Trading Dealing fast approaching
Old-Timer
Senior Member
Rangers get Beltran and Cleveland gets Miller. I don't care what the Yankees got for Miller he's an established closer who's 31 and with the innings he's pitched he'll pitch until he's 40. Plus from what I understand they have him for two more years and the rate of 9 million a year. The Yankees will always go from one extreme to the other.
Comments
They can get Chapman back next year.
Still a lot of dead wood on the Yankees so will see in the off-season. Looking forward to the seven prospects they picked-up and find out a little about. I hope Rangers fans are happy because they sold the future for this year. Anything less then a World Series win with be a failure.
My Tigers still have to play Cleveland seven times with four at home. Cleveland another team that looks pretty awesome. Could be lots of new blood this year. Also my 16/1 to win it all on Washington I think went up in smoke today they made one half ass move although Melancon having a very good season but if Miller was to be had that's who they needed to get. Giants,Cubs or Washington you pick-em
Edit: Think I just wasted two minutes that I can never get back.
This day bugs me more and more every year. More and more, teams who aren't in the playoff race trade away MLB proven players who are under team control for younger "prospects". It didn't happen so much this year as many of the guys were veterans, but how many years can teams develop a player, bring him up, let him establish himself, then trade him for prospects who wind up doing nothing. Teams seem to start over every year and nothing changes. A couple teams get lucky, the rest stay bad. Remember when Pittsburgh seemed to start over every year. They would trade guys for prospects, some you would never hear of again, a couple did well, and they would trade them again in 2 years and do it all over again. This is the first year I have had time enough to do a lot of reading and it is amazing how many "experts" know nothing. The Angels, Braves, and Orioles have been my three teams since 'I was a kid. The amount of stuff I have read that has been awful on the Angels this summer is mind boggling.
Jim Bowden(how was he ever a GM) said when it came to players the Angels should trade. He mentioned Escobar, which was correct as someone they should trade, or at least see what the offers were, and he said he has gotten good defensively this year. He has been awful defensively. They would be better off letting Simmons cover the entire left side. I've also read where they should have traded Matt Shoemaker and Kole Calhoun(the "take offers for Trout" people should have been fired immediately. If you just look a year or two down the line, the proper path to take becomes very clear). People can't get past two things, they suck this year and they have a bad minor league system. The moves they have made the last two years on the surface make you think "are they that fucking stupid" but I'm left thinking "I hope he is thinking the same thing I am thinking". First, at the trade deadline last year, when they were still in the race for the playoffs, they needed a LF and a SP. They traded for David Murphy, Shane Victorino and David Dejesus. One would be ok, two would probably work best since they are all platoon guys, get Murphy and one of the others, but why all 3? Pujols/Cron were DH/1b, Trout isn't coming out of CF. Without the SP, it wasn't going to matter. People cried they didn't really improve LF enough without also getting a SP so it was a waste. I thought they really didn't care about that season, they just didn't want to take on any longer term contracts. This winter, they went out and platooned their LF again. They made no run for a SP and filled their 3B opening with a short term contract. That should have told people that this year was a waste. Now, every move Eppler has made seems "stupid" so far, but is he thinking what I am thinking, or is he just stupid? My thinking is he is setting up everything for the next two years. Not trading their young controllable good players at the deadline makes me think that is his thinking as well. They aren't quite the mess overall that they are made out to be, there is just one glaring issue now but that was not their doing. This is why.
Angels lineup
1B/DH Pujols signed thru 2021 / Cron(controllable thru 2020)
2B Giavotella(controllable thru 2019)/ Petit(not sure what his contract situation is)
SS Simmons(signed thru 2020)
3B Escobar(club option after this year)
LF Nava(1 more year of arb)/Johnny Whole Bench
CF Trout(signed thru 2020)
RF Calhoun(controllable thru 2019)
C Bandy(controllable for 6 years)/Perez(controllable for 6 years)/Soto(FA)
SP Richards(controllable thru 2018)
SP Andrew Heaney(controllable for 6 years)
SP Tyler Skaggs(controllable thru 2019)
SP Nick Tropeano(controllable for 6 years)
SP Matt Shoemaker(Controllable thru 2020)
We will get to the bullpen later. When you look at their positions players, 1B/DH is ok. It would be even better if you can get Cron to hit before June and sit Pujols out all April.
As far as their starting staff, the UCL issues have killed them. Richards, Tropeano, Heaney. Skaggs just coming back. Skaggs has looked good, let's look on the bright side and say 2 of the other 3 come back as good as they were and one of them is Richards(now it probably won't be until 2018 unless they get very lucky with the stem cell injection, but we are looking on the bright side here so lets say he is ready for 2017).
Possible starting rotation for 2017
Richards
Shoemaker
Skaggs
Nolasco(personally I'd rather have kept Santiago)
??? (assuming Heaney/Tropeano won't be ready until 2018)
Pen
Street is locked in for another year and then he has a player option for 2018. He will probably take it if he continues to struggle, but I can see them moving him down to the 8th inning/trading him if he continues to struggle. Cam Bedrosian is probably the heir apparant to the spot(team control for 6 years). They have a couple other arms down there that have done pretty well this year so it isn't a glaring issue, probably need 1 more good arm.
Without the injuries, not a bad rotation, but they need a SP for next year. Obviously you would like to add an ace, but let's say you add a #2, an above avg 3B, and an average LF to the lineup above. I haven't checked who is going to be a FA this winter but let's say that's what you add(I'm the GM, that's what I add). That team can now compete for the playoffs. That's a lot of money for one winter, so maybe you say you can only get 2 of those guys this winter. You look at what is out there, and go after a SP and one of the others. If you find a LF you take the club option on Escobar. You find the 3B, you still have Nava for 1 arb year. Where is all this money coming from?
Jered Weaver 20.2 million, off the books this year. Thank you for your service Jered, thank you for giving us a home town discount on the contract, but we repaid you by keeping you in the rotation the last 2 years and not sending you to the pen or out the door.
CJ Wilson 20.5 million, off the books this year. 2nd dumbest move they made with all the money Pujols contract brought in.
40.7 million, can you get a SP and 3B/LF for that? Ok, you get two weaknesses taken care of.
2018 you get one of Heaney/Tropeano back healthy, may get lucky and get them both back. Now you need to get whatever you didn't get the year before of the 3B/LF. If you didnt get the 3B, you get another 9 million off the books from Escobar's option and this:
Josh Hamilton 28.4 million off the books. The dumbest move they ever made. Even if he put up numbers, he is not a Scioscia type player, way too fucking lazy.(although Scioscia probably needed to go about 2 years ago as well).
You now have a really good team without the need of a good minor league system. Don't get me wrong, I liked it when the Angels were bringing guys up left and right and they were producing, but once you start trading away your system and signing proven pros, you can't go back now without a complete reboot. If you do that, it has to start with Trout going away and I can't see that happening. You also can't stick a skeleton lineup around Trout and expect him to want to be there. At this point, it is full steam ahead thru at least 2020. If he leaves for 2021, you can then decide to blow it up and start over, and/or hope your system has recovered since then. Short term, trading guys like Shoemaker and Calhoun this year, would have pretty much ended any chance of being competitive for the next couple years and just about waste Mike Trout. You need them and they are cheap. The fix is available and why you don't need to blow up a team every year they don't make the playoffs.
Cashman did a great job and with there building plans fans in New York should be excited. Seeing them play last night it just looks like a different team with a different attitude with aggressive baserunning and overall play. Yea I was disappointed with Miller being traded but will see how Betances does as closer. His interview after the game seemed sincere and he does have the stuff to be a closer but closing games is more a mind set so will see.
People have speculated that it's possible that they go out and get Chapman next year. Over the next couple of years a lot money should be coming off the books and with players like Didi, Pineda (Who I think is an top of the rotation pitcher when healthy) who need to be paid and speaking of Betances he needs to be paid also. I'm an A-Rod fan always have been and I believe he's not done it's just he needs to play every day and that's not going to happen in NY. Not a big fan of Tex never have been like to see him go. I like Ellsbury if he can stay on the field and Garner also he's just a baseball player. So time will tell but whichever way it goes they did a great job.
As for Reds you just don't what's on there mind and I'm really glad that Cueto is gone and I look forward to watching him every fifth day. I remember last year when people were talking about him like he was overrated. The guy was hurt and this shows the people that didn't believe that in my book he's one with Bum and you can flip them anyway you want. The Giants have a tough three weeks ahead after this Philly series so they better start hitting the ball and I'm hoping that Philly helps them out and gets there bats going.
StevieY, Always enjoy reading your stuff and good luck this Football Season. Thanks for time and thoughts.
Miller isn't exactly an established closer......before this year his top 2 seasons are 36 and 1 save.
So his career saves are 36, 9(this yr), and 1.
That is far from being anything close to an established closer. The Cubs will have plenty of money to spend on Chapman. They don't have any big contracts to give out to their current players.
They may have money but Epstein doesn't spend money on closers. If they re-sign Chapman, it will be a first and I can't see them shelling out 20 mil for him. Pay 20 mil to have Rondon in the 8th/Chapman in the 9th, or 9 million for Miller in the 8th/Rondon in the 9th, I'd take the latter. I just can't see this being more than a 2 month rental. If it is, then he is being loose with the payroll. Their payroll goes up 12.5 mill with Heyward and Zobrist, arb year with Arrietta may be worth 4-5 million extra, arb with Rondon won't go up much from the 4.2 mil he is making but you are talking about an 18 mil increase right there not including non-arb players contract increases. 172 mil payroll this year, 190 at the least next year. 2018 contracts go up another 3 million, with Bryant and Hendricks entering their arb years and Arrietta and Lackey FA. They will gain about 30 mil in payroll back but will either have to resign them or find 2 more SP's. Chapman is going to be demanding a long term deal(probably at least 4 years). I think the Cubs will have some raises to give out in that period. I really think if they considering a longer term move, it would have been with someone like Miller.
Can you imagine the value of the club if they win? The Ricketts family will make more than they can count.
Theo is in total win now mode, and Chapman make more sense. Plus he is a full 3 yrs younger, with far fewer pitches that Miller.
The guy I think they might have over valued is Montgomery. They have quite a few guys coming back (LaStella, Soler, Cahill, Hammell) so a few guys are not going to be on the playoff roster, Joe Smith can't possibly be pitching in the playoffs.
Betting against Arrieta and it's been like Xmas Morning so I shouldn't think close my eyes and click the Over on on Seattle/LAA
The party's over for the Freak. In his 9 starts for LAA a 2.37 WHIP and a 9+ERA. To rub some salt, the Angels made some nice defensive plays behind him or........yes it cudda been worse. He's GONE.