP Ryan Tepera: two years, $14MM
- RHP Michael Lorenzen: one year, $6.75MM
- RHP Archie Bradley: one year, $3.75MM
- C Kurt Suzuki: one year, $1.75MM
- 2B Matt Duffy: one year, $1.5MM
2022 spending: $59.25MM
Total spending: $123.75MM
Trades and Claims
- Claimed SS Andrew Velazquez off waivers from Yankees
- Acquired SS Tyler Wade from Yankees for cash or a player to be named later
Extensions
- Signed C Max Stassi to a three-year, $17.5MM extension (deal also includes 2025 club option and potentially buys out three free agent seasons)
Notable Minor League Signees
- Kyle Barraclough, Monte Harrison, Brian Moran (later selected onto 40-man roster), Austin Romine, Magneuris Sierra, Wander Suero, Dillon Thomas, César Valdez, Aaron Whitefield
Notable Losses
- Dylan Bundy, Steve Cishek, Alex Cobb, Dexter Fowler, Phil Gosselin, Junior Guerra, Juan Lagares, Packy Naughton, AJ Ramos (retired), Scott Schebler, Sam Selman, Justin Upton
At the outset of the offseason, general manager Perry Minasian said the front office was hoping to “significantly improve” the starting rotation. Angels fans may have had hopes for a splash on a top-of-the-market arm like Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman or Robbie Ray, but it quickly became apparent the team remained averse to making a long-term commitment to a free agent starter.
Fortunately for the Angels, this offseason presented a few opportunities to add firepower to the starting staff while avoiding a lengthy investment. A trio of starters — Noah Syndergaard, Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodón — hit free agency with top-of-the-rotation production not far in the rearview mirror but serious enough health- and/or age-related red flags to keep them from cashing in at the top of the market. Los Angeles checked in on Verlander’s health early in the winter, but they struck quickly to lure Syndergaard away from the Mets as their big rotation add.
Syndergaard had only pitched two innings in the past two seasons on account of a March 2020 Tommy John surgery. He posted an ERA of 3.24 or lower in three of his four full seasons in Queens, though, giving skipper Joe Maddon a possible top-of-the-rotation arm. In terms of 2022 spending, Syndergaard proved the biggest addition to the roster, and the Angels forfeited a draft choice to roll the dice on a bounceback. If he returns to his pre-surgery form, he’ll be well worth the investment, and the front office/ownership can reevaluate next winter whether to make an exception to their aversion to long-term deals.
Alongside Syndergaard, Los Angeles took a lower-risk flier on another volatile arm: Michael Lorenzen. The right-hander has worked almost exclusively in relief since his 2015 rookie season with the Reds, but he hit the open market in search of a rotation opportunity. The Angels obliged, reasoning that Lorenzen’s combination of athleticism and five-pitch mix could allow him to be effective in a heavier role. The Anaheim native is coming off a rough season, in which he pitched through some shoulder trouble, but he’s been an effective reliever in years past.
Those two new hurlers step into a six-man starting staff also comprising two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, José Suarez, Patrick Sandoval and Reid Detmers. The Angels reportedly inquired on the availability of Reds All-Star Luis Castillo before the lockout, but there’s no indication talks got far and Cincinnati ultimately held Castillo into the season. One could argue the Angels should’ve added another arm to the group, particularly with top depth option Griffin Canning facing another extended injury absence. All six of the Angels’ starters have question marks (most related to durability/workload concerns), but it’s also a talented staff with more ceiling than the groups the team has rolled out in recent seasons.
In addition to their rotation pickups, they kicked off a series of notable bullpen moves in the days leading up to the lockout. Closer Raisel Iglesias was the top reliever on this year’s free agent market. He rejected the team’s qualifying offer, but they struck to bring him back on a four-year deal. Iglesias has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in four of five seasons since moving to the bullpen full-time. The Angels bought low to acquire him in a trade with Cincinnati the prior offseason, but they issued the fourth-largest contract ever given to a reliever to keep him from departing on the open market.
Retaining Iglesias was a critical move to keeping the late-inning group intact, but Minasian and his staff set out for more. Even with an excellent year from Iglesias, the Angels bullpen posted a 4.59 ERA last season. That’s not good enough for any hopeful contender, and the rotation’s durability concerns make the middle innings group all the more important.
Even before re-upping Iglesias, Minasian and company brought in southpaw Aaron Loup on a two-year deal. The veteran is coming off an incredible season for the Mets and wound up receiving the loftiest guarantee of any free agent lefty bullpen arm this winter. Following the lockout, righties Archie Bradley and Ryan Tepera followed Loup to Orange County, lessening the need to rely on pitchers like Mike Mayers and Austin Warren in high-leverage spots.
Those additions should solidify the middle to late innings, but the emphasis on the pitching staff came at a cost. The Halos devoted virtually all of their financial resources in upgrading on the mound, seemingly leaving little left over for a position player group that’s not without weaknesses of its own.
The only external pickups on the position player side were infielders Matt Duffy, Tyler Wade and Andrew Velazquez — each of whom came at little cost. The Halos re-upped backup catcher Kurt Suzuki on a small one-year deal as well. That course of action was a vote of confidence in the position player core, or at least a declaration that Angels brass viewed the pitching staff as a much greater concern.
Obviously, the Angels can go toe-to-toe with any team in baseball in terms of star talent. Ohtani is fresh off an MVP-winning campaign the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. Mike Trout missed much of last season with a calf injury that didn’t heal as quickly as anyone hoped or expected, but he’s back in the lineup and might still be the best player in MLB. Anthony Rendon is coming off an injury-plagued season of his own, but he’s only a year removed from being among the game’s top handful of third basemen.
Beyond that trio, Jared Walsh broke out as an All-Star first baseman and middle-of-the-order presence. Max Stassi has more quietly emerged as a productive catcher on both sides of the ball. He’s endeared himself to the front office in the process, as they signed him to a three-year extension this spring to keep him from hitting the open market next winter. That’s five lineup spots accounted for with above-average or better players, but the depth behind that group is shakier.
The middle infield, in particular, looks like one of the weaker spots for any hopeful contender. David Fletcher signed a long-term extension last winter, but he’s coming off a miserable offensive season. Fletcher’s a good defender who has been serviceable at the plate on the strength of his bat-to-ball skills in the past. He was always going to get a shot to rebound, but the Angels curiously did very little to add any insurance.
Duffy is coming off a decent season with the Cubs and could outhit Fletcher at the keystone. Even in that event, the Angels might need Fletcher playing regularly at shortstop. Last offseason’s flier on José Iglesias didn’t work, and the club took even less initiative at the position this time around. Wade and Velazquez were both acquired after being designated for assignment by the Yankees, a team that itself spent much of the winter chasing shortstop help. Despite a star-studded free agent class, the Angels seemingly sat that market out and were content with those depth pickups supplementing in-house options Jack Mayfield and Luis Rengifo.
It seems that’s largely a payroll concern. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported last month that Los Angeles had looked into the possibility of adding a right-handed bat but ultimately proved reluctant to keep spending after signing Bradley and Tepera. The Halos entered the season with a franchise-record payroll in the $182MM range. They might simply be nearing owner Arte Moreno’s financial limits, and rebooting the pitching staff took priority over the bottom of the order.
That’s also a concern in the outfield, where the group around Trout is unsettled. Brandon Marsh is opening the year as the everyday left fielder. That’s a perfectly defensible course of action given his recent top prospect status, but he’s not a lock to hold his own at the dish. Marsh should be an asset defensively, but he struck out in an untenable 35% of his plate appearances as a rookie.
Right field, meanwhile, is even more of a question mark. Jo Adell is another still-young former top prospect who has thus far yet to show he can hit big league pitching. It’s certainly not out of the question he finds another gear, but that’s not an inevitability. In fact, it’s not even clear Adell will play regularly once Taylor Ward returns from the injured list. Maddon told reporters last week he viewed Ward as the primary right fielder (link via Sam Blum of the Athletic). Ward is coming off a capable season but has a below-average career track record of his own.
The Angels will need steps forward from a young player or two, lest the lineup again become a bit too top-heavy. While there may not be everyday run available for Adell out of the gate, he figures to eventually get a chance to play his way back into the mix if he makes strides from a bat-to-ball perspective. The Angels released veteran corner outfielder Justin Upton at the end of the spring, placing even more pressure on the likes of Marsh, Adell and Ward to perform capably.
After missing the playoffs in seven straight years, the Angels are gearing up for another shot at hopeful contention. There’s no alternative with a core as talented as theirs, and they open the year with a higher-ceiling rotation than the ones which have so frequently let them down. Yet it still remains in question whether there’s enough depth to withstand some inevitable pitching injuries and bottom-of-the-lineup struggles to post their first winning season since 2015.
Looking very good so far.
Let’s see how the injuries, depth and bullpen holds up as the season progresses – same as with any other team.
Right now have them on the heels of the Astros for the AL West. Perry Minasian has done a great job laying down a foundation. He’s only beginning to catching fire.
Is it just me, or does rendon look like he’d rather have a root canal than hit a home run?
I don’t think the word “passion” fits any description of Rendon.
Poorly informed guesses at a player’s passion, desire, and dedication are so tired.
I remember a similar description for garrett anderson
Well they are critiques based on their perspective, and to be fair, they aren’t completely wrong. Then again, injury can often make it harder to find passion
He always looks that way.
Rendon not hitting at the moment, but season is young. He looked fine in spring.
The whole top of the order isn’t hitting. Should shake up the top of the order. Marsh is getting walks and is hot right now, so move him to leadoff. Let Ohtani get some looks from the on deck circle. You can keep Trout hitting 2nd or move him to third in the lineup if you want Ohtani 2nd.
Good overview of the off season…I think like always, pitching will make or break our season. I like what they’ve done and I hope health and some luck are on our side. And adding the extra wild card spots leaves no excuses for us…the time is now to turn this thing around and give Ohtani and Trout a shot at some post season experience
Not the rosiest of out looks but a good analysis. If we lose Fletch to any length of time, our remaining infield options can’t hit MLB pitching so our failure to sign a decent shortstop will be glaring. I agree with letting Upton go but Adell is still proving he is not the golden boy he was marketed as to replace him. I think if we wait to the ASB to see where we’re at, it will be too late. We need to find a solution at SS and RF now. I would offer up Adell and Rengifo and see if we could get at least a SS in return.
PS – I like the pitching staff Minasian has put together but it might need a few tweaks as we go. I’m not sold on Detmers. We’ll see how Sandoval does today.
Fletcher is a utility infielder that plays good defense at second base. If his loss is felt, it’s because the Angels only have utility infielders
When I saw Lorenzen pitch this Spring, especially that change, I did a 180 degree on his chances. Nice pick up.
I wish Maddon would stop playing with the outfield. Put Marsh and Adell in the same spot and let them play. Rojas can’t do anything other than hit a fastball in the middle of the plate. What other manager would platoon his #1 and #2 prospects.
Maddon’s weakness is that he had a lot of success in TB rotating guys, but stuck with the philosophy even when no longer needed or advised. I have my doubts about their development, but their everyday OF should be Adell, Trout & Marsh.
Maddon, right or wrong, is rotating players to keep them fresh for the long haul. He believes they will make the playoffs and is coaching the team with that mindset. The challenge is will the rotating of players hurt them enough so they don’t actually make the playoffs. It’s a difficult balance.
I agree on SS. We need one.
Let the OF play their spots and stop plugging and playing with the corners. If Adell is going to succeed, he needs to be able to play RF consistently so he can learn it…or LF. I don’t care. Pick one and keep him there. Then it’s on him to succeed or fail at it. His bat is a whole other story.
@Halo11Fan WHAT???? Now you like Lorenzen after fighting me so hard this off season? Most everything I said about him was on display last night; good velocity with a 5 pitch repertoire, high ground ball rate,soft contact, low batting average. The only thing that didn’t happen is that I said he will keep the ball in the yard, which he allowed a HR. His only issue in his career is walks, but yesterday, he didn’t walk anyone.
I said I like Lorenzen after his first Spring Training start. So, I said it weeks ago.
Y’all seem to have forgotten that spring training was shortened by 15-20 days. Every team is resting starters once or twice these first 5-10 games. It’s not just the Angels or Maddon.
Add the fact that Trout hasn’t been 100%, Fletcher hasn’t been 100% and the lineup is sure to see more variation. Roles that may have been settled by the ST freeway series in a normal spring will take another 5-10 games to shake out.
@5tool There are two things that I don’t understand. Why wait until the end of spring training to put Adell in LF. The other is why has Rojas logged more innings than Adell or Marsh in the OF. I don’t think it has cost a game yet, but seems odd. I attribute the losses to lack of hitting and bad bullpen, not the moves i pointed out.
Only Perry or Maddon could answer that one…Maybe they were “showcasing” Upton in LF hoping for a trade partner, but once ST ended they simply decided they needed to move in and then insert Adell in LF last minute.
As for Rojas, he was red hot in ST and RF is his only position?
If it’s me I would have Marsh in LF/CF, Trout in CF/LF, and Adell in RF.
Angels looking to save some money so they can sign Shohei to a monster contract extension.
I love this pen. I’m so glad this team is not counting on Mayers. They are not even counting on Bradley… they don’t have to.
I 100% agree. Mayers must have naked pictures of some exec because I don’t know how they keep him on this roster. Sure he shows talent, then the next game looks like a AA pitcher.
Syndergaard, could be a in season extension candidate, if he is pitching to what he is capable of. The Angels, finally have a good back end of the bullpen. I haven’t been able to say that, since Shields and K-Rod days. Adele needs to understand, he doesn’t have to pull the outside pitch, to hit for power. The Angels didn’t make the big splashy signing that people were expecting. But the vastly improved the pitching staff, without getting crazy and desperate.
Thor has lost a lot of velocity. He’s not the pitcher he was with the Mets. That doesn’t mean he can’t be successful, but he doesn’t have much of a track record at this velocity.
Reduced velocity is a byproduct of this stage of returning from UCL surgery. There is a combination of the pitcher trusting that his arm is healed and can take full force (and not subconsciously backing off in pitches), with the repaired ligament still loosening up and working towards providing full mobility.
It is to be expected, and in many cases, the pitcher is throwing harder 3 months later, as all factors work themselves out. Besides, if he can locate the secondary pitches, velocity on its own is much less important. He has become an intelligent pitcher, and that will serve him well.
Did he lose it for good? Do you know what you are talking about?
I don’t know of he lost it for good or not.
I think Thor is realizing it’s better to ‘pitch’ than just ‘throw’. His stuff was impressive on Sat and he didn’t throw an overpowering 99mph fastball to get there.
Halo11Fan I grew up in NY and have been a boyhood Mets fan and live a mile away from the big A for the past 12 years and I am a huge and active fan of the Angels as it does not conflict; good news for all if it did.
“Thor has lost a lot of velocity. He’s not the pitcher he was with the Mets.”
I have to strongly disagree with this statement; he looks as good this spring and first start as he ever did with the Mets including command of his secondary pitches.
He has realized the extra few miles an hour did not gain him as much as command of his secondary pitches and going deeper into games.
BTW and FYI to digress Eppler is a terrible GM and you can’t blame Artie for the bad job Eppler is doing with the Mets.
He’s not the same pitcher. It doesn’t mean he can’t still pitch well. It’s only a few outings, but he’s not relying on his fastball or slider as much.
I think it pretty obvious that he hasn’t been the same pitcher. It doesn’t mean he can’t be effective and it doesn’t mean he won’t get his fastball and hard slider back.
it’s been exactly 1 regular season game, and a shorter spring training. I’m sure his strength & velocity will improve after 3-4 more starts.
5toolMVP Spot on dude! Its not like he is throwing in the low 90’s.
He would be foolish to crank it up this early with a short spring and coming off a long layoff from surgery
After watching some of his routes Adele may be better in the outfield that Adell
He did make a terrible throw that was meaningless and he did rob a three run home run.
Let him play one position.
maybe Adell can sing better, who knows!!
Adele needs to understand, he doesn’t have to pull the outside pitch, to hit for power.
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Did you see his HR last night? That is exactly what he needs to do; go the other way. That had to be an easy 20+ feet past the fence. Once you can do that, the pitcher no longer has that option. Same with Dalbec and JBJ, though JBJ has less power.
Very odd that I trust the pitching staff more then the offense this year.
Definitely needed a middle infield bat. Or perhaps a trade of Adell for an arm then a Joc signing for right.
But this is what we have and we’ll ebb and flow as the young guys have their ups and downs.
Should be fun to watch.
Trade Adell again. You people kill me.
Halo11 – What are you seeing in Adell that you like so much?
I see an immensely talented, smart, hard working, coachable player that just turned 23. He missed most of two development seasons, one because of Covid and one because of a severe leg injury. He’s made quick adjustments at every level and has thrived. People like that are usually successful.
I like Marsh as well. His launch angle combine with his K rate is a bit troubling, but if he increases the launch angle or decreases his k rate, he can be a perennial all-star. I would not touch this outfield and I’d let them play. This is the most talented Angel outfield ever, and there isn’t a close second.
I wouldn’t give up on Adell, he’s still young, but even his minor league stats don’t impress me much.
I’m not really sure what not impressive about his minor league numbers.
He’s one of the youngest in every league he’s promoted, adjusts, then tears it up. He’s done that everywhere he’s gone.
“I see an immensely talented, smart, hard working, coachable player that just turned 23.”
He’s young and can develop but I haven’t seen what you see yet. I wouldn’t know about smart, hardworking or coachable because we’re not exposed to anything beyond what we see on the field. But I think the talent, at least to the level at which he was marketed, hasn’t manifested yet.
I agree to let him play one position and learn it. I’ve suggested a trade because we have other more immediate needs that he could bring back in return, right now SS. I’m fine with keeping him too unless doing so hurts the team, much like I felt about Upton and Pujols.
Those are the comments everyone makes. And his quick adjustments to every minor league level support the claim.
@Cosmo I don’t know what to tell you, but if a 22yo hitting 17 doubles, and 23HRs, .934 OPS in 73 games in AAA isn;t impressive than there probably is not anyone that is going to impress you at the minor league level. He is only going to get better.
Anderson-Edmonds-Salmon
That’s maybe 125 bWAR. Adell and Marsh will need to really excel to catch them.
if a 22yo hitting 17 doubles, and 23HRs, .934 OPS in 73 games in AAA isn;t impressive than there probably is not anyone that is going to impress you
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You need to look at the peripheral stats. He had a 99/22 K/W in the AAAW. He was young-ish for that level, but at age 22, it wasn’t like he was a kid.
Without attaching any emotion to it, what do you think a 99/22 AAA K/W projects to as a pro? Right now, he is at 95/15 as a pro. That cannot be survived.
Erstad, GA, Salmon?
I’ll take that right now
His stats don’t translate that great into MLB expectations.
His minor league stats make me think he’ll hit 20 or so homers, but the OBP will probably not climb too far above .300
@Halo11Fan Amen. Nobody should read too much into the first 4 games, any more than they should in the win vs Miami on Monday night. Ups and downs will happen. There will be errors and head-scratching mistakes, and heroics in equal measure.
We’ll put. Once Upton was let go, that’s the sign that the OF is set and Ward (right now Rojas until Ward gets back) will give days off.
The challenge on the team is not the OF, it’s finding the right mix in the IF and making sure Rendon stays healthy and Walsh can hit lefties.
The focus areas on this team for monitoring / improvements are IF and the starting staff.
@Cosmo It really doesn’t matter what you think. There is no magical minors to majors stat translator. A player will go through a ton of adjustments and tweeks in a career. Some adjustments will make a world of difference. Some players learn plate discipline with time. The experts also said Trout was only going to max out at 20-25 HRs when he first came up. Those were actual experts
Albie Pearson,Leon Wagner and Ken Hunt for me
We got rid of Edmonds way too early. For Adam Kennedy? And Anderson’s talent was staying healthy.
If Marsh or Adell finish their career with a 102 OPS+ I will consider them a tremendous failure..
You need to look them up. Wagner could hit home runs. Couldn’t catch a ball. Pearson? Fun player, but hardly talented. I doubt Hunt had a WAR of ten, let me look him up. I was way off. Hunt had a negative lifetime WAR.
He was more than 4 1/2 years younger than his competition at AAA and came to Anaheim and cut his K rate to 23 percent.
I don’t think you guys have a clue.
Hey Joe, Anderson had a lifetime OPS+ of 102. The Angels thought so much of Edmonds they traded him for Adam Kennedy. Salmon was great.
If Adell or Marsh end up with a 102 OPS+ I’ll consider them a huge failure and Trout is a hall of famer..
I’ll bet the Angels outfield WAR of these three will exceed even the best WAR of those three.
Just an observation, but there are many triple A players that tore up minor-league pitching. Note: minor-league pitching is NOT and never will be major league pitching. Hundreds of top triple A players fizzle and burn at the major-league level and are known as AAAA players. Every team has them and instead of letting players mature and develop, fans want the teams to promote them to fail – not succeed. Adell is that type of player. He is a AAAA player at the present time and only time will determine if he succeeds or fails, since there is no longer any leeway for choices. He does or he doesn’t. and he could be a AAAA player his whole career. He would join hundreds of players that were talented but never good enough for the majors.
I bet he’ll be better than Brandon Wood or Dallas McPherson.
@Wisdom We all know there are prospects that will never make it. Baseball is game of failures. The best players will only get on base 40% of the time. There is no guaranteed MLB success based on minor league success. The scouting grades of #15 to #100 is the same overall grade. Some will make it, some will not. As a organization,
it is best to draft power and starting pitching These two areas are very expensive to address via free agency. There was a lot of desire to trade Adell for Luis Castillo. You want to trade 6 years of control for 2 years. Castillo is coming off his worst year. Do I give up one of the best raw power talents in the minor league? I wouldn’t. I can’t promise Adell will be good but I don’t think there is any guarantee Castillo will be good either. If you trade away Adell, you will have a huge power void to fill for the Angels, because there is nothing in the pipeline.
I like Aybar a lot better than Brandon Wood, and all you need to know about McPherson is Scioscia played Amezega over him in the playoffs and Amezega sacrificed for the second out of the inning in the same playoffs.
The Angels thought so much of Edmonds they traded him for Adam Kennedy.
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Edmonds has a good chance at the HOF on the next committee vote. I don’t rightly care what the Angels thought of him. an 8x GG in CF with a 132 OPS+ is a highly deserving candidate.
@Joe He cut his SO% from 41.7% SO rate to 22.9% the next year. He also improved his defense. It should be clear that Adell is a player making the necessary adjustments and working on the things he needs to work on to get better. When you have his raw power and elite speed combined with that type of work ethic, I take my chances on a guy like Adell. All day, everyday. .
We will need to see if he continues to improve this year. He is off to a awful start, but he and Marsh carried the offense yesterday. They combined for 4 for 7,. 1BB, 2 doubles, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs. We will see where he is in a couple months. .
Albie Pearson ROY in 58 lifetime 270 avg with 369 obp 477 walks only 195 ks in his career. Over 13 war. Daddy Wags help lead halos an expansion team to be in first place July 1, 1962 in halos second year. Ken Hunt had 25 HR and 84 RBI in 61 got hurt in 1962 to put a halt which would have been a great career.
MrAngelFan3 hours ago
We will need to see if he continues to improve this year.
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If it helps, I drafted Adell in three of my fantasy leagues, usually on the low end, maybe #253.. I see the potential, on one hand, but I am unlikely to start him except in cases where there are a limited number of games being played.
Of course, PHing for Adell for a L/R matchup makes him seem like a platoon player, and hardly encouraging.
Edmonds was traded because the team also had GA, Erstad and Salmon, because of the thought Edmonds was going to bang himself up too much and be on the DL, and because he was apparently a dick to his teammates and was bad for clubhouse chemistry. The 4th OF could be an Ochoa-type journeyman, after all.
And it is hard to imagine the 2002 Angels succeeding without AK hitting his HR when they counted most.
I like Adell for all the reasons you listed plus some personal face time.
Fact of the matter is to get quality you must part with quality.
With budget constraints, trading Adell for a cost controlled arm would have opened up room to acquire an impact bat.
I like the starting rotation more than you do. The young outfielders might become impact bats and they both will be cheap enough to extend Ohtani.
Who is trading young controllable starting pitching?
Heading into the off season, Miami and Cleveland stood out as two pitching rich teams that desperately needed position players. San Diego had pitchers and needed outfielders.
I’m happier rooting for Adell than a free agent, but this lineup could use another bat.
Who is this Joc we are signing? You mean Conforto?
Early in the off season I wrote a piece trading Adell to Miami, adding a starter and bullpen piece, then signing Joc Pederson for RF, figuring he’d platoon with Walsh.
Against righties that would mean Ohtani, Pederson, Walsh, and Marsh from the left side with Trout, Rendon, Stassi, and Fletcher from the right.
This was before the Thor signing. So at that time there was money for an infielder and another starter (I went Stroman).
Everyone forget about Taylor Ward. I’m curious who gets sent down when he comes back. Fletcher signed contract and numbers went down wonder what halos do with him. Middle INF big ? for Angels.
Rojas gets sent down.
I was a little concerned with Thor’s lack of strikeouts. It may sounds silly to say that being he had such a good game, but he didn’t look like his normal power pitcher self. He induced a lot of grounders which is great, but usually he’s not a contact type of pitcher. I’ll be curious to see how it goes. Anyway, I really love what the Angels did with their bullpen this offseason. I hope they can make the playoffs. Ohtani and Trout make everything more fun.
There were enough swing and misses, just not for strike three. It was weird.
@VonPurpleHayes You forget who he was playing, the Astros. That team doesn’t strike out. Also, he has not pitched a lot of inning recently. Combined with the fact there was short spring, the pitchers are not hitting top velocity at the moment. Syndergaard and Tepera are a couple mph below normal. It will get back to normal as the season progresses.
@MrAngelFan A valid point for sure.
Wasn’t the pre TJS complaint about Thor that he tried to SO everyone? I might be thinking of someone else, but I thought people felt like he overthrew his FB in an effort to SO everyone, and in the process, ran up his pitch count. If I’m thinking of the right guy, maybe Thor is pitching smarter now and attempting to be more efficient. He has always had a nice GB% with his pitch mix.
Angels & NL West you are spot on!
As a long time Mets fan who lives a mile away from the big A and a huge Angels fan; Thor is fine; it was a catcher the Mets had for awhile in Ramos who called heat on every pitch; Thor didn’t like it and all the Mets troubles with DeGrom and the rest can be tied back to Ramos and how he called a game; Ramos was then backed by the GM at that time and told Mets pitchers you can’t have your personal catcher; you get Ramos and that’s it.
Thor is and will be fine; just enjoy!
While it’s a good synopsis, it’s an unreasonably pessimistic outlook on their outfield situation. Brandon Marsh’s barrel rate, exit velocity, build and tools suggest he’s a star in the making and has held his own this far.
Everyone is up on Josh Lowe’s jock in Tampa Bay yet he’s not the player Marsh is.
And Adell showed in AAA last year as well as his September stats that he’s developing into an everyday player. Given his tools and intangibles, he’s on his way towards becoming a very solid corner outfielder.
And then there’s the off the field bromance between Adell and Marsh. Played against each other in high school, roommates upon being drafted, dealing with the loss in both of their lives together, and each other’s biggest fans. Watch the highlight last night. You can’t take the energy they have infused into this ball club.
Might want to look at Ward’s AAA numbers and tools as well. Reminiscent of Steven Souza years ago.
The Angels look good.
Can we just start Marsh and stop leading off Ohtani??
I was thinking that too. Lineup that starts Marsh, Trout, Ohtani, Rendon, Walsh, Adell, Stassi, then 2B and SS.
I think Ohtani should be second and backed up by Trout, really, but the rest of that lineup looks good.
I suspect Lavey was trying to separate Marsh, Ohtani and Walsh to minimize the potential of a lefty specialist coming in to pitch to two of them in a row. Trout in between Marsh and Ohtani makes that less appealing to an opposing manager.
Next season sign Roki sasaki last start perfect game 19 k fastball avg 101-102
I think Ohtani wants to be the only Japanese presence on this team. It’s one of the reasons he didn’t choose Seattle.
Thats a weird rationale. I still think it has more to do with a comic book he read as a child as to why he signed with the Angels (I’ve probably said this four or five times in these message boards)
It is a bit of a weird rationale, but I did read something similar when he first signed with the Angels. The article said that one of the reasons Ohtani wanted to be an Angel was because the Angels never had a Japanese superstar and he wanted to be the first,, whereas the other teams in the running, i.e. Mariners, Dodgers, Yankees, did.
I think it’s a weird rational but I didn’t make it up.
Ok, thats a little different than simply wanting to be the only japanese superstar on the team..
It may have to do with marketing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes more money away from the diamond than any player in baseball..
Forbes estimates it’s 20 million dollars.
Last night’s game was a masterpiece – Lorenzen, Loup, Tepera and Iglesies. Angels fans would love to see that 90+ more times. Add in bombs by Adell and Marsh and last night was everything we hoped the Angels could be this year.
The Angels are far from perfect and there will be bumps in the road, but this team can compete for a WC if everyone stays healthy. Aren’t the Angels, and their fans, due for a relatively healthy season for a change?
If the Angels are healthy and in contention after 60ish games, Perry will need to get Arte’s blessing to add a missing piece or two. At this point, I feel like Perry is the first GM to have Arte’s ear. The trade deadline may test that theory in a few months.
@Angels @ NL West I am buying what you’re selling mate. Even after the bad start, I still think this is the most complete team we have had in a long time. The bullpen, rotation and lineup should all be above average. Right now, we are only firing on one cylinder, the rotation. I know the bats will come around. The bullpen should follow suit. The top five of Mayers, Bradley, Loup, Tepera, and Iglesias combined for 314 innings and a 2.81 ERA. Bullpen is second to last in ERA at the moment at 6.97 ERA. . They can’t be that bad.
Trade Trout and Ohtani for to the dodgers for prospects.
#MakeAngelsGreatAgain
Time to bench Ohtani.
After 4 games ..lol
We need a real lead off hitter. Lineup looks stupid with 3 sluggers swinging for the fences.
Ohtani is getting Shellacked by the Rangers tonight (Thursday).
We are starting 2022 as we have played for the last 7 years – hovering around .500.