Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Angels Rumors

Angels, Kole Calhoun Never Got Close On New Contract

By | at

Kole Calhoun had spent his entire pro career in the Angels’ organization until the club bought him out for $1MM in lieu of a $14MM team option last November. The two sides had some discussions about a reunion over the offseason, reports Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic, but talks didn’t get particularly far.

“(There was) never really a moment I thought I’d be back,” Calhoun told Ardaya. Instead, the corner outfielder inked a two-year, $16MM contract (with a 2022 club option) to join his hometown Diamondbacks in December.

As Calhoun himself points out, it’s not particularly surprising the Angels didn’t ardently pursue a reunion. That’s not a knock on Calhoun, who was solid again in 2019. He hit .232/.325/.467 (108 wRC+) with his typical strong right field defense. All told, he was worth upwards of two fWAR in five of his six full seasons in Anaheim.

Rather, the organization’s reluctance merely reflects its comfort with the current outfield mix. Justin Upton was always certain to get an opportunity for a bounce-back season in left field. Brian Goodwin, meanwhile, looks to have established himself as a solid placeholder in right until top prospect Jo Adell reaches the majors, which will almost certainly be at some point in 2020. David Fletcher, having been displaced as the everyday third baseman by Anthony Rendon, is in line for some work in the outfield as a utility option, as well, Ardaya notes.

With the Angels shelling out $245MM for Rendon and making multiple additions to the starting rotation this offseason, it never seemed likely they would top the market to bring back Calhoun. There’s no animosity, as Calhoun called his time in Anaheim “a heck of a ride,” before telling Ardaya he’s turning his attention to Arizona, where he figures to be the Snakes’ top option in right field.

Angels Fire Visiting Clubhouse Attendant

By | at

  • The Angels fired visiting clubhouse manager Brian Harkins on Thursday amid allegations that he provided “illegal substances” to help opposing pitchers grip the ball better, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports. The news did not come as a surprise to the Angels, per Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register. “I think everybody knows that most guys are doing it,” left-hander Andrew Heaney said. “I don’t think it’s that surprising for anybody who knows baseball.” Pitching coach Mickey Callaway told Fletcher he expects Major League Baseball to ban hurlers from using pine tar and other such substances, but he believes it could have a detrimental effect because they help pitchers’ control – especially in cold conditions. “If I were a hitter, I’d be scared to dig into the box in Detroit on April 10,” he said. Manager Joe Maddon also weighed in, saying pitchers have been using substances to better their grip for “as long as I’ve been in baseball.” Maddon wonders whether MLB will eventually have to make changes to the ball, as the current one has become slicker.

Griffin Canning To Receive “Biological Injections”

By | at

Angels righty Griffin Canning will receive “biological injections” to treat his ailing elbow, the team announced and MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger was among those to cover on Twitter. The team says he’ll be “reassessed in three to four weeks.”

This news still leaves some mystery as to the underlying condition and to Canning’s outlook. But it confirms that he’ll be sidelined for a lengthy stretch, as had already become clear of late.

Clearly there’s still hope of avoiding an invasive procedure. But the Halos will assuredly need to bring Canning along cautiously even if these injections prove effective. It’ll be hard for the team to presume much of anything about his availability in 2020.

Canning had a strong debut showing in 2019 but ended the season earlier with elbow woes. Unfortunately, they followed him into camp.

While the Halos did add two notable arms to their rotation, trading for Dylan Bundy and signing Julio Teheran, the rotation remains an area of weakness on paper. The Angels do have some options on hand, but they’ll need a few hurlers to establish or reestablish themselves as quality big league starters. For what it’s worth, they’ve shown well collectively to this point in camp, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register notes on Twitter.

Griffin Canning To Seek 2nd Opinion On Elbow

By | at

Ongoing elbow questions have clouded the outlook of Angels righty Griffin Canning. The team isn’t quite ready to announce a decision on a course of action, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports on Twitter.

Canning was previously said to be slated for testing today. Now, he’s scheduled for a second opinion — though there’s still no public knowledge (quite understandably) regarding the initial examination.

The 23-year-old hurler emerged as a key part of the Halos’ rotation plans last year. But he also ended the season on the injured list owing to elbow troubles and has dealt with other issues in the joint in the past.

The Angels rotation remains a point of focus after a trying 2019 campaign. Even if Canning avoids a significant stay on the injury list, it now seems he’ll join Shohei Ohtani on the injured list to open the 2020 season.

Latest On Yasiel Puig

By | at

The Major League Baseball season is set to open in just a few weeks, and outfielder Yasiel Puig surprisingly remains without a job. Could a return to Southern California, where he played and sometimes thrived in Los Angeles from 2013-18, be in the offing? The Angels have at least “considered” signing Puig, though “not too seriously,” Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times writes. The belief is that Puig turned down a one-year, $10MM contract from a National League club, Shaikin adds, but i’s unclear when the team presented Puig with that offer.

The Angels recently tried to upgrade their outfield with a different Dodger in Joc Pederson, but the trade between the two LA teams trade fell apart. It now appears they’re prepared to ride with in-house possibilities, per Shaikin, who reports they’re more inclined to spend available resources on pitching than their lineup.

As for the Angels’ current outfield setup, Brian Goodwin’s the favorite to start in right field alongside center fielder Mike Trout and left fielder Justin Upton. Goodwin, a waiver claim last March, put up respectable numbers over a full season of work during his first year with the club. He’ll continue to keep the seat warm for uber-prospect Jo Adell, who figures to make his major league debut sometime in 2020, and the Angels also have utility player David Fletcher and another talented prospect, Brandon Marsh, on hand as possibilities. Marsh, however, has been slowed by a left elbow strain.

Considering the options already on the roster, Puig and Angels don’t look like a perfect match. Elsewhere, nobody seems to be pursuing Puig with much gusto at this point, even though he could at least improve some non-contenders’ outfields and emerge as a trade chip around the July deadline. One problem for Puig is that he posted a less-than-ideal platform in 2019. Although he did rack up 24 home runs and 19 stolen bases across 611 plate appearances, Puig batted a so-so .267/.327/.458 – good for a 101 wRC+ that comes up well shy of his lifetime mark (124).

Maddon: ‘Hard To Imagine’ Griffin Canning Not Starting Season On IL

By | at

The Griffin Canning health situation has drawn quite a bit of attention in Angels’ camp recently. Manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times) this afternoon “it would be hard to imagine” a situation in which Canning doesn’t begin the season on the injured list. Canning was unable to participate in his scheduled throwing session yesterday due to persistent trouble in his elbow, Maddon adds (via Shaikin). He’ll instead undergo testing next Wednesday or Thursday to determine if the issue is related to his joint or to a ligament, tweets Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic.

Until those results come back, it’s difficult to know exactly what to make of the situation. Still, it’s worrisome for a few reasons. Health concerns have dogged Canning dating back to his time at UCLA, and he ended last season on the shelf with elbow inflammation. A few days ago, Canning was diagnosed with “chronic changes” to his UCL and “acute joint irritation” in the elbow, hardly a promising start to the spring for the 23-year-old.

Canning’s health is especially important to an Angels’ staff that’s thin in the rotation. Shohei Ohtani won’t make a return to the mound until at least mid-May, leaving Andrew Heaney, Julio Teheran and Dylan Bundy to front an uncertain starting group. Beyond that trio, Jaime Barria, José Suarez and Felix Peña are on hand to fill out the back end, but none was especially good in 2019. Canning, likewise, struggled a bit with run prevention (4.58 ERA), but posted solid strikeout (25.0%) and walk (7.8%) rates as a rookie. The club is no doubt hoping for positive news on the health front and a step forward in results from the former second-rounder.

Canning Injury Concerns Remain Nebulous

By | at

Griffin Canning’s ongoing health concerns will remain nebulous until tomorrow at the earliest. The message from Angels manager Joe Maddon certainly paints the situation as unusual, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (via Twitter). Whether there’s mixed messaging coming from the medical staff themselves, or if this particular injury is causing undue confusion isn’t totally clear from Joe’s comments. What is clear is that the next step is assessing how Canning reacts to his throwing session today. Canning is one of the wild cards in the Angels’ rotation, and it’d certainly be disappointing to begin the season with a significant setback. An update is likely to come tomorrow from Angels camp. In the meantime, let’s check in on some less serious injury news around the game…

Latest Notes On Angels Pitching Staff

By | at

Uncertainty surrounding starting pitching is nothing new for the Angels … but it surely isn’t welcome. The still-unknown outlook for Griffin Canning is weighing on the team at the moment. That’s the backdrop for several of the latest notes regarding the Los Angeles ballclub …

  • GM Billy Eppler says he doesn’t feel any added need to acquire a new starter — at least not yet — as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. That may in part speak to ongoing hope that Canning’s elbow woes won’t ultimately represent a major problem. But it also reflects the simple fact that, as Eppler notes, it just isn’t the best time of year to go out looking for a new arm. The open market’s best options are already taken and teams that have depth on hand are loathe to part with it at this juncture. A patient approach therefore makes sense, as the Halos’ precise level of need isn’t yet known and some amount of pitching supply is likely to free up later in Spring Training.
  • The Angels will build up JC Ramirez as a starter in camp, manager Joe Maddon told reporters including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (Twitter link). As Ardaya notes, that could put the righty in the running for some sort of a flexible swingman function throughout the season. Ramirez just re-joined the Halos after reportedly showing a bit of a velocity renaissance in winter ball. If he can get back to something approaching the solid form he showed in 2016 and 2017, he’d be an awfully useful part of the Angels’ pitching staff.
  • There’s better news in the bullpen, where key righty Keynan Middleton seems to be showing well. As Fletcher tweets, Middleton was pumping 96-97 mph heat in his scoreless outing today. That’s a good sign given what we saw of him late last season, when he had only just returned from Tommy John surgery. While he allowed only a single earned run in 7 2/3 innings late in 2019, Middleton was clearly not in top form. He displayed a loss of over two mph on his average fastball and dished out seven walks to go with six strikeouts.

Griffin Canning’s MRI Shows “Chronic Changes” To UCL, Acute Joint Irritation

By | at

10:10am: Canning spoke with reporters about his injury and took a positive tone, suggesting that he feels the injury is little more than “normal wear and tear” and likening the issue to one that sidelined him last August (Twitter thread via Fletcher). The MRI did not reveal any tearing of the ulnar collateral ligament. Still, the “chronic changes” referenced by the team will be the subject of further testing.

February 28, 8:45am: The Angels announced that Canning’s MRI revealed “chronic changes to the UCL and acute joint irritation” in his right elbow. No immediate treatment or timetable was provided, as the organization has scheduled further tests and evaluation over the “next couple days.”

February 27: In an all-too-familiar bit of ominous news for Angels fans, manager Joe Maddon revealed today that right-hander Griffin Canning is headed for an MRI to examine his right elbow (Twitter link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). Canning felt something abnormal during yesterday’s Cactus League outing, per Maddon, who acknowledged some organizational concern regarding the injury.

The Angels’ pitching staff has been decimated by injury in recent seasons, and that litany of pitcher injuries only makes the Canning scenario feel all the more foreboding. Canning, after all, is one of the club’s most promising young arms and has been expected to play a key role on the 2020 staff. The 23-year-old was a second-round pick out of UCLA back in 2017 and entered the 2019 campaign as a consensus top 100 prospect in the game. Canning parlayed a trio of dominant Triple-A starts into his first call to the Majors, going on to toss 90 1/3 frames with a 4.58 ERA (4.37 FIP), 9.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and 1.39 HR/9. He was slowed by inflammation in his right elbow along the way, however.

The Halos entered the offseason with their sights set on adding a top-end talent to the rotation but instead signed Anthony Rendon to bolster the lineup and defense after missing out on Gerrit Cole. Anaheim did sign free agent righty Julio Teheran and acquire right-hander Dylan Bundy from the Orioles with the goal of adding that duo to a rotation mix that also included Canning, Andrew Heaney and (in mid-May) a returning Shohei Ohtani.

If Canning misses any time, though, the Angels will be looking at an Opening Day rotation consisting of Heaney, Teheran (assuming his hamstring issue does indeed prove minor) and Bundy, with little certainty beyond that. Patrick Sandoval, Jaime Barria, Dillon Peters and Jose Suarez are all on the 40-man roster and all have some MLB experience, but that’s a highly unproven quartet. Swingman Matt Andriese, acquired from the D-backs, could be stretched out for starting duties during camp as well; he spent the entire ’19 season in the Arizona bullpen but does have 49 starts at the big league level under his belt (all but one coming with the Rays).

8 AL West Pitchers Looking For Bounce-Back Years

By | at

Our preseason series exploring potential bounce-back candidates for 2020 began with a look at several AL West hitters hoping to rebound. Let’s stay in the division and focus on a group of talented pitchers who want to put disappointing seasons behind them…

Corey Kluber, RHP, Rangers: Kluber was the Rangers’ highest-profile offseason pickup and someone who’s now near the front of a revamped rotation, but the Indians decided the 33-year-old was expendable in the wake of a truncated 2019. In a limited number of innings (35 2/3), Kluber came nowhere near his two-time Cy Young form, notching a 5.80 ERA/4.06 FIP, and didn’t pitch past May 1 as a result of a broken forearm. Kluber did strike out almost 10 batters per nine when he was healthy enough to take the mound, but he offset that with some of the worst walk (3.79 BB/9), groundball (40 percent) and average fastball velocity (91.6 mph) marks of his career. With the Rangers holding an $18MM option or a $1MM buyout over him for 2021, this is an especially pivotal season for Kluber.

Jose Leclerc, RHP, Rangers: Leclerc was an absolute force during a breakout 2018, but his run prevention numbers took noticeable steps backward because of control problems. He lost his job as the Rangers’ closer at one point early in the year and wound up with a 4.33 ERA and 5.11 BB/9 in 68 2/3 innings. However, the 26-year-old did get a lot better after a terrible May, and he also concluded with 13.11 K/9 and a career-high 96.8 mph average fastball velocity (1.5 mph better than he recorded during his dream ’18).

Andrew Heaney, LHP, Angels: Considering their lack of high-end pitching additions in the offseason, it’s particularly important for the the Angels to get a healthy and better version of Heaney in 2020. Injuries victimized Heaney last year, holding him to 95 1/3 innings of 4.91 ERA/4.63 FIP ball. He also struggled to induce grounders (33.6 percent), which helped lead to an 18.3 percent home run-to-fly ball rate. But Heaney did log 11.14 K/9 against 2.83 BB/9 with a personal-best average fastball velocity (92.5 mph) and a career-high swinging-strike rate (14.1 percent).

Lou Trivino, RHP, Athletics: Trivino had an outstanding rookie year from the A’s bullpen in 2018, but with the clear exception of his 97 mph-plus velocity, just about everything went downhill last season. Fewer strikeouts and more walks meant far more runs against, with Trivino’s ERA/FIP shooting from the twos and threes to 5.25/4.53 over 60 frames during a year that ended early because of rib issues. And Trivino wasn’t as lucky as he was a rookie, as his batting average on balls in play and strand rate each went the wrong way. On a more encouraging note, the 28-year-old did rank near the top of the majors in a few notable Statcast categories, including average exit velocity against (85.5 mph).

Joakim Soria, RHP, Athletics: Soria was another A’s reliever who may not have produced as the team hoped he would have in 2019. The A’s signed Soria to a two-year, $15MM deal in December 2018 after a terrific season between the White Sox and Brewers, but for the most part, he couldn’t match what he did then. That’s not to say Soria was bad – he still posted a 4.30 ERA/3.62 FIP with 10.3 K/9 and 2.61 BB/9, and his mean fastball velocity remained in the 93 mph range. Also, as with Trivino, Soria was something of a Statcast favorite, mostly earning good marks in that area.

Yusei Kikuchi, LHP, Mariners: On the heels of an excellent tenure in his homeland of Japan, Kikuchi was a high-profile signing for the Mariners entering the 2019 campaign. They guaranteed Kikuchi $56MM on a contract that could max out at $109MM, but Year 1 of the deal probably didn’t go to the Mariners’ liking. In his first season in the majors, the 28-year-old recorded a 5.46 ERA/5.71 FIP – both among the worst in the game – across 161 2/3 innings. He relied primarily on a fastball-slider-curve mix, but all three of those offerings ranked among the least effective of their kind, per FanGraphs. Kikuchi did walk fewer than three hitters per nine, though his K/9 (6.46) placed sixth from the bottom out of 75 pitchers who accumulated at least 150 innings.

Carl Edwards Jr., RHP, Mariners: It wasn’t long ago that Edwards was a key component of the Cubs’ bullpen. As recently as 2018, he put up a 2.60 ERA/2.93 FIP with 11.6 K/9 across 52 innings, though that stellar production did come in spite of a 5.54 BB/9 and a lowly 28.9 percent groundball rate. Edwards found a way to dodge home runs then, as he gave them up on just 3.8 percent of the many fly balls he allowed, but he wasn’t able to do so during an abbreviated, shoulder injury-plagued 2019 in the majors. Edwards only totaled 17 innings between the Cubs and Padres (his other 17 2/3 frames came in Triple-A ball), and he gave up HRs 15 percent of the time en route to an abysmal 8.47 ERA/5.74 FIP. His control got worse along the way, as he surrendered almost seven walks per nine, and so did his strikeout rate. Edwards fanned a little over 10 hitters per nine, but his strikeout percentage fell almost six points from the prior year, while his swinging-strike rate dropped nearly 4 percent. Still, for $950K, you can’t fault the Mariners for rolling the dice.

Yoshihisa Hirano, RHP, Mariners: Hirano’s another low-cost bullpen flier for the Mariners, whom they inked for $1.6MM last month. No doubt, they’re hoping they get a version of Hirano closer to 2018 than ’19. The former Diamondback recorded a 2.44 ERA/3.69 FIP in his first year in the majors, but those numbers rose to 4.75 and 4.04, respectively, last season. Hirano also generated fewer ground balls, gave up more home runs and issued more walks, though he did see his K percentage go up almost 4 percent, finishing with 10.36 per nine. Like the Edwards signing, there’s little to no harm from the M’s perspective in taking a chance on a rebound.

AJAX Loader
Load More Posts
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top