On the heels of an early-morning free agent deal, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for:
1. What’s next for the Twins?
Minnesota shipped out their longest-tenured player yesterday by trading second baseman Jorge Polanco to the Mariners in exchange for right-handers Justin Topa and Anthony DeSclafani, top outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez and minor league righty Darren Bowen. The Twins also received $8MM cash as part of the deal, which president of baseball operations Derek Falvey indicated yesterday would be reinvested into the club’s payroll. The addition of DeSclafani to a rotation mix that already includes Pablo Lopez, Chris Paddack, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Louie Varland makes another starting pitching addition less likely, though it’s possible the club could look to further bolster its pitching staff with a bullpen addition such as Ryne Stanek or Wandy Peralta.
Another option at the club’s disposal would be adding another hitter to the club’s mix. While another player in the infield mix would recreate the logjam cleared by the departure of Polanco, the Twins were rumored to be considering an addition at first base earlier this winter. Minnesota picked up veteran Donovan Solano last winter to complement lefty-swinging youngster Alex Kirilloff at first base, and a reunion could make some sense after Solano posted a solid 116 wRC+ in part-time duty last year. Another speculative target could be veteran slugger Adam Duvall, who has seen occasional time at first throughout his career and would also provide the club with another capable center fielder behind oft-injured star Byron Buxton.
2. Could Angels’ outfield logjam lead to a deal?
The Angels signed veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks to a one-year deal yesterday, adding a switch-hitting option to an outfield mix that lacked a surefire regular option alongside Mike Trout and Taylor Ward. With that being said, Hicks’s addition does complicate the club’s outfield situation from a roster building perspective. Former top prospects Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak are both out of options and must be passed through waivers before they can be sent to the minor leagues, meaning that as things stand the club figures to carry five full-time outfielders on its active roster to open the 2024 campaign.
While the departure of Shohei Ohtani could free up playing time at DH and Ward has made a cameo at the infield corners in the past, it’s possible that the best use of the club’s resources would be to deal either Moniak or Adell in order to free up space on the club’s bench for more versatile options while also potentially recouping value that better fits the club’s needs. The Guardians, White Sox, and Marlins are among the teams who could stand to upgrade their outfield corps in the run-up to Spring Training.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
As the month of January comes to a close, there’s plenty of boxes still unchecked on the offseason shopping lists of clubs all around the league. Are you wondering what’s next for your favorite team, or perhaps curious about what the market for a particular free agent looks like? If so, tune in this afternoon when MLBTR’s Steve Adams hosts a live chat with readers at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after its completed.
keep all Angels outfielders, before it’s May there will be some on the IL
Jo Adeli is a bust.
I remember reading the same thing about Ohtani
Fans know everything.
H11F
“Fans know everything.”
Right
Idiots just say a lot of dumb stuff, then when 1 out of the thousand things they said comes true, they think they are geniuses
“Reading the same about Ohtani”…Did you seriously just compare long time Angel’s draft bust Jo Adell to possibly the best player in MLB or world baseball history?…..It’s funny I don’t remember Ohtani ever being labeled a bust. He may have gotten injured, but he never went 3-5 yrs showing literally nothing like obvious bust Adell.
Yes there were plenty of salty Mariners and Yankees fan saying this especially when he got injured his first year. Also Yankees fans saying Andújar was robbed for r.o.y.
“Salty Mariners and Yankees”..You’re talking only about the butt-hurt, jealous fans in NY/Seattle that were mad and jealous that Ohtani spurned them in favor of the Angels. I’m only referring to the somewhat serious, rational, level-headed and knowledgeable fans and I don’t remember that group ever saying Ohtani was a “bust”, just because of Tommy John surgery.
I compared stupid fans to stupid fans.
When all these idiots can’t even get Ohtani right, what chance do they have on a 24 year old player.
Unless there is career ending injury, no one with a brain says a player is a bust at 24.
The same people saying ward was a bust, they have two very similar players in adell, and moniak. I think hicks is going to be the next lamb and play for a couple months and dfa’d. The only thing I can think of is schanuel gets sent down, and is the first guy up when a injury happens. Drury is the first baseman. Rengifo is at second. Moniak/hicks/ adell spilting time. Thaiss playing first/ catcher.
Unless Washington works wonders, Rengifo does not have the feet of a middle infielder.
But I really don’t have much of a feel how Wash will use Rengifo and Drury.
I probably won’t have a good idea until mid-March.
Rengifo is passable at 2nd, and drury is fine at 1st. I agree it’s not the best. Hicks, adell, Thaiss on the bench and some aaaa in the minors is looking like the vision.
@mlb fan…You last sentence seems so idyllic that maybe it came after your AM lithium dose?
When you have no real points, intelligence or baseball commentary just use insults, right Paddyo?..
Adell needs to play. Sink or swim.
Pretty much rengifo, moniak, adell, and the rotation it’s make or break and move forward or move on.
People know nothing about Adell.
He missed half of 2019 with major leg injuries.
He missed a year of development with Covid in 2020.
He was not very good at AAA in 2022.
In 2023 he changed his swing, was greatly improved and very very good in AAA, which prompted Minasian to say.
“His buy in has been outstanding…I’m glad he’s seeing the results…at some point he’s going to help us.”
So some idiots think it’s now time to cut bait?
He may develop, he may not, but now is not the time to cut bait. He’s smart, talented, and coachable.
I’m glad people have been bringing him up, the more I dig, the more likely I am to bet on him.
Trout should DH
he will hit the IL soon enough
Trout was +4 outs above average in CF last year. He should DH once or twice a week, but he’s still a good CF with 95 percent plus sprint speed.
People are nuts.
IDC how good he is if he keeps getting hurt. I don’t mean full time DH but I’d like to see at least 50 games there. The Angels aren’t gonna compete anyway. Let him get a good 500ab season. Best chance is to DH.
OK. As long as it’s not an insult to his defense. He’s still a good outfielder. I wouldn’t mind 100 games in CF and 50 as a DH.
I’m not against him DH-ing everyday either tho. But yeah not because of his defense but his having to play it. Not to say it wouldn’t be a shame to happen but it’s also more unfortunate for him to be on the IL.
With Hicks on the team, they’re guaranteed to have at least one on the IL.
Exactly. What logjam? They all either suck or often injured or both.
I feel like trading Jo Adell would make the most sense for the Angels, but these are the Angels we’re talking about.
I don’t think anybody wants Adell
Moniak makes more sense, teams might fall for the fools gold from last season. Both Adell and Moniak strike out way too much. Neither walks much. Neither one is even average defensively. Adell has that explosive speed, which could come in handy, late inning PR situations
Per the fielding bible Moniak was excellent defensively in CF last year. Same DRS as Cedric Mullins in half the innings.
Adel has excellent Home-run power, but can he get to the next level working a count, and cut down on his strike outs? He’s improved on his defensive side, but he hasn’t shown consistency. Right now his trade value is in favor of the buyer. Will the Angels package him with another player to pick up a player to fill a need and clear a spot on the 40 man roster to pick another free agent? Will they keep him and hope he somehow lives up to his potential? Will they keep him as a hedge against injuries, and hope he has a strong Spring Training. His trade value if he stays healthy will definitely go up, because there might be other teams that may all of sudden have a hole to fill due to injuries or underperforming players
Good take. doesn’t make sense to give up on adell just yet. This year angels need to see what they have and make deals at the deadline to revamp the team. Hicks, adell, Thaiss is the bench. They have a lot of redundant players, same with the rotation they need this year to evaluate before selling off or making trades
I agree with letting the guys play and evaluating players to maximize their trade value. As a fan I always cringe when young guys get traded away. A good GM will make those decisions, just like when Stoneman traded away Jim Edmonds, for Adam Kennedy and Kent Bottomfield. It literally was key in winning the World Series in less than two years. Kennedy became an excellent starting second baseman for the Angels and was clutch in the 2002 Playoffs. The Angels starting outfield was still Stacked with Mr Angel Tim Salmon, Mr Dependable Garrett Anderson, and Hard Nosed Darin Erstad. I trust that Minasian is a good baseball mind and is on the right path. I hope he sticks around and the Angels finally can have some consistency in their Front Office!
Adell is chips. I rather have a college kid play than him
Adell has potential, but so did Brandon Wood. Adell needs playing time and he might be on a short leash with the Angels. The current ownership is still committed to this current team and Trout’s already 32 years old. Ron Washington has a knack for getting the best out of his players. Could the new hitting coach unlock the potential in Adell. If Adell can somehow cut back on his strikeouts and at least be an average defensive outfielder. He will at least be a good rotational guy with power and potentially hit 20-40 Homeruns with a full season of Baseball.
In order for the Angels to not only be a playoff team, but be a threat to sneak in to the playoffs and possibly upset some more talented teams (On Paper). I’d say is to have a patient hitting team (Easy for me to say as a fan). A team that can drive pitch counts up and burn out the other teams starting pitchers, and simultaneously put pressure on other team’s defense to make mistakes. (The Angels team was the only team to have a winning record against the Jeter Yankees). With a solid pitching staff that can at least keep the game close and a bullpen that can shut it down 6-9th inning. A healthy team that gets hot late in summer and goes into the playoffs can beat more talented teams.
It’s funny how before a season all the experts are so smart and by the end of the season they don’t always look so smart. Who would have predicted the Dodgers would have gotten beat by Arizona, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets wouldn’t even make the playoffs. Name on expert that even predicted Arizona would make the playoffs?
What day is Adolis Garcia going to be told he lost his arb case? I haven’t seen any reports on it yet, though most years seem to have dates for those hearings well in advance of the arb period.
Adell has been hovering for a while. He is now 24 years of age and his trade value is probably not very good. In 2022 he had 268 ABs and hit .224. Fewer ABs since then. How much more of an opportunity awaits? This team has so many holes. They could start with overpaying Belly and make sure they have a quality 3B on the roster to take over when Rendon does not feeli like or cannot play.
He is a good candidate to do better elsewhere. Like you said not a ton of trade value. Honestly he should’ve just been given the job for a full season already because the Angels were never going anywhere special. He is still 24. I think he may never find it with LAA tho. Maybe not with anyone but Moniak should teach us to keep some faith alive. At least he’s hasn’t been as bad as Moniak was pre-2023. Perhaps they rushed him to contend. But he was hitting in minors.
Too many Angels in the Outfield. Got it.
I liked that movie!
Padres could use an Angel in the outfield.
Twins still need more reliable starting pitching, but I wouldn’t mind platooning Duvall at first base with Kiriloff.
Solano makes a lot of sense for the Angels. We need a utility guy who can play tgird quite a bit and possibly platoon at first.
I was thinking a trade was coming but what if Nolan schanuel was sent down he literally played 2-4 weeks in the minors after getting drafted. They can let him play in the minors for a couple months for a little more seasoning.
The Angels don’t have a bunch of outfielders.
They have Trout who can’t stay on the field and will likely spend time at DH.
They have a LF with flashes of good play, who missed the last two months of the season, who knows what he’ll do.
They have a guy who strikes out 35% of the time, walks less than three percent of the time, whose offense is a mirage based on a 400 BABIP.
They have a 4th outfielder in Hicks, and a soon to be 25 year old who has been making huge strides in the minors ( K%, BB%) but has yet to make any strides in the majors.
I wouldn’t count on them having two outfielders let alone five.
Now just to clarify, the 35% k rate and walks less than 3%, are you talking about Adell or Moniak? Because seems like some people want to point out Adell in that, but Moniak is just as bad
The answer is yes. Both.
Adell walk rate was 6.5 percent. But I don’t pay any attention to 62 plate appearances.
In AAA he almost doubled his walk rate to over 12 percent and reduced his K rate by more than 5 percent.
He came up as an awful outfielder, and is now an above average outfielder.
He’s smart, talented and coachable. Whether he turns into a good or serviceable ballplayer, who knows? The book is still open.
He has likely has more value as a prospect than a trade piece.
You almost want Adell to stick around now that Ron Washington is managing the Angels. He’s the right coach for a lot of these Angels players.
There is time to cut bait on Adell, but not on a team that does not have a serious chance to compete and an unstable outfield.
Give him and Moniak a few months. If the don’t get some control of the strike zone by Summer, then start thinking about adding an outfielder in 2025.
Duvall to Twins makes sense; guess they’re still checking behind the sofa cushions even after yesterdays cash delivery from seattle…
I was hoping he would end up in Cleveland. They need power in the OF and right handed is even better.
Cleveland has got to sign one of Soler, Martinez, or Duvall (ordered by my preference)
Love me some Duvall. Wish he’d land back with ATL but he needs a starting spot somewhere. 30 HR potential and average glove for cheap.
Who anointed Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak as full-time outfielders?
Both MM & Jo Adell are only starters on a AAA team. Time to cut your losses and move on from Jo Adell in particular.
Time to cut bait? To you even follow baseball? You obviously don’t follow the Angels.
The Angels are going to let the kids play to find out who’s who. When they actually feel they are a player or two from being serious contenders, they’ll cut bait.
ASAPS. Roster Resources, I’m sure you have heard of them.
Right now they’ll platoon and likely get ABs at DH. Moniak and Adell will likely get several months to show their worth.
It’s not like Hicks is part of their future or likely to be a missing piece that gets them in the playoffs.
“Time to cut bait”..When you listen to the nonsense coming from Angels fans, you can see why they haven’t been relevant or good since the last millennium, right Halo?…Just keep running the same type AAAA players out there like Velasquez, Tyler Wade & Jo Adell, and hope for better results this year, right?
You know nothing about the Angels…NOTHING!!!
He made good strides at AAA last year and it’s time to cut bait based on 60+ Plate Appearances.
You’re not a baseball fan. Baseball fans understand the game a lot better than you do.
@ ASapsFables or Hicks, for that matter. Hick hit lefties, but not RHers last year. The others were better against RH. By the numbers, Moniak vs RH, Hicks vs LH, and Adell as a reserve.
5 OFs is fine. People get injured and you need depth.
Especially these five outfielders.
I love how people assume Adell can easily be traded. What do you think teams are willing to give for him. Equipment? Another 1st round bust. Quero was the most valuable trade value and all they got was a part time mediocre pitcher.
He’s probably worth more as an Angel prospect than a trade piece.
Ironically, the best spot for him is on a non-contending team, without a set outfield, that can give him ABs.
Gosh, what team is that?
Angels should wait till spring training to see how Adell is doing. might be a bust but it would be horrible if they traded him at 24 and he becomes what he supposed to.
Ward, in my opinion can go. He had 1/2 a good season unfortunately he has zero value.
Hicks is a bonus, if they cut him in spring it would cause zero damage.
Moniak will tumble back to earth as he was at the end of last season. Also has virtually zero value.
Maybe package Moniak and Ward plus, maybe some other club will take a chance but I doubt it.
Angels are a lost franchise!!
Ward got hurt. He had definitely turned a corner before that happened. He got help from Trout to turn it around, I wouldn’t give up on him just yet.
My opinion, Ward is league avg or below. If they flipped him and a player or two for SP or a power hitter I would not miss him.
But, I doubt that’ll happen so I can only hope that the first 1/2 he had in 22’ wasn’t just a fluke.
Ward has a lifetime OPS+ of 109, and the last three seasons his OPS+ is 119. He’s a decent defensive leftfielder. In what way is that league average or below?
Like I said it’s my opinion. I know the stats, but I also watch every game the Angels play. He had an Allstar 1st half of 22’ since then he’s done basically nothing. Unfortunately his season ended early last year because of the injury, but he wasn’t anything special before that.
I’m just saying if he were traded as part of a package to bring in a difference maker I’d be all for it!
Nellie Cruz had a late breakout: age 28 season. Joey Bats was 29. Austin Riley was a “bust” after 2 years until his age 24 season breakout.
Joe Adell might seem like Luka Garza (#OwnTheMinors), and he could still figure it out