Despite the continued excellence of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, the Angels had another disappointing season in 2022. With Ohtani one year from free agency and the team for sale, will 2023 be the last hurrah before a huge turning point for the organization?
Guaranteed Contracts
- Mike Trout, OF: $283MM through 2030
- Anthony Rendon, 3B: $152MM through 2026
- Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH: $30MM through 2023
- David Fletcher, IF: $20MM through 2025 (including $1.5MM buyout of 2026 club option)
- Max Stassi, C: $14.5MM through 2024 (including $500K buyout of 2025 club option)
- Aaron Loup, LHP: $9.5MM through 2023 (including $2MM buyout of 2024 club option)
- Ryan Tepera, RHP: $7MM through 2023
Total 2023 commitments: $130.95MM
Total future commitments: $516MM
Option Decisions
- None
Arbitration-Eligible Players (projected 2023 salaries via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Griffin Canning (3.075): $1.1MM
- Luis Rengifo (3.043): $2.4MM
- Jaime Barria (3.035): $1.2MM
- Chad Wallach (3.030): $800K
- Jared Walsh (3.010): $2.7MM
- Taylor Ward (2.164): $2.9MM
- Patrick Sandoval (2.149): $2.8MM
- Non-tender candidates: Wallach, Barria
Free Agents
- Michael Lorenzen, Archie Bradley, Kurt Suzuki (retiring), Matt Duffy
There was a period in 2022 when things were looking up for the Angels. The season actually began fairly well, with the club sporting a record of 27-17 through May 24. That was good enough for them to sit just a single game behind the Astros in the AL West, nine games ahead of the Mariners and firmly in the top AL Wild Card spot. Unfortunately, it’s essentially been a steep downward slide since that date. On May 25, the Angels started a losing streak that would eventually stretch to 14 games, with manager Joe Maddon getting fired during that period. Third base coach Phil Nevin took over on an interim basis. The managerial shakeup couldn’t change their trajectory, as they continued sliding and finished with a 73-89 record, missing the postseason for the eighth consecutive season and finishing below .500 seven straight. (Nevin has since been given a one-year deal to manage the team for 2023.)
On their way to that disappointing finish, it was reported in August that owner Arte Moreno was exploring selling the team, which has the potential to cast a pall over the near-term future of the franchise. Perhaps a new owner will emerge and inject some optimism into the club, like we’ve seen with Steve Cohen and the Mets. But it’s also possible that the uncertainty around the team’s future makes it difficult to make deals with players. Juan Soto seemed to be the most untouchable player on the Nationals, even though the club was trading away it’s veterans for prospects for most of 2021 and 2022. But the Nats are also exploring a sale and Soto was reportedly unwilling to consider an extension until the ownership question was settled, which quickly led to Soto being traded to the Padres, something that seemed unthinkable just a few weeks prior.
As this has been going on, many in the baseball world have begun salivating at the prospect of their favorite club acquiring two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, assuming he will follow a similar path to Soto. There are some reasons to think an Ohtani trade could actually come to fruition, given that he’s now only a year away from reaching the open market. Extension talks have apparently not gained much traction and the Angels even toyed with the idea of trading him at this year’s deadline, though Moreno reportedly refused to approve any deal.
Until there’s more clarity with regards to the ownership situation, the rest of the club’s offseason plans figure to be shrouded in mystery as well. Is Ohtani available in trades or not? Will Moreno be aggressive in what could be last chance to put together a winner, or avoid cluttering the books with more lengthy commitments in order to appeal to potential buyers? If a new owner emerges in the coming months, will they be an all-in Steve Cohen-type or decide to tear it all down immediately like when Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter took over the Marlins? General manager Perry Minasian figures to have lots on his to-do list, regardless of who he’s reporting to.
The Angels have often struggled to put together a solid starting rotation, at least in part due to an unwillingness to pay for starters. The last time they signed a free agent starting pitcher to a deal longer than one year was the two-year deal given to Joe Blanton in December of 2012. Despite that, and despite everything that went wrong in 2022, the rotation might have turned a corner. MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote back in September about the encouraging signs shown by Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval and Jose Suarez. Those three, alongside Ohtani, give the Angels a decent front four going into the offseason. The Angels have been using a six-man rotation to accommodate Ohtani in recent years, but have at least considered going with a five-man group next year. There are a few in-house options to take a fifth or a sixth rotation spot, such as Touki Toussaint, Tucker Davidson, Chase Silseth and Janson Junk, though no one in that group has done enough to guarantee a spot at this point. There’s also Griffin Canning, who has shown promise in the past but been limited so much by injuries that it’s hard to rely on him going forward.
It’s an impressive amount of depth compared to recent years, but there should still be room for at least one outside addition. However, if the Angels stick to their one-year limit on starting pitching, it will make things challenging. They’d likely be looking at options like Drew Smyly, Wade Miley or re-signing Michael Lorenzen. If they are willing to make a deeper dive, they could be in play for names like Chris Bassitt, Kodai Senga or Mike Clevinger, though it seems unlikely the Angels would jump to the top of the market and try for Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander or Carlos Rodon.
The club’s bullpen was middle of the pack in 2022, with their 3.97 ERA coming in 18th among the 30 MLB teams. Most of that group can be retained, with only Archie Bradley heading for free agency. Injuries limited him to 18 2/3 innings and kept him from being a key contributor in 2022. They also dealt closer Raisel Iglesias at the deadline, but they may have found an in-house replacement. Jimmy Herget, known as “The Human Glitch” because of his funky mechanics, threw 69 innings this year with a 2.48 ERA, 23.7% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate and 40.1% ground ball rate. He shimmied his way up the depth chart and eventually earned nine saves and seven holds, most of those coming after the Iglesias trade. Whether the Angels believe in Herget is their next closer or not, there’s plenty of room for improvement in the bullpen and they should be looking to make outside additions.
Behind the plate, the club faces an interesting question. Max Stassi had a pair of solid seasons in 2020 and 2021, but 2022 was a step backwards. He hit .180/.267/.303 for a wRC+ of 63 this year, a big drop from his .250/.333/.452 batting line over the previous two campaigns, which led to a wRC+ of 113. He still has a couple years left on his extension and will likely get some time to readjust, but the club might want to have a backup plan. It’s possible that they already have one in place, as they acquired Logan O’Hoppe from the Phillies at the deadline in the Brandon Marsh trade. He was mashing in Double-A and the club gave him an MLB audition down the stretch. It would be risky to go into the season relying on a catcher with five MLB games under his belt, though he did hit .283/.416/.544 in the minors this year for a wRC+ of 159. Perhaps the Angels will let him and Stassi battle for playing time and hope that at least one of them works out. If they want a bit of insurance, they could sign a respected veteran like Roberto Perez, Austin Hedges or Tucker Barnhart.
Similar to Stassi, Jared Walsh disappointed at first base on the heels of a couple of strong seasons. He hit 38 home runs over 2020 and 2021, slashing .280/.338/.531 for a wRC+ of 130. In 2022, his batting line was .215/.269/.374 for a wRC+ of just 78. It’s possible that health was the culprit here, as Walsh underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in September. He’ll likely get a chance to show that 2022 was just a fluke due to injury, but he’ll be a great unknown going into next season. If it emerges during the offseason that Walsh won’t be ready for Spring and they look for a stopgap, someone like Donovan Solano could make sense, as he could slide to another position once Walsh returns.
At third base, the Angels will be looking for a bounceback from Anthony Rendon. Given the years and dollars remaining on his contract, he’s not going anywhere. It doesn’t really make sense to give up on him, anyway. He’s had two straight injury-marred seasons, but was excellent for four straight campaigns prior to that. From 2017 to 2020, he hit .307/.399/.550 for a wRC+ of 146 and also provided above-average defense, leading to a tally of 21.1 fWAR over that period. He’s going into his age-33 campaign and perhaps shouldn’t be expected to be as good as his peak, though the Angels can do little but hope for him to stay healthy and get back into good form.
The middle infield is perhaps the area of the club in greatest need of an overhaul. In 2022, the Angels used a rotating hodgepodge of role players and utility types, which included Matt Duffy, Andrew Velazquez, Tyler Wade and many others. If one were to try to project their lineup for next year with only in-house options, it would probably result in David Fletcher at shortstop and Luis Rengifo at second base. Fletcher missed most of 2022 with injuries, only getting into 61 games and not hitting very well in that time. His .255/.288/.333 batting line resulted in a 75 wRC+. Outside of a tremendous showing in the shortened 2020 season, Fletcher’s time in the big leagues has resulted in four below-average offensive seasons. He does post strong defensive numbers wherever he plays, but he is perhaps better suited to a utility role than an everyday shortstop job.
As for Rengifo, he had a nice season at the plate, despite walking in only 3.3% of his plate appearances. He hit 17 home runs in 127 games, leading to a batting line of .264/.294/.429, 103 wRC+. The Angels probably would like to give Rengifo a chance to see if he can carry that production into his age-26 season, though he’s capable of playing many positions and doesn’t necessarily need to be guarantee a specific spot. As a switch-hitter, it would be theoretically possible for he and the right-handed-hitting Fletcher to form a platoon, though both have hit better against lefties in their careers, making it an imperfect fit.
From a baseball perspective, the Angels make sense as a landing spot for one of the big four shortstops this winter. Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson are free agents, with Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts widely expected to join them by opting out of their respective contracts. Any of those four would give some more pop to the Angel lineup and also help out a defense that was lacking in 2022. The Angels collectively posted a Defensive Runs Saved of eight, which placed them 17th in the majors. Outs Above Average gave them a 1 for 18th place while Ultimate Zone Rating had them in 20th place at -8.0.
From a business perspective, the fit might not be so smooth. As mentioned earlier, it’s unknown if the Angels want to make significant commitments to the long-term payroll. Each of those four shortstops are likely to command deals of seven years or longer. Even if the Angels were willing to add another contract like that to the books, would the player want to come to a team with so much uncertainty hovering over it?
In the short-term, the Angels should have some money to spend, assuming they’re willing to at least match recent payroll levels. Cot’s Baseball Contracts lists their Opening Day payroll for 2022 as $189MM, a slight bump over 2021. Their outlay for 2023 is currently at $133MM, in the estimation of Roster Resource. Arbitration-eligible players will add about $12MM or so that, bringing the total to the vicinity of $145MM. If they’re willing to spend at a similar level to the past couple of seasons, they will have around $40MM to play with. If they can’t convince one of the top shortstops to make a deal, they would make sense for other middle infielders like Elvis Andrus, Jose Iglesias or Jean Segura.
Turning to the outfield, two spots should be spoken for already, with Trout obviously entrenched in center. Taylor Ward got his first real stretch of MLB playing time, despite some minor injuries, and responded by hitting 23 home runs and slashing .281/.360/.473 for a wRC+ of 137. He should have the right field job.
The big question is left field, with Brandon Marsh having been traded to the Phillies at the deadline. Mickey Moniak came over from the Phils in a separate deal, the Noah Syndergaard one. Despite being a former first overall selection, he hasn’t been able to do much to establish himself at the big league level. In 167 plate appearances over three seasons, he’s hit just .157/.218/.268, wRC+ of 32. There’s also Jo Adell, who got 285 plate appearances this year but hit just .224/.264/.373 for a wRC+ of 77. He also struck out in an untenable 37.5% of those appearances. Neither should be relied upon as an Opening Day outfielder for the club, meaning they should look to outside acquisitions. A run at Aaron Judge seems unlikely given all the question marks around the team, though there are plenty other serviceable options. Mitch Haniger is risky given his health, but that also means he might have to settle for a one-year deal. Perhaps the Angels are the team to offer Michael Conforto the everyday spot for him to showcase his health. However it’s done, this is an area that should be addressed.
The Angels are going into the offseason in a position that is in some ways very familiar but also fraught with uncertainty. Each recent season has finished with disappointment, but still with enough talent on the roster to keep the hope flowing down the road. This year is similar in that regard. They were below .500 in 2022 but they still have Trout, Ohtani, Rendon, Ward, a rotation that looks to be in okay shape, and some other nice pieces. However, they also have obvious holes and will face significant challenges in trying to fill them. How willing is Moreno to spend on a team he’s trying to sell? If a new owner steps up, do they want to spend or save? Which players are willing to join a franchise with such a murky future? The answers to those questions will shape not just this offseason, but the future of the franchise.
In conjunction with this post, Darragh McDonald held an Angels-centric chat on 10-25-22. Click here to read the transcript!
How is Chad Wallach not a non tender candidate?
He makes the league min. Will it make a difference ?
Hes probably out of options, so yeah, they probably cut him
The article lists him and Barria as non-tender candidates..
My bad I didn’t see him listed.
Trade ohtani & trout a complete tear down. It’s time. They cannot win with those two alone.
Yeah but it’s a start.
How bout get proper management and go from there
I like your plan, especially the parts about health, depth and power arms in the BP. If I added one wrinkle, it would be to sign Segura to a one year contract to play 2B so Velasquez, Rengifo and Fletch can share SS and UT, as needed. I cant speak to Segura’s glove, but he could provide major league average ABs from a middle infield position.
My reply above is to Halo11’s plan below, not to Tom’s recommendation to trade Ohtani and Trout. Not sure how my comment ended up here.
Ohtani to the Mets
If I were Trout and Ohtani, I’d tell Arte to trade me or in Ohtanis case get nothing. Trout is probably wishing he never signed extension, may consider retirement vs playing in LA. So sad he’s been stuck in hell his whole career
Wow that is a lot of conjecture, wiley.
Yeah, Tom, that’s a common comment from non-Angels fans. But no one has ever explained how trading away the best two players in baseball makes a team better. Maybe you can.
BTW, people talk about trading Trout like the team has that option with his full no trade clause.
Perry Minasian is barely mentioned.
He’s done a great job getting rid of the bad player contracts and bringing in better coaches at the ML and MiLB level to work with players. He brought in an excellent young Catching prospect to work with a pitching staff that he added to – one that had 3 starting (LH) pitchers break through this year as well as a number of relief pitchers.
Unfortunately Ohtani very probably will leave after 2023 (if they don’t trade him before then); and who knows what will happen if a new ownership takes over for the 2024 season.
This has happened to the Angels before. Someone(s) come in to Baseball Ops and gets the team going in the right direction. Then someone at high levels comes in and forces a bunch of flashy moves that wind up setting the ML team back years.
If Mr. Minasian is canned, a smart ownership group of a non-producing franchise would do well to bring him in to run their Baseball Ops division and let him do what he needs to do.
Samuel – what bad contracts did he get rid of? Thor and Iglesias? Didn’t he sign them to the bad contracts to begin with?
riffraff;
Do you follow the team?
The Internet is your friend. I’m not doing research for you.
Then do it for yourself,
He’s done a great job getting rid of the bad player contracts.
Um No. Getting rid of Upton’s and Pujols’s contract didn’t require any effort and he’s the one who signed Iglesias.
I’m not doing research for you.
=========================
If you knew the names of the expensive players he got rid of, you could’ve just mentioned xyz, instead of getting snippy.
In this case, I don’t see anything he’s done to get rid of any bad contracts. He got hired after the 2020 season. The only contracts the Angels had > $5M were Trout, Pujols, Rendon, and Upton. Everyone else were all free agents. He retained Trout & Rendon, and cut Pujols and Upton.
He didn’t do a “great job” getting rid of them. He didn’t trade them for lottery tickets, or get anyone to pick up even 10% of their salaries. I could’ve done that or maybe even better.
Am I missing anyone?
He can’t back it up,. It’s a silly claim. As far as hiring the right minor league coaches, who would know that?
However, a few weeks ago when I wrote the Angels should fire their hitting coach, he threw personal insults at me. And then Minasian fired the hitting coach.
Yes.
It’s like this Joe……
The people on these Angels boards complain about how the Angels never fixing their pitching over the years. They say it’s why teh team never goes anywhere. They’re correct.
That is an incredibly hard thing for any MLB organization to do. Extremely complicated. Have to change the way pitching is coached at all levels. Find pitching candidates. Assure experienced catchers are on the team. Get everyone in sync. Takes years to do.
Here comes a GM from a team that made it to the WS a couple of years and won one recently. They too were criticized for their pitching….and it took years to square it away. They did and are now recognized for having quality pitching. Minasian is on track, and results began to show in 2022.
No one want to talk about that. Everyone wants every thing to be perfect i 2-3 years. People on here rap Artie Moreno, then say Minasian is not doing the job, and the Angels need to sign some name FA’s right now to straighten out this mess or else Otani will leave. LOL That’s exactly what Moreno has done since he took over the franchise.
Fact is that Mr. Minasian did slowly clean house in bad contracts, The Angles are on the right track. I’m pointing that out. I don’t believe they’ll stay on the right track because I believe there will be interference from either Artie or the new ownership group. And I’m not getting into pissing contests with posters here about minor things that have been taken care of. Posters here want to nitpick and complain.
Signed,
Snippy
Let’s keep it a tad positive here?
Look we know Arte is beyond terrible and Perry has had many chances to show off his experience which is high question, even under the circumstances he had a winning club even with holes to start the season. Maddon is respected and regarded in the league regardless of some recent outcomes. I did question the staff and scouting. Their development in the minors improved a little, but.at majors not so much. Scouting and lineup cards were very questionable. This team needs a retail in front office and I’m not for trading Ohtani and Trout. Those guys are top performers and act like quality guys. Maybe add a Torii Hunter-like person/ clubhouse leader. Their defense and BP should’ve performed better and I don’t give all the blame to Perry, but dropping Marsh heir apparent to CF putting Addell out there leaves them more vulnerable in OF.
Samuel – I apologize.. I mistakenly assumed that when someone makes a statement like “He’s done a great job of getting rid of the bad player contracts” they knew which contracts they were talking about and could easily answer my simple question with said contracts. My bad. This is just my opinion but cutting players isn’t ” a great job of getting rid of contracts” Saves zero money and nets zero prospects. Trades are a great way of getting rid of bad contracts..and since 2020 only big contracts he got rid of via trade were Thor and Iglesias..( found that out from my friend the internet). Of course both were contracts he gave out so that kind of negates how “great” a job that is. Not a fan of your condescending reply but its the internet so along with the internet tough guys we also get the internet ” we are better than you and don’t need to answer to the likes of you” and the ” let me turn this around so I’m the victim” types. I wasn’t nitpicking – was looking for clarification which you couldn’t provide.
Thank you Mr. Snippy,
But with all due respect, you didn’t come close to addressing my post. Minasian did nothing to address the bad contracts except to release the players. I think that’s pretty straightforward. I could’ve released Pujols & Upton, and I would’ve cost only $1M/year.
Past that, while I think the Angel fans were unrealistic with Adell & Marsh, and their farm, I think they have been fairly spot on with the rotation. Their rotation HAD BEEN weak, but that was primarily a function of age (and the Angels compulsion for bringing prospects up too early). But this is now a very solid core. I think Halo11 has a good perspective on that part.
@Samuel You make some good points. Perry did not walk into an ideal situation. The Angels had a lot of holes at the major league level, a depleted farm system, and middle of the pack draft picks due to players like Ohtani and Trout which keep the team mediocre rather than the basement.
Between Upton, Pujols, Trout, and Rendon, the Angels had $120M of a $180Mish budget allocated to 4 players. After salaries to rest of the roster, it leaves little to fill the glaring holes that the Angels have had at the major league level.
The Angels have had one of the worse farm systems for a while now. This makes its hard to make trade to fill out a roster as well. The Angels had Adell and Marsh, but neither have lived up to the hype as of yet.
One of the best thing Minasian has done is implemented a pre-game meal at all levels of minor leagues It is a small thing, but it seems to have made quite an impression as the Angels minor league clubs have played much better than in years past.
Minasian has done things that his 2 predecessors have not. He has focused his attention of pitching. He used one draft on all pitchers. This off season, he signed 6 pitchers, Syndergaard, Lorenzen, Iglesias, Loup, Tepera, and Bradley. They didn’t exactly have stellar years, but you really can’t really say the in-house options would have been any better. In fact, I would argue they would have been worse. He traded away the only one which was a long term contract Iglesias, so no harm there. I do believe there are quite a few bullpen options in the Angels system which I believe will be contributors in the next year or two. It has been a long time since the Angels have had a good bullpen.
Until the Angels win, those without any understanding will consider him a failure..
Anyone that believes any GM could have fixed the Angels issues overnight is delusional. The Angels have too many holes. There are 3 ways to fix them, free agency, trade, and the draft. Minasian really hasn’t been given the best tools to make a quick turnaround.
Halo11Fan
I guess it is a good thing Minasian has you to consult with!
Minasian sure should have listened to me in 2021 when I said get an RP and don’t sign Quintana.
Last year I said why add Wade, and get a shortstop. Wished he would have listened to me then as well.
riffraff. Minasian could fart and some people would claim it was an insightful passing of gas.
Minasain has done very little to help the big-league team. He wasted the team’s best draft pick this century on an RP that doesn’t appear to be very good and blew his first year here by not doing a thing about the pen.
It’s too early to say Minasian is incompetent, but it’s also too early to have any confidence he’ll be a good GM.
Obviously I am not an Angels fan, but as a BB fan, it’s hard to give Minasian any type of positive grade. It’s too early to judge his drafts. He hasn’t made any major trades. His FA signings were mediocre. And I am pretty disappointed in Adell and Marsh’s development.
Like I said, it is too early. But so far, he hasn’t impressed me.
I would have a hard time faulting him for Adell not being able to hit MLB level pitching. Many people saw and called this. Coaches can only do so much.
@Samuel typical with his troll posts in a word salad.
Halo 11, I don’t see where he got rid of bad contracts, but I disagree with your anti- Minasian vigor. I think he has developed more depth going forward. Part of the problem in 22 was the whole infield got hurt and Duffy who I thought was a good backup he signed also went down. The Starting pitching and its depth have seen a remarkable improvement from when he took over. His 22 backend relievers really hurt. But I liked the talent and Loup and Tempera may bounce back. The rest of the bullpen were greatly improved. I think he signed or were partly developed under his watch. Hergot has keeps improving and fits well with his different arm angles and just different looks.
I think his best work might be his minor league development and drafting. I know you say, “He wasted the team’s best draft pick this century on an RP that doesn’t appear to be very good” Some think he might have to go to bullpen. This may have been the reason he was available, but Minasian thinks he could start. Was he not used as a starter. Are you saying that is why he was injured? I guess my biggest problem with this is that so far, he has barely pitched. To say he can’t start or doesn’t appear to be very good seems pretty rash. Even if he you are right about him the rest of the draft maters. I know that you don’t value lower draft Picts. I think you greatly underestimate them in the Covid era. There had been a drop in Picts and the players had much less playing time. There was a glut of talent but not much data points and limited scouting. But if you have good scouts this is a golden opportunity. I think this is somewhat verified by teams like the Dogers, Guardians and such were the teams that went after more pitchers and then signed more after the draft ended. And those NDFA s are capped on bonuses Some of those NDFAs could do better than you might think. Most are flyers but guys like Walsh (not the 1B) who returned to collage after surgery with good Velo and good strikeout totals and stuff but with a high ERA.
I think you are not that far away from what many who think he is doing a good job. I think you thought the 22 bullpen was solid. Sometimes you can come across a little too strong. like in the last sentence,
“It’s too early to say Minasian is INCOMPETENT, but it’s also too early to have ANY confidence he’ll be a good GM.” It is too early to say solidly one way or another and there is enough to have SOME confidence to have an opinion good or bad.
I think his best work might be his minor league development and drafting.
=============================
I was going to give him a negative grade on drafting, but decided it was too early. Super early and all, but Bachman had a 6.2/5.2 K/W in AA. Bush a little better at 8.8/2.5. Like I said, very early, but if I had to give a grade on the limited sample size, it would be B- or C+.
Hey fellas. I always go back to the GM being as good as the owner allows him to be. Moreno has been through several GMs and Managers with the same results. Moreno is the common denominator. I believe Minasian does what he can with the restraints Moreno puts on him, as he did on GMs of years past. Minasian is credited for building the Braves’ pitching staff that led them to a WS win. He has also acquired several pitchers through the last two drafts for us. I think if Moreno would get out of the way, Minasian could build a winning team now
Moreno strikes me as an egomaniac who micromanages his people instead of letting them do the job they are paid to do. He seems to make impulsive decisions (pulling the plug on the Pederson trade and the Ohtani trade possibility for examples) which is why I will believe the team is for sale once the team is actually sold.
I don’t know if it’s anti- Minasian or not.
I don’t want to repeat my post. I can judge what has happened, and it doesn’t inspire confidence.
As far as the minor leagues, we’ll see. Two years is not enough time for me to know anything about the minor leagues.
I agree. I think Minasian’s true test will come under a new owner if that ever comes to fruition.
Sorry, Minasian received Moniak and an A ball lottery ticket for Thor. O’Hoppe was a good return for Marsh. He accomplished nothing in regards of strengthening the bench by signing below replacement level guys like Velasquez and Wade, who along with Duffy were well below average players. He gave away Iglesias for nothing. Davidson is a non prospect with A ball stuff at 27 years old and Chavez, who he released after s forgettable three weeks. The salary dump was probably a directive from Arte, but regardless, he received the aforementioned garbage from the Braves. If he turned down other offers I would love to know from who. The bullpen pieces he acquired over the last two off-seasons were mostly just bad, with the rxception of Herget
Sorry, Minasian received Moniak and an A ball lottery ticket for Thor. O’Hoppe was a good return for Marsh. He accomplished nothing in regards of strengthening the bench by signing below replacement level guys like Velasquez and Wade, who along with Duffy were well below average players. He gave away Iglesias for nothing. Davidson is a non prospect with A ball stuff at 27 years old and Chavez, who he released after s forgettable three weeks. The salary dump was probably a directive from Arte, but regardless, he received the aforementioned garbage from the Braves. If he turned down other offers I would love to know from who. The bullpen pieces he acquired over the last two off-seasons were mostly just bad, with the exception of Herget. There are no power pitchers in the bullpen just a bunch of guys eho don’t strike anybody out.
Sorry, Minasian received Moniak and an A ball lottery ticket for Thor. O’Hoppe was a good return for Marsh. He accomplished nothing in regards of strengthening the bench by signing below replacement level guys like Velasquez and Wade, who along with Duffy were well below average players. He gave away Iglesias for nothing. Davidson is a non prospect with A ball stuff at 27 years old and Chavez, who he released after s forgettable three weeks. The salary dump was probably a directive from Arte, but regardless, he received the aforementioned garbage from the Braves. If he turned down other offers I would love to know from who. The bullpen pieces he acquired over the last two off-seasons were mostly just bad, with the exception of Herget. There are no power pitchers in the bullpen just a bunch of guys who don’t strike anybody out.
“Despite the continued excellence of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, ”
What continued excellence? Ohtani has been healthy two of five years and in those years Trout has averaged less than 80 games.
That wouldn’t have anything to do with the 30 WAR they’ve put up over the last 2 years, right?
If Trout is not playing, how can you say can you lump them in together?
If they are both playing then write Trout and Ohtani. If they only is playing, then write Trout or Ohtani.
Nonsensical response, Halo11Fan
In what is it nonsensical response? Trout and Ohtani are not on the field together at the same time. Trout’s combined WAR the last two years is around 8. Which makes him sub all-star level.
They contribute to the collective. THE COLLECTIVE!
If my math is correct an 8.0 WAR over 2 years is an average of 4.0. 4.0 – 5.0 is equates to an all-star player……so maybe you can tell us where you come up with 8.0 being sub all-star level.
Go to baseball reference. Five is all star. He hasn’t played in the all-star game either year. He’s not on the field. He’s great when he plays, but him averaging less than 80 games is a big deal. Especially with no depth.
Mike Trout deserves better than LA and their fan base. The greatest player of this generation and their fans make comments like “what continued excellence”?
drascoo36 –
LA does deserve Mike Trout. I believe the fan base by and large knows how special #27 is. Every fan base has a few idiots who think because they can look up stats they know more than anyone else out there.
There is a few on here that seem to think that Angels management reads these comments and follows their “advice”. I mean isn’t that why the Angels let go of their hitting coaches?
The number one ability is availability, It is what made Anderson a good player.
Mike Trout is the best player I’ve ever seen and the best player on the field. Noticing he hasn’t been on the field the last two years is not in any way a derogatory observation, just an honest one.
Honesty doesn’t se3m to be respected as much as it use to be.
What a mess. Who gives Max Stassi 7 M a year.
He must have the greatest agent in baseball.
Good luck
keysox;
Since Stassi got his 2021 contract in arbitration, and he has 2 years to go on his current contact before a cub option in 2025, I have no idea who gave him a 7 year contract.
Catchers are in demand in MLB – the the most important position on a team, and almost all Baseball Ops heads recognize that.
Mr. Stassi is getting $7m per year in 2023 and 2024. The team has an option on him for $7.5m in 2025. That’s hardly a massive contract for an established ML catcher.
It may well be that Logan O’Hoppe becomes the primary Angels catcher in 2023. At that point the Angels should have no problem moving Max. Some team will have an injury or something with their catchers during the season and will be looking for an experienced ML backstop.
Most of Angels fans hate for Perry Minasian comes from people that blame him for things he didn’t do and has to unravel….and of course he’s not perfect…..like every other Baseball Ops head in the history of MLB.
Stassi was a + framer and good a chemistry with the staff. His offense was above avg and he looked solid. This year he took a big step back offensively and some bad stretches defensively. I still think he’s a plus catcher but could be a lil pricey backup to OHoppe. But I say this time and time again, online GMs, what’s the alternative? Complain, but whats the right baseball and business move? More Suzuki? Halos were musical chairs with catching after Maldonado (hit inconsistently and not so much now) who yielded Sandoval. It was an overpay for Stassi in an attempt to bring consistency which is needed with catching. It’s the cost of doing business, but what should Stassi be making? $4-5M? So he overpaid a shade when their payroll is around $180M. c’mon, GMs don’t go 5/5.
it was minasian who gave him 3 year $21 mil contract and stassi has been the worst pitch colling catcher i have seen. it is a shame we have ro watch him.
What credentials do you have in pitch calling?
Why did Angels pitchers doing better this year with the awful pitch calling?
Samuel – I will overlook the poor grammar ( why did Angels pitchers do better not doing better) because its late. Aragon isn’t going to do your research for you – the internet is your friend look it up yourself. ( sorry I could not resist ). Also a statement like ” doing better this year” is very vague – better how? more IP from starters? ERA? FIP? I’ll gladly look it up myself but at least point us in the right direction with a hint or something
You must be joking? I think Stassi main problem in 22 was he had so many hard blows to the head. He would come back too soon. Those kind of injuries can mess you up. They take along time to fully recover especially when you have more than 1 over time. This was a tough year physically for Angels catchers as Suzuki had a few too. Stassi needs to stop diving head first into the camera weld. Even with all the gear running head first into a pole or having someone take big bat swing to the head . Hopefully he recovers enough by next year.
The Astros aren’t complaining about Martin Maldonado. Why? Because they have enough offensive depth to absorb it. Every team should be working to build enough depth to where it shouldn’t matter how productive a catcher is at the plate. If he is, then it’s a luxury.
I would emphasize depth to counter health. I’ve seen Angels teams that lost key players mid-season for months at a time and still made the playoffs. 2002 was a miracle because that team stayed freakishly healthy, and if they didn’t, they probably don’t win the wild card. 2004 and 2009, however, we’re seasons where they had a lot of injuries and still won their division because they had depth and, of course, good pitching on top of that.
The Angels have no depth and they have been hit by an extraordinary number of injuries.
People talk about Ohtani like he’s a god. He was horrid in 2020. Was DH only in 2019. Pitched 50 innings in 2018.
Prior to 2021, poster after poster were claiming Ohtani was a bust.
He’s been great for two years, Trout has played 155 games over those two years.
I’m looking forward to Ohtani and Trout in 2023, not Ohtani “or” Trout.
… a healthy Rendon would come in handy, as well. Even if he’s no longer the Rendon of 2019, he’s better than a revolving door of Duffy, Rojas, Gosling, etc.
The Angels don’t have anyone that can play 3rd base.
I don’t know what the Angels are going to do Rendon can’t play 3rd.
I wouldn’t non-tender Barria at that price. He was solid last year out of the pen in long relief duty. Canning hasn’t pitched in what, 3 years? will be interesting to see what they do with him.
Baria will be brought back. I don’t even think it’s is question.
Barria will be brought back. He’s someone that I always felt should get a chance to start again or at least serve as a swingman.
Also, they need to get rid of that ridiculous 6-man rotation in 2023. It’s hurting the team by reducing the number of starts from your better pitchers and giving them away to a “sixth” man, who was usually a spot starter (triple-A pitcher or an opener). If Ohtani needs time to rest, I’d rather give him a day off as a DH on the days he starts or the next day, instead of giving him an extra day of rest between starts (him missing starts hurts the team more than him missing a day as a DH).
What do the Angels need to do in order to compete?
1) Pray for Heatlh. Without Health, they don’t have the depth to go anywhere and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
2) Get a RH batter that can play first base to spell Walsh against some LH pitching and can play LF so they can use Adell as a 4th outfielder.
3) Add a middle of the rotation starter for depth. Detmers, Ohtani, Suarez and Sandoval is a solid front four.
4) Keep Logan O’Hoppe in the minor leagues. Bring him up in May. The Angels paid big money for Stassi. Give him a month to keep the starting job. Let Thaiss back up. Then have Logan O’Hoppe for seven seasons.
5) Get Relief Pitching. Have people noticed that BP arms that these playoff teams are bringing in? The pen has to be Nevin proof. Tall order.
5) Don’t spend big on a shortstop. Spend big elsewhere. Soto and Velesquez and even Rengifo is enough for a year.
2) Josh Bell
3) Drew Smyly
4) Yes
5) Jansen anyone?
6) If they get a shortstop it should be the bargain defensive one
In my opinion, Bell doesn’t play enough LF. Even though he’s a switch hitter, as a RH first base bat he qualifies.
He’s a liability with the glove and quite naturally a DH
Y’all are going to like it, but imo, you need to tank 2023. It’s possible you could make up the 15 games you need for a wildcard, but I don’t see enough upside. Trade Ohtani for a couple of top prospects. Spend the money on another SP and some BP arms. Focus on ’24 & ’25.
7) Get a new owner (IMO, actually should be #1). Seven straight losing seasons; he’s the constant through it all.
I’m praying for Chris Rodriguez and Griffin Canning to come back healthy and contribute. Due to situation w/ Lorenzen and the Halos $, a reunion looks like a safe bet.
Recent history has made everyone forget how good Anaheim was from 2002-2014 where they averaged 90 wins a year over that span.
So many question marks but so much upside out of guys like Rendon, Walsh, and Stassi that I wouldn’t be surprised if they stood pat, though it’d be extremely disappointing if they did. An over the moon off-season would involve Bassitt, Correa/Turner, and one or two top reliever FAs. With that said, I’m expecting to see two SP reclamation projects that won’t stick, bullpen patchwork with MLFAs, and Velazquez at SS on opening day.
The Angels had an amazing number of career debilitation starting pitching injuries in a very short amount of time, they have just now recovered..
This is the first time in a long time that adding one starting pitcher will do any good at all.
Agreed.
Assuming Ohtani stays, which is no guarantee, Ohtani, Sandoval, Detmers, Suarez is a solid starting 4. Adding a righty in the middle of that group would make it really nice.
The question is if we stay with a six man rotation or not.
Recent history has made everyone forget how good Anaheim was from 2002-2014 where they averaged 90 wins a year over that span.
So many question marks but so much upside out of guys like Rendon, Walsh, and Stassi that I wouldn’t be surprised if they stood pat, though it’d be extremely disappointing if they did. An over the moon off-season would involve Bassitt, Correa/Turner, and one or two top reliever FAs. With that said, I’m expecting two reclamation SPs that won’t stick, bullpen patchwork with MLFAs and Velazquez at SS on Opening Day
Aw hell nah… the one time I use the app and I double post 🙁
Here’s hoping Trout plays 150-plus games next year.
“An over the moon off-season would involve Bassitt, Correa/Turner, and one or two top reliever FAs.”
FletcherFan69;
Come ‘on……
You’re really Artie Moreno, aren’t you?
No I’m David Fletcher
That over the moon offseason would be a crazy circumstance that has no likelihood of happening but would likely make them competitive for a playoff berth.
I would stray away from Bassitt given he’s likely to get a QO. Not a lot of great SPs who will command surplus value price points in this FA class, might be Senga or nothing in terms of impact arms for Perry.
FletcherFan69;
You complain about what the Angels keep doing….then you propose they do it again this offseason.
You’re an idiot if you can’t understand my point. Goodbye, “Samuel.”
Samuel is an arse. Most posters are hit and miss, and Samuel is no exception, but Samuel thinks he walks on water and many of his posts have the insight of a dog paddle. .
So Ohtani and Renton to SEA for Robbie Ray? Sounds good.
Great piece. I’ll add that the AA Rocket City Trash Pandas were a great team this year led by a stellar bullpen. I’d expect to start seeing some of those arms make their way up to Anaheim this year, giving the team actual quality depth.
Luke Murphy closed at Vanderbildt and had a really good year in AA.
Eric Torres, a lefty with a WHIP under 1 across 51 innings.
Coleman Crow was used as a starter and had 128K’s in 128 innings. Could be transitioned to a multi inning role.
Then there are the top two picks in the 2021 draft. Ky Bush is still being used as a starter but could also slide into a bullpen or multi inning role soon. Sam Bachman is a bit further away.
As odd as it seems, there’s pitching help coming but not any position player help.
that’s great!
If this is true, then they dont really need to add to the bullpen via off season signings. I don’t actually think the bullpen was that bad this year, though. I feel like they cut all the bad pitchers. I could be wrong, though. Usually am. lol.
All true. And there’s also Chase Silseth who came up for a few starts this year. Has nasty stuff but might be a one time through the order kind of guy.
And I wonder why that model isn’t used more often. Say the lefty Suarez for twice through the order, then a guy like Silseth one through. Limits the number of pitchers needed in a game. Assuming you have 2 guys who can go once through the order twice a week each, you really have something.
I would not be too rash to think Silseth is only good for one time through. This was his first taste of pro ball at any level. I think some inconsistency is normal . The fact that he has the stuff he does and looked as good at times at the mlb and really great in AA is amazingly good for the first taste ever of pro ball. There is a reason even # 1 picks don’t Make it to the majors in the same year they were drafted.
I like Silseth, just saying what I think he can do at the MLB level right now.
I’d rather have him developed into a starter bit if they wanted to rush him, he’d be a good multi inning guy now.
Angel fans should push for your team to go on a total rebuild. A guy in Seattle just did a 5 year plan and it has paid off. I wonder how many wish you had a GM like that?
Ownership has to buy in also. I don’t see how you can build enough to catch the Ms and Astros in the near future. Move your pieces that will be wasting away on your team for prospects that are a few years out. I hope you have a decent off-season so you can at least be competitive with the As and Rangers.
We had that guy in Seattle but Arte chose to keep Mike Scioscia around instead.
And that rebuild in Seattle? They won more games than us over those five years while spending a fraction of the money and building a great farm system.
Pretty obvious Arte kept the wrong guy and went in the wrong direction.
That guy with the Angels, had a historically bad 4 years of drafts and international FA signings. David Fletcher was his best draft pick. Jamie Barria was his best international signing as GM of the Angels. I’m not going to blame him for major league FA signings. But he hired all the scouts, that the Angels had while he was GM. So draft picks and international FA are all on him. Eppler made have been an average GM with the Angels. But clearly had better drafts and international FA signings than Dippoto did with the Angels. That’s not to mention Dippoto’s horrible trades with the Angels. Trade Howie, for a pitching prospect, who spends almost 6 years with the Angels and lost that trade. Not to mention trading prospects for injured pitchers. Who didn’t even last two more years in the majors.
I understand but seeing what he has done here makes you wonder how much pressure was put on him from Arte? He has 3 pitchers that will be in the show in less than 4 years. Probably sooner if not for Covid. It would be interesting to see what he would have done with the Angels if he had free reign there.
Pretty crazy how his drafting skills went up when ownership invested in scouts and didn’t blow his first round pick every year.
They need to finally commit to improving their minor league teams. Hopefully the new owners will take that seriously. Arte was called out as being the cheapest of the bunch when it came to investing and taking care of their minor league teams.
Lazy writing to suggest that Barria is a non-tender candidate and that Jose Iglasias is an option for SS. They released Iglasias a year ago September.
Nothing will happen until Arte takes the highest bidder and goes away to count his pennies. Hopefully Joe Lacob will win the bid and hire baseball people to make the baseball decisions.
i like the chinese american guy. he lives here and a fan of angels.
The Los Angeles Angels entered the 2022 season with MLB’s longest then-current streak of consecutive losing seasons.
The Halos merely extended that streak this year.
Streaks are made to be broken.
I’m on the other side of the country—a Pirates fan—and I can’t understand why Angels management allows this team to wallow around .500, year in and year out, with two of the best players in the game, and in such a big, great market
Some folks can’t make a commitment, They should have, for several years now, gone all in, or had a rebuild,
How do you go all in when you need five starting pitchers? The Angels were not going to trade Trout. They didn’t have a lot of tradable commodities. So basically, you are saying the Angels should have stunk for few years and Moreno should have just pocketed the money.
I really don’t understand that point of view.
Is there a difference, as a fan, between your team being bad and awful? I don’t care how much money the owner of the team makes, if setting the team up to be better in the future means he makes more money due to lower payroll in that window, I couldn’t care less.
What the Angles did, clearly didn’t work and this should have been evident at least a few years ago.
I don’t know if I would say it’s really a traditional big market because while they are nominally a Los Angeles team, they’re really in Anaheim and are primarily Orange county’s team.
Orange county is similar in population to San Diego and it’s sandwiched with SD 90 miles south and LA 30 miles north which doesn’t help. Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely Angels fans in LA and the surrounding areas, but there’s also a reason that the Angels’ TV deal is worth $3 billion when the Dodgers is worth $8 billion.
Wrote a long post that got lost.
Anaheim and San Diego are laid-back areas. The fans do not have the intensity that eastern and midwestern areas do for MLB. It rubs off on the players since they live there.
Both the Angels and Padres won WS’s in the past 30 years, but immediately they came back to earth.
When exactly did the Padres win the World Series? Or should I look that up as well?
That’s the Gene Autry era when they considered the Angels small market. The region is totally different 40 years later with more population, especially in the Inland Empire. They are a large market team and the top 10 payroll justifies this.
They were small market. Do you remember when televised games were tape delayed?
Pull the plug.
They need 1 more ace-like pitcher and bullpen revamp to become winners.
Angel’s outlook for 2023: .500 or worse they’re the Angels. They’re the only team able to have two of the top three players alive and still manage to absolutely suck. I believe Trout is already on the IL next year with a bruised fourth toe on his right foot.
Been 10 years since we brought in a starter! That Aaron Loup contract is looking worse than I thought at 10 million for an 4.00era lefty reliever.. dumped Iglesias which was just as good as when they signed him. Hopefully they can move loups c9ntract as well. Angels have done well finding lighting in a bottle like Hergret, Mayers, Robles and so on. Save that money for an legit closer. They scored on Ohoppe I think. Marsh might turn into Adam Eaton but Ohoppe looks like a Matt weiters/Brian Harper mix.
Barria should not be a non tender candidate. Excellent swing man who could be the number #5 or #6 SP.
Increase payroll to $220 $225 million, giving them $75 -$80 million. If possible target Segura for 2b, Swanson SS, Nimmo LF, and 2 pitchers for the bullpen. If they still have $5 to $10 million maybe a #4 SP.
This would increase depth on the bench, with Fletch and Rengifo 2 super ultilty ( both also have experience in the OF), and Adell as your 4th OFer.
When this team signed Josh Hamilton instead of trying to resign Greinke they shot themselves in both feet. Even so, they still have 2002 and Trout and Ohtani.
A decent shortstop, a decent starting pitcher, bounce back years from Walsh and Rendon….there’s hope there. But this could end up being one of the toughest divisions in baseball next season and that’s scary.
The Angels tried very hard to resign Greinke.
Halo11Fan – EVERYONE tried really hard to get Greinke. Be careful going out on that limb (oops mean branch) there.
You have issues 72. Read the post I was replying to. I’m pretty sure you are capable, not entirely sure, but pretty sure.
They were in the bidding for Greinke. But the Angels needed a lot more in 2013 to make the playoffs from a 78-84 record. A bullpen would’ve helped. It would’ve definitely given them a 100 win season in 2014, and another division title in 2015. After that, though, things got so bad that they probably would’ve traded him.
I think the Angels will get creative. Here are some options.
1. Fletcher becomes the Swiss Army Knife playing every day at a different position and providing a solid replacement for Rendon at third.
2. Sign either Bennentendi or Michael Conforto to play the outifeld.
3. Moniak is the 4th outfiielder.
4, Sign Jose Abreu to play first and move Walsh to the outfield.
5. Sign or trade for a #2 pitcher Chris Bassitt type.
6. Need to trade or sign three relievers.
7. Sign Vasquez to catch with O’Hoppe– trade Stassi for bullpen arm. And yes, he has value.
8. Need to add an extra bat and versatile piece. Brandon Drury type.
This gives the team added depth and a lot more offense.
carllafong – I like your list!
Of course it is a wish list, but isn’t that what the Off Season is all about for the fans?
My preference would be play Fletcher everyday and use Rengifo as the swiss army knife guy.
If you move Walsh to the outfield why would you need to sign Benentendi or Conforto?
Love Bassitt or equal
Relievers – yes please
Why trade Stassi if he has value. If he has value aren’t you implying he is a contributing starting catcher? Unless Vasquez is willing to come in at a value, I don’t see it as an upgrade
Thanks, Dude. I was putting out options. i don’t expect them to do them all. Abreu might be a cheap but productive bat they can use on a short term deal and Walsh can play the outfield. But my concern with Walsh is that he’s not going to be available early, and not everyone comes back from his surgery. But the bottom line is that they have reasonable options to upgrade and deepen the offense. IS there enough money to do this and add pitching with Moreno selling the team? Will Ohtani stick around? A lot of questions that need to be answered.
In regards to Ohtani. There is always a possible mindset that signing him actually makes the team more attractive to prospective owners. It may be a bit of a overly optimistic point of view, but I am sure many many people scoffed at Bezo’s idea for Amazon. He obviously had a vision no one else saw. The same could be true for the next team owner
In the near future Ohtani is a player who brings in HUGE revenues in merchandising and ticket sales.
I think the question is… is Ohtani willing to sign? The money will be there wherever he signs. I think the writing is on the wall that he wants to leave. HE is responsible for more than $20M in additional revenues from Asia– that’s in addition to all the money he brings in for Jersey sales nationally and all the fans he puts in the seats. $50M a season is easily justified because of this revenue and playing two positions at an elite level. The Dodgers, Giants, Mets and Yankees will all pay him. If the Yankees lose Judge they will throw the kitchen sink at the Angels.
I agree.
I am HOPING it is an extension. If he is not signed long term by June the Angels will need to get what they can for him. That is regardless of where they stand in the overall standings. You can’t let him just walk.