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Lackey Extends Deadline For Extension Talks?

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Previously, Angels pitcher John Lackey had expressed a desire to wrap up contract extension talks by Opening Day.  A couple weeks ago Lackey suggested the Angels were "not trying very hard" and he'd be comfortable going to free agency.  It was thought that Lackey wanted something in the range of five years and $80MM.

The Angels are willing to talk about an extension during the season.  Now that Lackey is dealing with an elbow injury, he's softened his stance according to Mike DiGiovanna and Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times:

"Opening day is not my opening day anymore," said Lackey, who was shut down two weeks ago because of a forearm strain. "I'm going to let my agent handle that. I'm just worried about getting healthy now and helping us win. It's not going to be a distraction."

It's a tough call for the Angels – do they use this leverage to sign Lackey at a reasonable price?  Or do they consider the '08 and '09 injuries red flags for the future?

Angels Open In Lackey Negotiations

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According to Kevin Baxter of the LA Times Angels GM Tony Reagins has no deadline for a possible extension with John Lackey, though the pitcher has made Opening Day his deadline.

"We're not putting any time limit or timetable on it," Reagins said. "Whether it's Spring Training or during the season or after the season."

Lackey will make $9MM this year and he is reportedly seeking a five-year deal worth $80-90MM.

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels

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Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Angels.  Here's what we wrote about them on October 15th.  Changes for 2009:

Additions:  Brian Fuentes, Bobby Abreu, Juan Rivera (re-signed), Darren Oliver (accepted arbitration)

Subtractions: Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Garret Anderson, Jon Garland, Darren O'Day.  Midseason: Casey Kotchman

The Angels were 10th in the AL last year with 4.72 runs scored per game.  GM Tony Reagins wasn't able to retain Teixeira, but Abreu for less than 3% of the guaranteed money ain't bad.  CHONE projections and the lineup analysis tool suggest this team will score 5.16 runs per game in '09.  The Angels' offense is better than I realized.

If last year's run prevention holds up, the Angels project to win around 95 games.  Let's take a closer look.

The '08 rotation posted a 4.14 ERA in 1012 innings, and they've since subtracted Garland and his 4.90 mark in favor of Kelvim Escobar (once he's ready).  Throw in Dustin Moseley as the sixth man and the rotation projects around 4.10.  The problem is that Ervin Santana and John Lackey are ailing and may not combine for 56 starts again.  Still, if Santana and Lackey can combine for 300 innings the Angels should be fine.  Nobody is out for the season currently.  The Angels' toughest division rival, the Athletics, have at least as much rotation uncertainty.

Last year's bullpen posted a 3.69 ERA in 439.3 innings.  I liked the Fuentes signing.  Natural regression probably puts the bullpen closer to 4.00, but that's not too bad.

Defensively the Angels ranked 9th in the AL according to The Fielding Bible II.  They may slip a bit further without Kotchman and Teixeira at first base.

All in all I see the Angels winning 90-91 games as presently constructed.  Obviously the health of the rotation is a huge variable, but I imagine Reagins will make an acquisition if one of the injuries turns out to be major.

Bottom line: The Angels patched over their free agent losses with more affordable players in Fuentes and Abreu.  The Halos again have a strong club barring a rotation catastrophe.

Odds & Ends: McPherson, Izzy, Hammel

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Happy April Fools, or something.  Here are your Wednesday night links…

  • Mike Axisa over at River Ave. Blues believes the Yankees should take a long look at former top prospect Dallas McPherson.
  • Sam A. Miller of the Orange County Register presents some best-case scenario projections for the 2009 Angels.
  • Jason Isringhausen is going to stick it out with the Rays.  He'll be placed on the disabled list to start the season, but could be pitching for Tampa by mid-May.
  • Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus discusses some of the Rays' offseason moves with RaysProspects.com.  He also touches on Jason Hammel's trade value.
  • Pirates president Frank Coonelly hosted a chat with fans at MLB.com on Wednesday.
  • Mariners Rule 5 pick Jose Lugo, a reliever, has been returned to the Twins.
  • Another Rule 5 pick, catcher James Skelton, has been waived by the Diamondbacks.
  • If you missed it, take a look at Tim's Tuesday chat. 
  • Join the fun!  Add MLBTR to your Twitter following tonight.  And hey, while you're at it, why not check out your (attention craving) friend Drew Silva as well?

Angels Eyeing Aaron Harang?

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The Aaron Harang chatter started with ESPN's Peter Gammons on March 22nd.  Gammons wrote:

The Reds have let teams know that they will wait and see whether they need to move Aaron Harang during the season.

But then the next day Reds GM Walt Jocketty said, "I'm not going to comment on something when he doesn't know what he's talking about" and laughed off the rumor, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Harang's name came up again in yesterday's Ken Rosenthal column, in association with a one-sided call from the Angels to the Reds about taking Gary Matthews Jr. off their hands.

Today, ESPN's Buster Olney adds to the rumblings:

Joe Saunders is coping with a dead arm. No wonder the Angels have dispatched a scout to go see the Reds' Aaron Harang make his next spring start.

Saunders' arm is already alive again, but John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Ervin Santana are all dealing with injuries. 

Gary Matthews Jr. Comments

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Yahoo's Tim Brown talked to Gary Matthews Jr., who is unhappy about his projected role as the Angels' fourth or fifth outfielder.  Matthews didn't exactly publicly demand a trade, but he said things like "We have a problem" and "It's going to have to get resolved."  Problem is, no team seems interested in taking on the $33MM owed to Matthews.  The Angels would have to eat money or match up with another bad contract, and they might just prefer to keep Matthews in a reserve role.

Over at his blog, Torii Hunter tries to explain where his teammate is coming from.

Rosenthal On Matthews, Thomas, Hammel, Niemann

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column…

  • The Angels attempted to sell the Reds on Gary Matthews Jr., but it was a one-sided discussion. The Reds have no desire to trade Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang for Matthews.  Angels GM Tony Reagins told Rosenthal, "We haven't had much discussions with respect to trades and trade possibilities."   UPDATE: Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay he hasn't talked to the Angels since the Winter Meetings.
  • Free agent DH Frank Thomas is still waiting for an offer.  He intends to delay a decision about retirement until at least the All-Star break.  My thought – his situation just got a bit tougher with Gary Sheffield becoming available.
  • Rosenthal says the Rays could keep both Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann and cut Lance Cormier, if trade offers for the first two aren't acceptable.  Rosenthal adds the Rangers, Nationals, and Indians to the already known suitors (Padres, Pirates, and Rockies).  He names the Brewers as "yet another possibility."  Rosenthal says the Angels attempted to acquire Niemann a year ago but learned from Reagins that they're not actively looking for pitching.
  • The Phillies ate Adam Eaton's contract, but team president David Montgomery is unwilling to do the same to make Geoff Jenkins go away. 
  • Rosenthal says the offers received for Rockies infielder Jeff Baker "have not been enticing."  They may elect to keep him.

Heyman On Strasburg, Lackey, Pedro

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SI.com's Jon Heyman has a new column up.

  • In talking to club execs who have spoken with Scott Boras about Stephen Strasburg, Heyman believes Boras does have $50MM in mind.  Boras allegedly likened Strasburg to fictional pitcher Sidd Finch, with the plan being to shatter previous draft pick bonuses by using Daisuke Matsuzaka's contract as a model.  One Nationals person told Heyman, "We'll pay the $10 million, and we'll get him signed."  This much is clear: we'll have something off the field to talk about in August.   For more Strasburg Mania, check out this article by Steve Henson at Yahoo.
  • Heyman learned from Nationals sources that Stan Kasten and team ownership, not Jim Bowden, cut off the Aaron Crow negotiations at $3.3MM.  Kasten's had many applicants for Bowden's GM job, but Heyman's sources expect Mike Rizzo to retain the gig.
  • A Heyman source estimated that the Angels offered John Lackey four years and around $50MM.  Talks are on hold given Lackey's elbow injury.  He didn't want to negotiate during the season anyway.  The latest report on Lackey's injury is pretty good.
  • Pedro Martinez still wants $5MM, and is "willing to wait well into the season."  Heyman believes the Dodgers, Indians, Pirates, Astros, and Mets are possibilities now.

Gammons Notes: Angels, Delcarmen

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A little hot stove info from ESPN's Peter Gammons:

Word is the Angels are worried enough about their starting pitching to look around, especially at the Reds. And several Arizona teams have expressed interest in Boston reliever Manny Delcarmen. Boston needs a catcher, and could use another infielder and even another outfielder.

The Angels have concerns at the front of their rotation with John Lackey and Ervin Santana.  The reasonable Reds target for the Halos would have to be Aaron Harang (my own speculation).  A week ago, Gammons wrote about the Reds possibly moving Harang during the season, but GM Walt Jocketty seemed to reject the idea.

As for the teams interested in Delcarmen, here's a reminder of the Arizona Spring Training clubs: the D'Backs, Cubs, White Sox, Indians, Rockies, Royals, Angels, Dodgers, Brewers, A's, Padres, Giants, Mariners, and Rangers.

Matthews Jr. Leaves Camp For A Day

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Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times writes that Gary Matthews Jr. was permitted to leave camp for a day, following a closed-door meeting with Mike Scioscia and Tony Reagins. Scioscia and Reagins informed Matthews during the meeting that he will open the season with the Angels as their fifth outfielder.

Matthews is entering the third year of a five-year, $50MM contract with a full no-trade clause. It's believed that he would waive that clause in order to move to a team where he could play every day. Three remaining years and $33MM owed make him nearly impossible to trade, however.

Reagins said that Matthews is in the Angels' Opening Day plans, but had this to say when asked if Matthews would still be an Angel in a week:

"This game can change on a daily basis."

Matthews chose not to discuss the meeting with reporters, asking for a day to himself before commenting on the situation.

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