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Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels

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Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Angels.

Major League Signings

  • Bobby Abreu, RF: two years, $19MM.  Includes $9MM option for 2012 with a $1MM buyout; can vest based on plate appearances.
  • Joel Pineiro, SP: two years, $16MM.
  • Fernando Rodney, RP: two years, $11MM.
  • Hideki Matsui, DH: one year, $6MM.
  • Total spend: $52MM.

Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

My first reaction after reviewing the Angels' offseason is that this wasn't a great way to spend $52MM.  GM Tony Reagins appears to have overpaid several of his free agent signings.

Like many November deals in recent years, the Abreu contract looked OK at the time and worse as the offseason developed.  There's a very good chance his 2012 option vests and this becomes a three-year, $27MM deal for a questionable defender who turns 36 in March.  CHONE projects a .273/.368/.415 line, not unlike what Johnny Damon should do for one year and $8MM.  Matsui's deal looks a little high, but not excessive.

Rodney was brought in to assume an eighth inning role, and was paid on the strength of his 37 saves rather than his skills.  At least he can help prevent Brian Fuentes' $9MM option for 2011 from vesting, as that requires 55 games finished.

I liked the Pineiro move; Reagins did not panic when Lackey left.  Pineiro is unlikely to match Lackey, but it's still a positive signing.  Reagins also gets a thumbs-up for locking up Maicer Izturis for three years and getting something mildly useful back for Matthews.

Even without Lackey, the Angels have a good shot at improving upon last year's 4.44 rotation ERA.  Ervin Santana and Scott Kazmir are somewhat unpredictable, but have ace potential.  The Angels had the second-best offense in the AL last year, and CHONE predicts a dropoff to more of a middle of the pack performance.  At this point there is no clear AL West favorite, but the Halos remain a respectable contender despite a few questionable free agent contracts.

California Notes: Headley, Angels, Weaver

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Someone alert Dr. Dre and the Beach Boys, since here's a rundown of news from the Golden State…

  • The Padres are so high on Chase Headley that MLB.com's Corey Brock says the team once turned down a deal with Pittsburgh that would've brought Nate McLouth and Xavier Nady to San Diego.
  • MLB.com's Lyle Spencer reports that the Angels will pay their five regular infielders a total of $8.05MM in 2010 — or, almost $1MM less than Chone Figgins by himself will make in Seattle.
  • Tony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles talks to Jeff Weaver, whose minor league contract with the Dodgers allows him to opt out and become a free agent if he doesn't make the club out of spring training.  Weaver said the escape clause allows him to stay out of the minors: "I am here to make this team. If it doesn't work out…then I don't really want to do the Triple-A thing again."
  • As part of a reader mailbag, Jackson said it's unlikely that Jamie McCourt's claim of half-ownership of the Dodgers will hold up in court.  But if it does, then Jackson predicts Frank McCourt "probably will be forced to sell, whether it's to Jamie and the group she allegedly has lined up to buy the club or to someone else."  One would think that if this divorce halves McCourt's fortune as many predict it will, he may have to sell the team regardless of the result of his ex-wife's claim.
  • Scout X (who may or may not be ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski) previews the 2010 season.  One of the more interesting tidbits in the piece is that Scout X would take Matt Cain over Tim Lincecum if he had to choose between the two Giants aces because "Cain pitches with such ease." 

Cafardo’s Latest: Lowell, Mahay, Matsui, Selig

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In his new column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo takes a look at the Tampa Bay Rays, and their desire to recapture their 2008 success. Within the piece, Cafardo also offers up some hot stove nuggets….

  • The Red Sox are serious about keeping Mike Lowell's bat around, but if they do decide to move him, the Twins "could be a major suitor." They've had interest in Lowell in the past, which would likely be renewed if the Sox paid most of the $12MM he's owed.
  • Ron Mahay turned down a minor league contract offer from the Red Sox. It sounds like he's looking for a deal that would guarantee him a spot on a major league roster.
  • The Angels intend to give free agent addition Hideki Matsui a shot in the outfield, despite his knee problems. Yankee officials still don't believe that he'll be physically able to play in the field.
  • Cafardo writes that Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino and Orioles president Andy MacPhail are two names at the top of the list of candidates to replace Bud Selig as baseball's commissioner after 2012.

Odds & Ends: Jeter, Marlins, Fielder, Aurilia, Boras

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If you're in the Northeast, here are some links to check out while you take a break from shoveling…

Gary Sheffield’s Next Team

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Gary Sheffield still wants to play. Actually, he wants to play a lot. Ten days ago, a source told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that Sheffield was still looking for an everyday job. But ask Jermaine Dye how easy it is for aging sluggers to find jobs these days. Dye is five years younger than Sheffield and hit 17 more homers last year, but he hasn't seen an offer he likes. It is not surprising to see the 41-year-old Sheffield unsigned at this point in the offseason.

His defense is far from passable (-12.7 UZR last year in 500 innings), but he adds value with his bat. Sheffield, who is just 311 hits away from 3000, posted a .276/.372/.451 line in New York last year.

The Mets have not contacted Sheffield, but the slugger told the New York Post earlier in the month that he had "things on the table" from other clubs. Let's take a look at how Sheffield would fit on some MLB rosters, starting in the American League, where he can DH:
  • The Blue Jays have Jose Bautista and Randy Ruiz competing for at bats in the outfield and at DH, so the competition is not overwhelming. There's very little chance the rebuilding Jays could turn Sheffield into something valuable at the deadline (that applies to any club).
  • The Rays already have one positionless player. Pat Burrell joins Matt Joyce, Fernando Perez, Gabe Kapler, Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and Dan Johnson in pursuit of limited roster spots, so Sheffield doesn't appear to be a fit in Tampa.  
  • Like the Rays, the Red Sox, Indians, Royals, Angels, Rangers and A's have little need for an extra DH.
  • The Marlins don't have much outfield depth after Chris Coghlan, Cameron Maybin and Cody Ross. 
  • The Cardinals and Astros have limited outfield depth, too.
  • The Nationals have been adding veterans all offseason long, but they have enough outfielders already. 

There doesn't appear to be an everyday job out there for Sheffield. At this point, it appears likely that he'll have to retire, wait for someone to get injured, or accept a minor league deal and a limited role.

Cuban Links: Ruiz, Anderson, Serrano

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Get out the Spanish-English dictionary and put on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…

  • Morgan Campbell at the Toronto Star posits that Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos' recent scouting trip to the Dominican Republic could mean the team is "closing in" on Jose Julio Ruiz. Yesterday, Ruiz's trainer told the Nuevo Herald that the first baseman's most recent tryout, his "last before signing," was against Blue Jays players. The blog cubanballplayers.com also reported on Tuesday that Ruiz had a private tryout with the Jays. Both the team and Prestige Sports Agency, which represents Ruiz, remain mum on any communication.
  • Cuban first baseman/outfielder Leslie Anderson tells Angel Mazariego of the Mexican newspaper Sipse that he is willing to play in Mexico this season if nothing materializes for him in the majors. Anderson lists the Red Sox, Yankees, Mariners, Dodgers, Giants and Brewers as the teams he knows to have scouted him recently. Mazariego adds the Dodgers and Tigers to the list.
  • Amaury Perez Torres at the Cuban baseball blog Las Avispas cites a "source close to" pitching prospect Juan Yasser Serrano saying that the right-hander has worked out for 10 major league teams this winter. Most recently, the source says, Serrano struck out four in a two-inning simulation for the Cubs on February 19, with a fastball that touched 93.
  • If it seems like there is more chatter about Cuban defectors than ever before, that's no coincidence, writes Campbell in the Toronto Star. In a lengthy article, he outlines how more Cuban players are now aiming at the major leagues thanks to the success of Kendry Morales and Yunel Escobar, neither of whom was a starter in Cuba. Equally significant was the contract that third base prospect Dayan Viciedo signed with the White Sox in 2008. A Cuban baseball expert in Canada tells Campbell that Viciedo made players on the island think, "If he can get $10 million, then what am I worth?"
  • Speaking of Morales, Jorge Arangure Jr. adds a new dimension to the first baseman's recent switch from Hendricks Sports Management to Scott Boras in an article in ESPN the Magazine. Rodney Fernandez, who recruited both Morales and Aroldis Chapman for Kendricks, is being investigated by the MLBPA and Florida police in regard to $300K that disappeared from Morales' bank account.

Odds & Ends: Halladay, House, Felipe Lopez

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Links for Wednesday…

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Brewers, Mets, Paulino

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Some links for Tuesday evening…

Mathis Wins Arbitration Hearing With Angels

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Jeff Mathis won his arbitration hearing with the Angels and will earn $1.3MM this year instead of the $700K salary the club offered, according to Ronald Blum of the AP (via Yahoo). The Angels have reached deals with all of their arbitration-eligible players now that Mathis and Erick Aybar have set contracts.

Mathis, 27 next month, shares the team's catching duties with Mike Napoli. Mathis appeared in 84 games for the Angels last season, hitting .211/.288/.308 with five homers. This is Mathis' first year as an arbitration-eligible player and he isn't expected to become a free agent until after the 2012 season.

Angels, Aybar Avoid Arbitration

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The Angels avoided arbitration with shortstop Erick Aybar, signing him to a one-year deal worth at least $2.05MM, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. Aybar can earn $100K in bonuses if he makes 625 plate appearances this year.

The sides agreed on a deal $200K below the midpoint. The Angels had offered $1.75MM and Aybar countered with $2.75MM. This is Aybar's first season as an arbitration-eligible player. He isn't expected to hit free agency until after the 2012 season.

Aybar, who turned 26 last month, hit .312/.353/.423 in 556 plate appearances for the Angels last year. He added value in nearly 1200 innings at short last year, posting a UZR/150 of 7.6.

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