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Angels Designate Jesus Castillo For Assignment

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Today: Castillo has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Double-A Mobile, per a team release. He will remain with the Angels organization.

Mar. 27: The Angels announced their previously reported waiver claim of outfielder Brian Goodwin, adding that they’ve designated right-hander Jesus Castillo for assignment in order to open space on the 40-man roster.

Castillo originally came to the Angels in the 2016 trade that sent righty Joe Smith to the Cubs,. The 23-year-old spent the 2018 season with the Angels’ Double-A affiliate, pitching to a 4.94 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9 and a 45.4 percent ground-ball rate. That represented a significant step back from a 2017 season in which Castillo recorded a 3.32 ERA with a 118-to-26 K/BB ratio in 124 2/3 innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. The Halos will now have a week to trade Castillo or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.

Justin Upton To Miss Eight To Twelve Weeks

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The Angels anticipate that outfielder Justin Upton will miss eight to twelve weeks of action, manage Brad Ausmus told reporters including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter link). He had previously been diagnosed with a turf toe injury that turned out to be quite a bit more problematic than had been anticipated.

It’s rather poor news for the Halos, who already faced a tough road to the postseason this year. Upton and Shohei Ohtani supplemented Mike Trout last year in the middle of the lineup. Now both Upton and Ohtani are on the shelf; though the latter is making progress toward a return, it’ll still be at least a few more weeks before he’s back.

Upton slashed .257/.344/.463 last year, with thirty long balls in his 613 plate appearances. That’s actually a step back from his big 2017 campaign. Over a dozen years in the bigs, Upton carries a .268/.348/.478 batting line — just what he put up last year and just what might reasonably have been expected in 2019.

There’s simply no way the Angels will be able to replace that sort of productivity. The light-hitting Peter Bourjos had been on track to serve as a fourth outfielder after signing a minors deal. Instead he’ll platoon with Brian Goodwin, who was just picked up after being cut loose by the Royals.

That pair will hold down the fort for the time being. The front office could look for creative opportunities to upgrade, but it’s hard to imagine any particularly appealing names coming available. GM Billy Eppler all but snuffed out that possibility, saying he didn’t think an outside addition would take place. (Also via Bollinger, on Twitter.)

Neither does it seem the team can hope for much help from within. The depth options on hand were deemed inferior to Bourjos and Goodwin already. And there aren’t any particularly exciting upper-level prospects. Unfortunately, the club’s most talented pre-MLB player, Jo Adell, was slowed this spring with injuries to his ankle and hamstring that figure to keep him on ice until the summer. Even if the club was willing to consider an aggressive promotion timeline, he’ll need to get back to full strength first.

AL West Notes: Manaea, Ohtani, Sadzeck

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Athletics left-hander Sean Manaea, already reported to be “well ahead of schedule” in his rehab from shoulder surgery, has taken another step forward, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Manaea has begun throwing from 90 feet and has already had multiple throwing sessions from that distance. While the Athletics initially feared that their top starter would miss the entire 2019 season after undergoing surgery late in the 2018 campaign, Manaea is now optimistically targeting a return around the All-Star break. There’s obviously quite a bit that can go wrong between now and then, but the accelerated timeline is a welcome revelation for the A’s and their fans, especially considering the patchwork status of their rotation. Currently, Mike Fiers, Brett Anderson and Marco Estrada are the only established starters on the roster, with right-handers Frankie Montas and Aaron Brooks slated to round out the bunch. Oakland’s starting pitching outlook became a bit more bleak last week when uber-prospect Jesus Luzardo was shut down for four to six weeks due to shoulder concerns.

Here’s more from the division…

  • Shohei Ohtani took on-field batting practice for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, writes Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times. Angels general manager Billy Eppler indicated that Ohtani felt good after his BP session, and there’s no indication that the May timeline the Angels placed on his return as a designated hitter has changed. Ohtani will still need to face live pitching and surely will complete a minor league rehab assignment before jumping back into the fray, but his progress in a return to the batter’s box continues to be encouraging.
  • Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels spoke about the decision to designate flamethrowing right-hander Connor Sadzeck for assignment earlier today (link via MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan), acknowledging that it was a difficult decision. Daniels feels there’s a “decent” chance that Sadzeck would be claimed if he’s run through waivers, given that he can reach triple digits with his fastball, but there’s also a chance the Rangers can find a trade partner for the out-of-options righty, per Daniels. “It wasn’t a slight on him,” said Daniels of the DFA. “We felt if we had more time, we probably would have taken it. It’s unfortunate because I really like the kid. He did everything we asked. … He has high-end ability, but where it was, it was inconsistent.” Given the Rangers’ rebuilding status, it’s a bit curious that they wouldn’t find a way to keep a pitcher whose arm seems to genuinely intrigue the organization, but Daniels sounds resigned to the fact that the righty may very well land elsewhere within the next week.

Andrew Heaney Headed For Elbow Examination

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Angels lefty Andrew Heaney is headed for a medical examination after experiencing elbow discomfort, as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger was among those to report (Twitter links). He had been working back from elbow problems this spring.

This is hardly the news the Halos hoped for out of a key member of their staff. The 27-year-old finally turned in a full MLB campaign last year, working to a 4.15 ERA in 180 frames, after missing almost all of the prior two seasons with elbow problems.

Heaney will undergo imaging on his surgically repaired left elbow, GM Billy Eppler notes. The hope will obviously be that all the structural elements — in particular, his replacement ulnar collateral ligament — are in good working order.

Regardless of the outcome of the examination, it seems that Heaney’s timeline will likely be pushed back. He never really got going in camp and will need to be brought along with care.

Angels Claim Brian Goodwin Off Release Waivers

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The Angels have claimed outfielder Brian Goodwin off release waivers from the Royals, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports (on Twitter). It’s not especially common for players to be claimed off release waivers, and Goodwin will technically have the option to reject the claim (as is a player’s right when claimed off release waivers), though there’s little reason for him to do so; because Goodwin is out of minor league options, the claim means he’ll likely join the Angels’ big league roster as at least a short-term option to help fill in for the injured Justin Upton. The Angels already have a full 40-man roster, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move to accommodate Goodwin.

Goodwin, 28, went from the Nationals to the Royals in a trade last July and hit .266/.317/.415 output in 101 plate appearances with Kansas City through season’s end. Spring was a disaster for him, however, as he slashed .166/.188/.256 with 13 strikeouts against four walks through 49 plate appearances before being placed on release waivers Monday. He’ll now join Peter Bourjos, Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun in the Angels’ mix of outfielders while Upton mends a toe injury.

Once the No. 34 overall pick in the draft, Goodwin is a career .250/.315/.454 hitter with 19 home runs and 10 steals in 502 trips to the plate. He’s a left-handed hitter who can handle all three outfield positions, and he could potentially be deployed in a platoon capacity with Bourjos in his new organization.

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels

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This is the latest post of MLBTR’s annual Offseason in Review series, in which we take stock of every team’s winter dealings.

A frugal offseason has given way to a lavish, triumphant spring for the Angels, who no longer have to worry about losing Mike Trout.  The inimitable center fielder is poised to spend his career in Anaheim after inking a decade-long extension last week.

Major League Signings

Trades And Claims

Extensions

Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

[Los Angeles Angels Depth Chart | Los Angeles Angels Payroll Information]

Needs Addressed

The Angels entered the offseason with only two years of control left over Trout, unquestionably the preeminent player in baseball since he exploded on the scene in 2012. Team success eluded the Angels during the remarkable first seven seasons of Trout’s career, though, as they made the postseason just once (in 2014) and didn’t even win a single playoff game. With that in mind, it would’ve been understandable for Trout to hold off on committing to the Angels for the long haul. On the other hand, it would have been unforgivable for the Halos to not put forth an earnest effort to lock up Trout, who, at 27 years old, is already one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.

To the Angels’ credit, not only did they make an attempt to keep Trout in the fold, but they persuaded him to stay. The 10-year, $360MM extension the Angels gave the seven-time All-Star and two-time MVP stands as the richest contract ever in North American sports, yet the gaudy dollar figure still looks eminently reasonable. The future Hall of Famer is now in line to spend the entirety of his 30s and all of the 2020s in Anaheim, which will give the club plenty of time to capitalize on his presence going forward.

Whether the Angels are in position to take advantage of Trout’s place on their roster this year is in question. Before the Angels locked up Trout, they journeyed through a fairly low-key offseason which included a few modest free-agent signings and no headline-stealing trades. Perhaps if general manager Billy Eppler had his druthers, it would have been a different story. Eppler reportedly targeted a collection of high-profile free agents, including pitchers Patrick Corbin, Nathan Eovaldi, J.A. Happ, Zack Britton, David Robertson, Joakim Soria and catchers Yasmani Grandal and Wilson Ramos, but fell short in each pursuit. Still, the majority of Eppler’s prominent offseason acquisitions came at those positions, as he brought in two starters (Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill), a battle-tested closer seeking a rebound from a down season (Cody Allen) and an experienced catcher (Jonathan Lucroy). He also procured first baseman Justin Bour, who thrived in Miami as recently as 2017 but saw his production plummet between the Marlins and Phillies last season.

Before adding those five free agents, Eppler oversaw the Angels’ first managerial search since November 1999, when they hired Mike Scioscia. Trout was only eight years old at the outset of the Scioscia era, a run that included 1,650 regular-season wins and the franchise’s sole World Series title (2002). Scioscia, 60, stepped down after last season, paving the way for the Angels to hire another former major league catcher, Brad Ausmus, as their new skipper. Ausmus managed the Tigers to middling results from 2014-17, though the soon-to-be 50-year-old’s amenability toward analytics helped convince the Angels he merited a second chance atop a big league dugout.

Questions Remaining

The Ausmus-led Angels feature questions aplenty in their pitching staff, in part because of injury issues. Anaheim’s foremost starter, two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, won’t factor in at all as a pitcher this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. Likewise, J.C. Ramirez is recovering from TJ surgery, having undergone the procedure nearly a year ago, while Andrew Heaney (elbow inflammation) and Nick Tropeano (shoulder discomfort) are also on the shelf.

It’s paramount for Heaney to return sometime soon, as he turned in 180 respectable innings in 2018 and is likely the Ohtani-less Angels’ No. 1 starter. That’s less a compliment to Heaney — who is solid, granted — than an indictment on the Angels, whose current group of healthy starters doesn’t include anything resembling a front-line option. Harvey qualified as an ace during a stretch with the Mets from 2012-15, but the Dark Knight has since logged a 5.39 ERA/4.76 FIP in 340 1/3 innings and undergone thoracic outlet surgery (in 2016). In fairness to Harvey, who turns 30 today, he did post decent numbers with the Reds after they acquired him from the Mets last May. If he can replicate that performance in Anaheim, he’ll justify the investment.

The club spent a bit less on Cahill, another righty with a history of injuries and inconsistency. The 31-year-old was effective in Oakland last season, though (albeit over just 110 innings), and the Angels are banking on a repeat in 2019. Harvey, Cahill, Tyler Skaggs (who has also dealt with his share of injuries, including this spring), Felix Pena, the just-acquired Chris Stratton and the just-optioned Jaime Barria represent the Angels’ top healthy starters at this point.

If you’re underwhelmed by that group, it’s hard to blame you. If you think the Angels should be going after free agent Dallas Keuchel, who’s inexplicably still available, you’d also be within reason. But Eppler insists he’s bullish on the Angels’ present mix of starters, which seems to make a Keuchel signing unlikely, as does a possible lack of financial wiggle room. The Angels have always run high payrolls under owner Arte Moreno, and that’ll be the case again this season, as they’re at upward of $176MM going into Opening Day. Moreno may not want to go significantly higher than that franchise-record sum. Furthermore, adding Keuchel would either push the Angels into luxury-tax territory or leave them within close proximity of that mark, potentially limiting Moreno’s willingness to approve in-season additions on the trade market. The Halos are currently about $21MM shy of the luxury barrier.

While the Angels’ payroll does rank toward the top of the majors, they’re not spending much on their bullpen. The lone expensive reliever on the roster is Allen, the former Indians closer who joined the Angels on an $8.5MM guarantee in the offseason. Allen has been outstanding for the majority of his career, which began in 2012, though the 30-year-old no longer looks like a shoo-in to offer quality production. Not only was Allen subpar last year, when all of his numbers trended downward to concerning degrees, but he has followed that up with a shaky spring in which his velocity has dipped. The Angels will need the light bulb to go on again for Allen once the regular season begins, especially considering their bullpen lost Blake Parker, Jim Johnson and Jose Alvarez during the winter.

Parker, Johnson and Alvarez were among the Angels’ five leading relievers in terms of innings last year, and each managed passable to above-average run prevention numbers. Alvarez was particularly good, yet the Angels traded him to the Phillies for righty Luis Garcia, who “has the characteristics we gravitate to: strikeouts, ground balls and big stuff,” Eppler said after the deal. It’s anyone’s guess how the trade will pan out, but for now, the loss of Alvarez leaves the Angels devoid of a lefty reliever on their 40-man roster. Allen aside, their bullpen is also lacking a righty with a long track record of success, though 2018 acquisition Ty Buttrey may be on the verge of a breakout if the 16 1/3-inning debut he made last season is any indication. As with Keuchel, Anaheim looks like an on-paper fit for free agent Craig Kimbrel, a possible Hall of Fame closer who’s somehow still without a team. Whether Moreno would sign off on a pricey Kimbrel addition is another matter, but the righty would sure help the Angels’ cause.

A Kimbrel signing wouldn’t answer the questions in the Angels’ position player group, where there are several. Trout, Andrelton Simmons and Ohtani are marvelous, and Justin Upton’s a valuable left fielder. Ohtani won’t return until at least May, however, and Upton’s going to the injured list with turf toe, leaving the Angels with just two guaranteed big-time producers in Trout and Simmons.

Potential Upton replacements in the just-selected Peter Bourjos, Jarrett Parker and Cesar Puello don’t inspire confidence, and unproven outfield prospect Michael Hermosillo (hernia surgery) could also open the season on the IL. Elsewhere in the outfield, while Kole Calhoun has been a better-than-average player for most of his career, he was a replacement-level performer last season.

Turning to the infield, third baseman Zack Cozart underwhelmed last season in the opening act of a three-year, $38MM contract. Lucroy has accounted for minus-0.9 fWAR dating back to 2017, while what remains of the once-amazing Albert Pujols totaled minus-2.1 in the same two-year span. Bour was little more than a league-average offensive first baseman in 2018. At second base, David Fletcher wasn’t much of an offensive threat during his 307-PA debut last season, but he starred as a minor league hitter earlier in the campaign and then stood out as a defender in his initial taste of the majors

The Angels still sought some insurance to help protect against another poor Cozart season and a sophomore slump from Fletcher, though, as they reportedly showed interest in Mike Moustakas, Josh Harrison and Troy Tulowitzki in free agency. In the end, they came away with a trade for the 30-year-old Tommy La Stella, who has been a playable bench piece with the Braves and Cubs over almost 1,000 PAs.

2019 Season Outlook

Trout and Simmons are something like five three-WAR players condensed into two, which raises the Angels’ floor to a considerable extent. Otherwise, there are so many performance- and injury-related concerns on Anaheim’s roster that it’s hard to consider the team a strong bet to break its four-year playoff drought. The good news is that the Angels could benefit from being in a league which lacks a surefire contender after the favored Red Sox, Yankees, Astros and Indians. The Angels should be part of a several-team jumble fighting for the AL’s last postseason spot, which may only require 80-some wins to secure. The club is entering 2019 off back-to-back seasons of 80 victories, a number PECOTA projects it to match this year.

How would you grade the Angels’ offseason moves?  (Link to poll for Trade Rumors app users.)

How would you grade the Angels' offseason?
C 33.71% (1,106 votes)
B 33.04% (1,084 votes)
A 17.46% (573 votes)
D 10.61% (348 votes)
F 5.18% (170 votes)
Total Votes: 3,281

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Angels To Sign Sam Freeman

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The Angels have agreed to a contract with lefty Sam Freeman, according to reports. It’s a minors deal, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Freeman, 31, was just cut loose by the Braves. He had been tendered a $1.375MM contract by the Atlanta organization and received 45 days of that as severance pay.

Last year, Freeman worked to a 4.29 ERA over 50 1/3 innings. He carried a 52.1% groundball rate and 10.4 K/9, but also dished out 5.7 free passes per nine innings.

The Halos had a need for veteran lefties after the recent decision to drop Dan Jennings. It doesn’t seem that Freeman will head onto the MLB roster to open the year, but he’ll be a prime candidate to ascend at some point. The club’s current MLB depth chart doesn’t include any southpaws in the pen.

Angels Acquire Adrian Rondon From Rays

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The Angels have acquired infielder Adrian Rondon from the Rays, per club announcements. Cash considerations are headed in the other direction.

When he was inked back in 2014 out of his native Dominican Republic to a ~$3MM bonus, Rondon was considered a top talent. Now twenty years of age, he has yet to move past the Class A level and carries only a .206/.271/.321 batting line through parts of four professionals seasons.

Rondon’s outlook on the field is at best uncertain, but the Halos will see if they can unlock some of his former promise. He’ll join another fading young prospect with a top-notch pedigree, Kevin Maitan, in the Los Angeles farm system.

Angels Select Peter Bourjos

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The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Peter Bourjos. He’ll take the club’s remaining open 40-man roster spot.

As he closes in on his 32nd birthday, Bourjos returns to the place he broke into the majors and found his most notable success. When he was shipped out of Los Angeles in the 2013-14 offseason, he had a track record of approximately league-average hitting with quality glovework and baserunning. Bourjos compiled 8.2 rWAR in just 1,136 plate appearances with the Halos.

Things have soured since. In the intervening seasons, Bourjos has mustered a meager .229/.286/.366 batting line in 1,152 total plate appearances. While his other skills seem largely to be intact, that’s just not enough bat to create many opportunities.

Bourjos came into camp battling for a reserve role or a spot on the depth chart in Triple-A. As it turns out, his strong showing and the Angels’ injury situation have conspired to open the door for significant playing time at the start of the year. Bourjos popped three long balls and slashed .288/.339/.558 in 56 plate appearances this spring; Justin Upton is headed to the injured list along with several other outfield options.

It’d make quite a bit of sense for the club to add a left-handed-hitting, complementary outfield piece. Free agent Denard Span is a match on paper but wouldn’t be ready to go at the start of the season. It’s likelier that the club will look into low-cost players who lose camp battles with other teams. Brian Goodwin stands out as a hypothetical possibility, with others sure to join him in the coming days.

Justin Upton To Open Season On Injured List

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Angels outfielder Justin Upton has been diagnosed with turf toe, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter. He’ll be added to the injured list for the start of the season.

That’s unfortunate news for the Halos, particularly at this stage of camp and with Shohei Ohtani still building back. It’s not yet clear how long Upton will be sidelined, but he’ll surely be brought along cautiously to ensure that this issue doesn’t linger.

The Angels don’t exactly have an appealing back-up plan, but they’ll have to make do without Upton for at least a few weeks. There are only three other outfielders on the 40-man roster at this point: Michael Hermosillo, who’s expected to be on the IL as well, and stalwarts Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun. Peter Bourjos could end up seeing the lion’s share of time. Fellow non-roster invitees Cesar Puello and Jarrett Parker are also possibilities, though the latter is also not at full health at the moment.

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