Angels Make Their Best Move of 2012

Its only January and the Angels have already made the biggest splash of the 2012/13 offseason.  They re-signed All-Star 2nd Baseman Howie Kendrick (perennial favorite of this site, and many Angels fans) to a 4 year deal worth $33.5 Million.  This effectively takes one of the most prized possessions of the 2012 Free Agent field off the market.

Looking like a 5-tool player (if his power numbers continue to rise) at 2nd base, Kendrick was sure to get a nice big contract after the season.  Now, the Angels have locked him up for what seems to be a bargain (at about $8.4 million a season) for the next 4 years.  Now, anyone on the team who has even sniffed an all-star team, (Kendrick, Weaver, Haren, Pujols, Wilson, Santana, Walden, Hunter, Wells, Bourjos) is locked up with the Angels through at least the end of the 2013 season.  2 whole seasons of the current club could spell trouble for the rest of the AL West.

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Speaking of the rest of the West, the Texas Rangers and Japanese pitching phenom Yu Darvish have still yet to agree on a deal, despite having obtained the exclusive negotiating rights over 20 days ago.  With about 8 days left to sign a contract with the club, Darvish seems to be getting closer and closer to heading back to Japan for at least another season.

Winter Meetings Recap Part 1: I'm Just Albert

So, are you ready for a Seat, Soda and Hot Dog at Angel Stadium to be twice as expensive as it was last year, when our starting First Baseman was a "oh shit, Kendrys isn't ready" replacement from AAA? Well, maybe not twice as expensive, but it will be damn close.

After finally figuring out the combination to his safe, Angels owner Arte Moreno finally put up some big numbers to bring in some big stars, none of them bigger than 3-Time NL MVP Albert Pujols, considered by many to already be a Top 5 hitter all-time.

Many are already jumping on the Angels for making the deal. Complaining that Pujols will be 42 in the 10th year of his deal. While that is true, if the Angels can manage a World Championship or two in the first 6 or 7 years of the deal, won't that be worth still paying the best player of the last 30 years $25 Million when he is in his 40's? Not to mention he will be in the American League, where once his legs start to slow down, he can move over to Designated Hitter fairly easily.

Its pretty clear that if the Cardinals had signed the slugger to the similar deal they had proposed (10 years, $220 million), no one would be saying anything but "Its good for the Cardinals to finally pay the man." That's just it, for years, the Cardinals had underpaid for the future Hall-of-Famer, its about time he gets paid what he is worth.

I could go on and on, defending the Halos on the Albert Pujols deal. In the end, if you think its a bad deal, I'm not going to change your mind. Everyone made up their mind about it yesterday, and nothing is going to change that. In 10 years, we will find out who was right. Until then, its just a lot of fun to talk about.

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Its pretty hilarious how mad St. Louis Cardinals fans are about Pujols leaving, as though he left them in the cold. 3 MVP awards, 10 All-Star Games, 3 NL Pennants, 2 Championships. That is a pretty fantastic decade. He had been upset with the way the Cardinals management had underpaid him all these years, and he stayed loyal as long as he could. The Cardinals will recover, and probably fight for a playoff spot again next year. St. Louis needs to just be happy that their hero deserved to get paid, and get paid he did.

Also, this (stolen from twitter, who stole it from ESPN) made me laugh:

Welcome to the Evil Empire

Its been a long time coming.

Years and years of talk, years and years of "this will be the year Arte opens his wallet". Finally, that waiting and patience has paid off. Spending roughly $340 Million on Albert Pujols (a top 5 hitter all time), CJ Wilson (Our biggest rivals Ace and the best free agent pitching available) and LaTroy Hawkins (A veteran left handed reliever who is a great clubhouse guy and long-time friend of Torii Hunter).

Now, I'll go a little deeper into the discussion about Albert and CJ a little later, but I just wanted to take today to establish the Angels as the new "Bad Guys" in town. With our $150 Million Payroll (likely quite a bit more, when things are all said and done) we are no longer a upper middle class team. We are the 1%. We are the Yankees of the West, and I couldn't be happier. As Angels fans, we need to relish this opportunity to be the most hated team this side of the Mississippi. Tease fans of poor teams, and welcome the boos you receive when you don your Angels apparel in opposing parks.

You are on notice Angels fans. You need to step up to the plate, absorb the hate as well as our Yankee brethren to the east do. You need to sell out games against bad teams. You need to cheer as loud as you can for Albert, CJ, Jered and the rest of the gang. If we are going to spend money like the Yankees, we need to be as loud and passionate as their fans.

I believe in you Angels fans, now lets get out there and let Arte know he has our full support.

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I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I've been writing since July, because I haven't been. But I'm back now and that's all that matters. I've already contacted the new owners of AngelsNation.net and asked if they'd be willing to sell the name back to me. Otherwise, this will likely be AngelsNation.org in a few weeks. Its good to be back.

Vernon Wells = Mike Napoli?

Bad News Angels fans: Not only have the Halo's cut ties with the 2010 leader in Home Runs, but we have now associated ourselves with one of the worst contracts in Major League history. The terribly under-performing Vernon Wells is coming west to play for my beloved Angels, and I don't think I could be more unenthusiastic.

The Positive? He will bring solidity to a Left Field position that has been a crap shoot since Garret Anderson got old. He is a defensive AND offensive upgrade from Juan Rivera, but it comes at a (BIG) Price.

Not only are we going to have to suck up some of his $86 Million owed over the next 4 years, but we lost one of the best young catchers in baseball. Mike Napoli is headed to the great white north to play for the Jays.

The deal is official, and Vernon has waived his no-trade clause. He is currently in Anaheim for his physical, and once he passes that, the deal is done and the Angels have made one of the more mind-boggling moves in franchise history.

My Angels Christmas List.

I don't care about Carl Crawford, Zach Greinke, Cliff Lee or even Adrian Beltre anymore.

All I want for Christmas is news. Any news. News that Mike Napoli had a successful filling on one of his wisdom teeth. News that Mike Butcher's Daughter's Christmas program was "Good, not great". ANYTHING. Something real. Not some BS that Scott Podsednik is someone Tony Reagins likes. Not some other BS that Justin Upton is "really close" to being an Angel.

Something factual, something solid. Not more speculation that Adrian Beltre is asking for Alex Rodriguez money. Or that as soon as Francisco Rodriguez is released from jail, the Mets will trade him back to us for some baseball's and a ham sandwich.

I also have hope that next season, Mike and the gang will be less stubborn about keeping in guys like Abreu, Rivera and Izturis, rather than calling up guys like Trumbo, Trout and Conger. As a baseball fan, and more importantly an Angel fan, I just hope that we field a team better than what was on display for most of 2010.

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Angels Nation would like to wish you and your family the safest and happiest holiday season, from the bottom of our hearts. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Worst Case Scenarios

Angels Fans love to reminice about a time when we were Three-Time Defending Division Champions... or had won 5 of the last 6 Western Division titles. I remember like it were yesterday. Always having something to brag about to my friends who were Rangers, A's or M's fans. I loved always being a champion (even if it meant getting slaughtered by the Sox in October). But, as much as I'd love to relive those glory days, it doesn't mean I'm on the same boat as other Angels fans, who seem to want to bring back Vlad, Figgins, etc.

Don't get me wrong, Vlad seems like a decent fit, but his power numbers only went up last year because he played in a hitters parks, the opposite of what Angel Stadium is. Chone Figgins had, by far, his worst statistical season last year. He had career lows in Runs, Home Runs, Batting Average and Slugging, and career highs in Errors and Strikeouts. Not to mention he grounded into 19 double-plays... that's more than twice he ever had in any other single season to date. Mind you, the Errors would probably decrease when he moves back to Third Base (to make room for Brendan Ryan), but the numbers don't lie. Figgy is not the lead-off hitter he used to be, nor should he be considered for the job.

But the Angels need someone, don't they? Well, someone at the OC Register today kicked around the idea of trading Arbitration eligible Alberto Callaspo and AAAA Player Brandon Wood to the M's for Figgins. I suppose in a worst case scenario, Figgins would work, but we wouldn't be a playoff team. At this point, I'd rather have Erick Aybar (*shudder*) or Peter Bourjos (He can't hit .204 forever, can he?) lead off for the Angels. Don't get me wrong, I'd welcome back Figgy with open arms, and I'd cheer for him whenever I made it out to the ballpark, but I don't think the right move for this team is to revisit the past with players past their prime.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Don't look now, but the American League West just got a little bit worse. When Cliff Lee decided to take his talents back to the City of Brotherly Love, the Texas Rangers slid right back into mediocrity.

This feels very familiar to a week ago when the Angels let Carl Crawford slip right through their fingers, and another team came out of nowhere and scooped him up with a better deal in a "better baseball city".

So, after a month and a half of off-season deals, the Angels and Rangers have gotten little to show for it. A few relievers and a couple of huge miscues on the top two free agents available. In essence, both teams have got nothing to show for the huge amount of money the supposedly had available to spend this off-season.

In the end, the West comes out the losers, once again. The Angels, Rangers and other West Coast teams just aren't as attractive a local for prospective Free Agents. I've begun to come to terms with this, and hope that the table scraps like the Beltre's and Guerrero's of the world can produce better than I think they can.

Reagins: "I'll see your Carl Crawford, and raise you: Scott Downs!"

Lets just go ahead and hand Tony Reagins GM of the Year right now. He knew one thing about the Angels last year. They had no lefties in their bullpen. When Arte told him to fix the problems with the club, he took him quite literally.

Sure, he had pressure from Arte, Hunter and the Fans to sign Carl Crawford, but hey... he had to get some left-handed relievers, and nothing was going to stop him, especially some loser outfielder from Tampa Bay ((Not) Real quote from Tony Reagins: "Tampa Bay? They have a Team now").

Well, even with the Red Sox and Nationals throwing Hundreds of Millions of dollars at All-Star Outfielders, I think its pretty clear that the Angels are going to win this offseason hands down. First Takahashi from the Mets (remember 1986? They are like Red Sox killers over there!!) and now Downs from the Blue Jays (Joe Carter!!!!).

When Arte Moreno calls Reagins into his office after the rest of the Hot Stove season has settled, and starts barking at him for not doing enough, Reagins is going to have a the best defense ever. "Dude, Arte, man... The team didn't have, like, any Left Handed relievers last year... and we like... lost a bunch! *giggles* Well, now I went out and got like, 4 of 'em... how can we lose now?!"

Arte will have to bow down to the superior baseball mind and Tony Reagins will then negotiate his $123 million dollar raise (leftover money from the Carl Crawford fund).

Angels Talk to Lee's Agent (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Free Agency)

As the Winter Meetings come to a close, and more players are getting signed, the Angels have stood firmly planted on their stance of not signing anyone you've heard of. Since signing former Mets Reliever Takahashi, the Angels haven't done much of anything, except continue to be in the talks in signing Free Agents Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre. Well, last night, Angels GM Tony Reagins was in contact with Professional Yankee's Daddy Cliff Lee's Agent Darek Braunecker (I've give you a second to catch up with that run-on.... ok, lets go). If for nothing else, just to ruffle the feathers of the Yankees and Rangers (the only two teams considered to be true contenders for the Cy Young Winner). However, there are a number of great reasons for the Angels to sign Cliff Lee, lets go over them now:

1. Our biggest rivals, the Rangers and Yankees, won't have him. This is easily the most important, as Cliff Lee has always had a good track record against the Angels and in Angel Stadium.

2. Between Lee, Weaver, Haren, Santana and Pineiro, the Angels would have maybe the best rotation in Major League history. A man can dream, can't he?

3. It would likely force the Yankees or Rangers to acquire Zach Greinke from the Royals. Therefore making 100% of the games the Angels play against Kansas City a complete waste of time for everyone involved.

While its simply a pipe dream, and to be honest, I'd rather have Crawford and Beltre than just Lee, its still something pretty amazing to think about. Maybe someday, we will get a GM with the balls to pull this off.

As it is now, though, Cliff Lee and his agent are keeping the other top Free Agents hostage. The Yankees aren't going to pursue Crawford or Beltre too strongly until they know if they've got Cliff Lee or not. The Rangers aren't going to do a damn thing either. The Red Sox seem to have made their moves, and everyone seems too poor to make a run at Crawford right now.

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Moving on to other Hot Stove news:

-Carlos Pena has agreed to a one year contract with the Chicago Cubs. I don't think it will be enough to make them contenders, but at worst, it makes them better.

-The Kansas City Royals sign Jeff Francouer. Oh man... I know who my 2011 World Series pick will be now.

-Jack Cust signs with the Seattle Mariners. Oh man... I know who my 2011 World Series pick will be now.

-Paul Konerko is staying in Chicago to play for the White Sox. With how high they were speaking of him, and how no one else really showed any interest, I'm shocked... to say the least.

The Hot Stove is on Fire.

Eh, maybe thats a slight exaggeration. Miguel Tejada is taking his talents to the Bay Area, to replace Juan Uribe on the defending Champion San Francisco Giants. Man, I'd never thought I'd have to type that sentence.

In more hot stove tid-bits:

-The Dodgers (who signed the aforementioned Uribe) traded Ryan Theriot to the Cardinals for a right-handed minor league pitcher.

-The Texas Rangers bolstered (we'll see...) their bullpen by signing Japanese Side-Armer Yoshinori Tateyama, formerly of the Nippon-Ham Fighters (my favorite team name in all of sports) of the Japanese Pacific League. Tateyama had a career low 1.80 ERA in 58 appearances last season.

-The Oakland A's have reported interest in former Astros/Yankee First Basemen Lance Berkman. When asked about the Athletics interest, Berkman was quoted as saying "Woah, someone is interested? Did they not see my 3 month Yankee career".

-The Texas teams signed a couple of lackluster backup catchers this week in Yorvit Torreabla and Huberto Quintero (to the Rangers and Astros, respectively), the rest of the league was reportedly unaware these guys still played baseball.

-The Colorado Rockies handed all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki a blank check Tuesday. It ended up being good enough for the 8th highest contract in MLB History. Thats right. 1 time all-star of the Colorado Rockies, Troy Tulowitzki, is going to be one of the 10 wealthiest men in baseball history. Go figure. Tulo is guaranteed $157.7 Million Dollars over the next 10 years. Insane.

-The Rangers (again with the Rangers? I had to talk about you for all of October, its time for you to go away now) reportedly were interested in signing long-time Yankee Lefty Andy Pettitte, but have recently denied such claims. Rumor has it the Yankees were upset that they were even talking to the winningest pitcher in post-season history, and threatened to offer Cliff Lee even more money to leave Texas. If the Rangers stay relevant, this could be a great rivalry for years to come.

-No word yet on Carl Crawford, but the most recent report I heard was that most GM's and Experts would be shocked if, at this point, he didn't end up an Angel by the first of the year.

I've already written far too much, and for that, I apologize. Oh, and yes, the picture is taken from The Sims, but that was the best picture of a stove on fire the internet had to offer.

Yankees to Jeter: "Test the Market"

Jeter to Yankees: "Yeah? Well **** You!"

Not really, but man, wouldn't that be awesome? Let me preface this post by saying I love Jeter, and like the Yankees, but the Angels take precedence, and my dream world is completely nonsensical. Oh, and the Yankees did, in fact, tell Jeter to test the market, because they think he is asking for too much money, and while that might be true, the Yankees need Jeter more than Jeter needs the Yankees.

Its like telling Babe Ruth or Joe DiMaggio to take a hike, just because they are getting older. Granted, Jeter's 2010 was not a typical "I'm going to be a Free Agent, I need to play better" season. But his worth to the Yankees over the last 15 years is not to be ignored. 1/3rd of the seasons Jeter has been in a Yankee uniform, the Yankees have won the World Series. A Third! Any given season Jeter has been in Yankee Pinstripes, the Yankees have had a one in three shot of winning it all! Not to mention, they have made the world series 7 of those 15 seasons.

Regardless, if the Yankees dont want him, and for whatever awful reason we can't sign Carl Crawford, the Angels should go after him. Well, him and Jayson Werth, because we will still need someone who can actually still hit a baseball. Jeter would be a fantastic fit on the Angels, and a great reason to finally get rid of Erick Aybar, my nemesis.

Jeter is a great clubhouse guy, a team leader on and off the field, and is clutch in September and October. Not to mention it solidifies the Shortstop Position defensively. Even if he doesn't have the range or the arm of Aybar, he is far less prone to stupid throwing errors, or simply giving up on plays. Even if his bat isn't as potent, it can't be any worse than some of the sub-.250 hitters we had last season (Aybar included).

Also, consider this: In 69 Career Games in Angel Stadium, Jeter is hitting .344 with 10 Home Runs and 42 RBI's... Need more convincing? I didn't think so.

I 100% believe that Jeter will still be in a Yankee uniform next season, but if he isn't, for whatever reason, I hope to god its an Angel Jersey.

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More congratulations are in order for the 2010 AL/NL MVP's, Josh Hamilton of the Rangers and Joey Votto of the Reds. I won't pretend to understand why Votto was the NL MVP. He had a really good year on a really mediocre Reds team that happened to have the most wins in a terrible division. Josh Hamilton makes more sense, although he owes a lot to Vladimir Guerrero. Once people found out Vlad could hit again, Josh started seeing a good amount of hittable pitches. Regardless, congrats on the new hardware.

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In some non-Yankees related Hot Stove news, Catcher/First Basemen Victor Martinez (formerly of the Indians and Red Sox) has agreed to terms on a deal with the Detroit Tigers.

Also, the door has almost completely been shut on Hideki Matsui's Angel career. The Angels have not offered the 2009 World Series MVP Arbitration, and it would appear he will be testing the Free Agent market himself.

Slow News Month...

Yeah, I could have talked about the Gold Gloves or the Silver Sluggers, but an Angel didn't win either of those (nor did they really deserve to). I could also go in depth on the Rookie of the Year award, which is about to be announced, but again, no Angels rookies are really in the running, nor should they be (Paul McAnulty was THAT close).

The Free Agency period is already (kind of) here, but most moves wont start happening for a few weeks. The GM meetings are tomorrow and Wednesday, but most of what happens there will be build-up towards the Owners meetings from December 6th-9th. Thats when the Hot Stove really starts to heat up (ugh, what a cliched phrase, shoot me now).

Regardless, when any news breaks about the Angels, or any Angels players (aka former Angels players, aka hopefully Bobby Abreu), I'll post it here about 3 hours after I heard about it on twitter!