Angels Rumors

Angels GM Tony Reagins said Friday that the Angels can add payroll in the right deal, refuting reports that Halos owner Arte Moreno told him not to spend any more money this season, writes Jordan Garretson of MLB.com.

Reagins, appearing on Jim Bowden's SiriusXM program "Inside Pitch," said:

We're looking to improve this ballclub. We'll have the opportunity to add if we need to add. If the situation is right, we're going to be aggressive in pursuing it. That's been our M.O. since we've been here and will continue to be. If we see opportunities that will make us better, we're definitely going to jump right in there.

Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena is being mentioned as a potential fit for the Angels, according to Garretson, but he'd have to split time with first baseman Mark Trumbo and perhaps DH Bobby Abreu, which wouldn't necessarily be a net gain for the lineup.

That aside, the Angels have been hot of late and trailed the AL West-leading Rangers by just one game entering Friday night's action, so if nothing else, Reagins is saying the right thing now.

11:26am: Cron's deal is for $1.467MM and he'll sign it Monday, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).

7:13am: Top Angels draft pick C.J. Cron announced on Twitter that he will sign early next week. The University of Utah first baseman says he has agreed to terms on his first professional deal.

"Off to Anaheim on Monday to sign the contract!" he wrote. "I'm going to be an Angel."

As Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times points out, Cron's pro debut will likely have to wait until 2012 despite the early deal. The powerful prospect has a tear in his throwing shoulder and surgery would sideline him for six months or more. Baseball America ranked Cron 26th among draft eligible prospects before the draft and the Angels selected him with the 17th overall pick.

Cron, the son of former big leaguer Chris Cron, doesn't move well or run quickly, but Baseball America says that's fine given his power and hitting ability. "He's the best all-around hitter in the country and should have no problem producing the numbers teams expect from a first baseman," BA explained. Here's MLBTR's complete list of top picks that have signed.

The Angels have lost seven of their last ten games and sit three games back of the Rangers in the AL West, but owner Arte Moreno has told GM Tony Reagins not to spend any more of his money this year according to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. This will obviously limit the team's ability to make a splash at the trade deadline.

The Angels released Scott Kazmir yesterday, eating the $9.5MM left on his contract. They are also paying Gary Matthews Jr. $11.4MM to play for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate this year. Reagins was able to add Russell Branyan for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum last month, but he's hitting just .161/.229/.161 in 35 plate appearances since signing.

As Saxon notes, the team doesn't have much immediate help sitting in Triple-A, with the best of the bunch being veterans Paul McAnulty and Jeff Baisley. He wonders if teams would have interest in Joel Pineiro ($8MM salary), Fernando Rodney ($5.5MM, but currently on the disabled list), or Bobby Abreu ($9MM, but his 2012 option is close to vesting), which could potentially free up some cash via trades. Either way, Reagins is going to have to get creative to upgrade his team this summer.