What was the biggest story of the offseason. In the context of how the '08/'09 offseason impacts the Angel historically, here is my list.
1. Santana Extension - this will pay dividends thru at least the "early teens" of our new century.
2. ADDED TO LIST: Scioscia Extension - thanks to poster 44fan for reminding me of this - Our manager has a TEN YEAR CONTRACT ... I think that actually might be a FIRST in baseball history and is an absolute testament to the stability of this franchise. For longtime Angel fans... Stability? WHO'DA EVAH THUNK IT?
3. G.A. Jettisoned - a top ten all-time Angel has played his final game with a Halo... and not a hard feeling at all...
4. Teix Leaves Arte at the Altar - the Angels did not "fail to re-sign him" or "let him go" ... they were abandoned, plain and simple, by a guy who wanted to play elsewhere.
5. The Abreu Bargain - a semi-big name is late addition to the lineup.
6. Fuentes Signed - a suitable replacement for Frankie is signed to a reasonable contract.
7. Juan Rivera Re-Signed - another fiscal bargain and a memo to Matthews to bring a seat cushion to the stadium each day this summer for that bench.
8. Finally... some draft picks - Teix leaving and Frankie moving on lead to 4 draft picks before the 2nd round... time to replenish the farm.
Kind of a slow and steady offseason that fills the hole and plans for the future, all keeping spending reasonable yet fair.
0 recs | 46 comments
No single spectacular move
But no huge moments of insanity either, thankfully (damnit GMJ). Solid offseason overall.
I would have to say that the Santana deal was the smartest move and we’ll see its true value in the next two or three years, although Abreu might turn out to be a surprise (though probably a disappointment, given how long it was discussed here). The whole Teixeira thing hurt a lot, though.
442 - February 16, 2009
HURT
agree.
HE hurt US.
Important to remember because the franchise made a good-no a GREAT faith effort to keep him in a Halo and he just could not be bothered.
Rev Halofan - February 16, 2009
I couldn't tell if you were being sarcastic or not
I mean it from more of a baseball standpoint – we all saw what the team was capable of with Teix in the lineup and now we’re going to have to revert to our old ways, while the Yankees win 150 games.
442 - February 16, 2009
The Yankees will miss the playoffs again
Seriously.
1) They did nothing to shore up one of the worst defenses in the league, except Tex.
2) They signed CC, who has so much wear on that arm from the last two-three years I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him on the DL by the ASB.
3) AJ Burnett to a five year deal. That man couldn’t stay healthy if he took a daily swim in the fountain of youth.
4) Bullpen. If they decide to use Joba in the rotation and something happens to Mariano, they have zero bullpen. Even if Rivera stays healthy they consistently have problems getting him the ball.
5) Offense. If A-Rod suffers greatly because of the roid thing and fails to preform, the entire lineup will suffer and the Yankees will collapse. Keep in mind, Tex is a second half player, he wont do much in the first half. If both A-Rod and Tex do nothing the first half they lost a lot of bats to make up for it (Giambi, Abreu).
6) Jeter sucks defensively. It costs them runs every game he is in there. And his offense continues to decline.
PhiSlamma - February 16, 2009
If they don't make the playoffs, it's a testament to how good the BOS and Tampa are, rather than how bad the Yanks are.
Signed Teixeira in place of Giambi
Signed Sabathia, who was fine last year after pitching 240 inn. in 2007
Signed Burnett, who can outpitch Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner with his feet
Return of Chien-Mien Wang
Return of Jorge Posada
No Richie Sexson
Traded for Swisher in place of Abreu
Melky Cabrera regresses to non-suckage self
Ditto Robinson Cano
Full season of Nady, rather than Matsui
I don’t know why I wasted my time defending the Yanks. Not that any of this matters to us in the long run, but still. It’s not a bad team.
442 - February 16, 2009
It's not "defense"
It’s common sense.
I think we’d all LOVE to see the Yankees miss the playoffs. Especially because of Tex. But on paper they’re terrific. Sure, they have holes, but their potential is incredible.
No, best case here is that Tampa Bay is great and the Red Sux miss the playoffs.
ArkAngel - February 16, 2009
Best Case
that’s what I was hoping for last season when I became the biggest supporter ever of both the Twins and White Sox.
turs12 - February 19, 2009
Ok..
“Signed Teixeira in place of Giambi”
My point was that Tex is a slow first half player… so yes, this could potentially be bad if both A-Rod and Tex fail to do anything the first half and the Yanks find themselves 13 games back at the ASB.
Signed Sabathia, who was fine last year after pitching 240 inn. in 2007
Again, that is my point, he is so absused that he might fall apart.
Signed Burnett, who can outpitch Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner with his feet
He is going to have to pitch with his feet if his arm is hurt a week into the season.
Return of Chien-Mien Wang
True, he is good.
Return of Jorge Posada
Besides his incredible contract year he had, he has been not only an awful awful defensive catcher for a while now but also has a slowing bat. His presence in the lineup isnt significant at all, and defensively hinders the team.
No Richie Sexson
An obvious joke, but in case it wasn’t, keep in mind the few at-bats they gave him didn’t change all to much for better or worse last year.
Traded for Swisher in place of Abreu
And? Swisher is defensively average and nothing special with the bat.
Melky Cabrera regresses to non-suckage self
Melky has never shown what people expected out of him. Its been a few years now, it might just be he just is that sucky self.
Ditto Robinson Cano
ANOTHER second half player on the roster. Look at his splits, his pre-ASB are cringe worthy. Another factor of the “we are a million games behind at the ASB because we cant score runs”
Full season of Nady, rather than Matsui
Nady played well over his head last year. Look at his career numbers. Matsui has been better over his career,
So, yeah, the Yankees didn’t fix their problems at all. Lack of chemistry, lack of defense, lack of speed, lack of bullpen.
Signing injury prone starters and one corner infielder who only shows up the second half does NOT fix that.
PhiSlamma - February 16, 2009
OK part II
Teixeira : Blows Giambi away with the glove. I don’t think the first-half/second-half thing matters much, as at the end of the year, the production is the same.
Sabathia : He’s been consistently at around 200 IP for his entire career, and I doubt that 90 more innings over 2 years is going to kill him.
Burnett : Last 5 years, he’s topped 120 IP in all of those years and 165 in 3 of those, so it’s not like he’s a complete bust candidate.
Wang : n/a
Posada : 2007 was absolutely a fluke. True, he will regress… but the alternative is hitting stud Jose Molina.
Sexson : Yes, it was a joke, although he wasn’t entirely awful with the Yanks.
Swisher : If we look at his years in Oakland, he’s essentially Abreu without the steals and far better defense (although that has more to do with Abreu than Swisher)
Cabrera/Cano : Neither are truly incredible. But both had awful years in 2008 (especially Cano) and will improve this year. And again, the second-half argument is largely redundant at the end of the season.
Nady : His career numbers are deflated because he played in Petco for 2 1/2 seasons. Considering that he’s 5 years younger, he’s better (and more durable) than Matsui.
The only hole I see on their defense with Abreu and Giambi gone is SS, one excellent position with Teixeira at 1B (two if Gardner plays in CF) with all other positions being average. I agree, their bullpen is weak, but it’s a volatile area anyway – you don’t really know for certain how good a bullpen is going to be.
And I don’t believe you can call Sabathia exactly “injury-prone”.
442 - February 16, 2009
Melky sucks
that’s all I’m going to say about this post.
He sucks. Period. No ifs, ands, buts, or other qualifiers necessary. At no level of professional play has he ever shown a propensity for anything BUT suck. The New York hype machine talked up a couple timely hits after his first call-up a few years ago, and ESPN foolishly thought he was a top-50 player of the next 10 years on last year’s joke of a list. But he sucks. Not even average. Not even below average. Appallingly BAD, and unworthy of a major league roster spot. Can’t hit for average, can’t draw a walk, can’t hit for power, can’t hit period. But the Yankees have thus far still been dumb enough to give him near full-time at-bats. His career 84 OPS+ is a testament to his sucktitude. GMJ isn’t even Melky-bad.
Caseys Kiss of Death - February 18, 2009
I follow the Yankees pretty closely (I live in the Northeast, I can’t get around it), and I think they’re essentially in the same place they were last year. This year they’ll get a boost in the rotation and at first, but they still have the same glaring problems that killed them in 2008: defense up the middle, age, and depth. These actually the same problem, and the Yankees keep making it worse by signing away flexibility on big free agent deals.
Defense up the middle: Not much to say, except that it sucks. Jeter and Cano are probably the worst middle infield in all of baseball, and they don’t even have a center-fielder right now. They’ve got Nady, Swisher, Matsui, and Damon to squeeze into three outfield spots, and none of those guys can really play center. Cabrera and Gardner can, but do you want one of those guys in your line-up instead of the other four?
Age: Jeter, Posada, A-Roid, Damon, Rivera, Pettitte, Burnett, and Marte are all on the wrong side of 30, and Teixeira and Sabathia will be joining them soon. They’re stuck with some of these guys for a long time still. The Teixeira deal has created a new problem: Jeter can’t play short much longer, and Posada might not be able to catch either, but first base is not available. Their farm system is also beyond pitiful: their top-rated prospect has a minor league OPS of .767 and has barely played above AA. Which brings us to…
Depth: This is the ball breaker. A-Roid is hurt? You get Cody Ransom instead. Jeter’s not doing so well? Your backup is Angel Berroa. AJ’s arm bothering him again? Take your pick of Hughes, Kennedy, Aceves, or maybe let me try out. The Yankees are ridiculously thin, particularly in the rotation and the infield. If any one of their multi-million dollar guys goes down, they’re stuck sifting through the scrap heap for Richie Sexsons and Sidney Ponsons like last year. In my opinion, this is what killed their playoff hopes, and they’re still in serious danger.
So I really think the AL East comes down to injuries. If the Yankees stay healthy (which is questionable), they have as good a chance as anyone. Ortiz, Lowell, Drew, and Beckett weren’t looking so well at the end of last season in Boston, so they have their own issues. Right now, I like the Rays. That’s a well constructed roster: they’re deep everywhere, and the bullpen is stacked! But we might as well play the games anyways.
Suboptimal - February 17, 2009
The perpetual blockage of Wood is a story yet again
ihearhowie2.0 - February 16, 2009
like someone mentioned in a previous post though...
If Wood doesnt earn a spot on the roster then he has no one to blame but himself. The amount of hype surrounding this guy alludes that he the potential to be way better than Figgy, Aybar, or Izzy.
If the kid proves it then he’ll make the team.
BryanHarvey'sMoustache - February 16, 2009
as what
a back-up?
they WILL NOT unseat Figgy, and Soth will be damned if he’s gonna carry 3 shortstops.
so where does he fit?
howiestheman - February 16, 2009
At short
If Wood develops into a power hitting SS, you bet your ass they will make room.
PhiSlamma - February 16, 2009
my point exactly.
If he really kicked so much ass then he would unseat one of those infielders…even Figgy.
BryanHarvey'sMoustache - February 16, 2009
Cant unseat Figgins
No one to take the leadoff spot. The ONLY place for Wood this year is to unseat a MI, or injuries place him in the DH role.
PhiSlamma - February 16, 2009
Possible leadoff men: Izzy, Aybar, Chupacabreu.
No i am sure someone is going to get all stats crazy on my ass now but I dont see why Aybar couldn’t lead off. And if Izzy played more, he already proved himself as viable leadoff if I remember correctly (back to back games with lead off home runs against South Alameda.
BryanHarvey'sMoustache - February 17, 2009
If by stat crazy, you mean point out that Aybar struggles to get on base, well yeah, I guess someone will go stat crazy on you.
snowhor - February 17, 2009
what about taking over q-dawg super-sub's spot?
teach b-wood how to play first base and he becomes the 1b/3b bench guy over quinlan.
NoDakHalo - February 17, 2009
his talent on the bench is a waste
Q is the perfect bench guy… he’s not very good, and he doesn’t care about sitting on the bench.
Woody has been a top prospect (still would be, if not for too much MLB playing time). he’s not the guy you want to let ride the pine and play twice a month… he’s the young cornerstone you want to play as much as possible.
howiestheman - February 17, 2009
ya
i was one of the people saying i want him to earn it…..but its still kind of a story. Had Abreu not been signed, Wood probably would have started the season at 3rd. One option much better for 2009, the other probably better for beyond 09. Both work for me.
I have no problem with the Abreu signing whatsoever, I love it. Im just pointing out that for most Angel fans, Wood finding a spot is definitely a story.
ihearhowie2.0 - February 16, 2009
YES.
I’m glad that some folks realize that there is no conspiracy against Brandon Wood. He simply has to hit better.
Rex Hudler was “full of potential” at one point too.
ArkAngel - February 16, 2009
Yeah, but for him to earn it, he has to be given a shot that includes a decent amount of playing time in the majors.
snowhor - February 17, 2009
Absolutely.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I remember suffering through some pretty horrific Troy Glaus games.
ArkAngel - February 17, 2009
blockage of wood? sounds quite painful
HaloDutch - February 16, 2009
hahahahahaha
442 - February 16, 2009
OUCH!!!!
Quick, summon the urologist!!!!
halofolife - February 16, 2009
Cialis
or so I hear…
BryanHarvey'sMoustache - February 16, 2009
Gurantee
that someone gets hurt and a spot opens up for an extended period of Wood.
turs12 - February 19, 2009
"An extended period of Wood."
Something about that phrase I just love.
ArkAngel - February 19, 2009
Call it
the Cialis factor
turs12 - February 20, 2009
I wonder if the lack of hard feelings of GA
would be the case without Abreu. We seemed all okay with GA leaving before the Abreu move but damn if it didn’t make it feel all that more okay that 2009 would be GA-less.
BryanHarvey'sMoustache - February 16, 2009
GA left the way he played.
With class. No (public) rancor (either side).
red floyd - February 16, 2009
Class act.
And underrated. I’ve always been a fan.
Too many guys leave like Bengie left. Ridiculous. If a guy like GA can put up those numbers, play for that long, and still leave with kind words and a head held high…it says a lot about him.
ArkAngel - February 17, 2009
To be determined at a later date
the signing of Big Thunder to a multi-year contract.
eyespy - February 16, 2009
7. Mike Scioscia was signed ten more years as the manager.
Somebody that we always took for granted can now indeed be taken for granted. His philosophy of playing the game of baseball will be the heart and soul of the team for years to come. It’s time for him to start adding to his World Series legacy.
44FAN - February 16, 2009
Excellent point.
That should be HIGH on the list.
ArkAngel - February 16, 2009
OH WOW youa re right
I will edit this and credit you.
Rev Halofan - February 16, 2009
the departure of Frankie
and hearing Arte on radio on saying “we’ve turned the page on
frankie rodriguez.”
i’m definitely satisfied with the off-season.
SCHalo - February 16, 2009
Low-light of season is losing 4 pitchers
Darren O’day, Bobby Mosebach, Miguel Gonzalez all in the Rule 5 draft and Nick Green to make room for Bobby Abreu on the 40 man roster.
Kristy_Joe - February 16, 2009
Good call
The fact that it was the ’Sox that took Gonzalez really pisses me off. He was awesome in his post-rehab work in winterball.
However, the fact that this org can get away with being so wasteful with mid-tier arms also just highlights the incredible depth we have throughout the system. While it stings to lose these guys, we’ve got a lot more like them in the pipeline.
rghan - February 17, 2009
The Sox
Seem to have the Angels number. With Jenks and perhaps Gonzales who sure does look like he’s ready for the bigs.
While the Angels have a lot more in the pipeline, much time and effort has gone into player development of each of them. These men are going to be on ML rosters and are not coming back. IMO it’s more of a loss than losing Frankie, who was replaceable. Here, you just don’t know how good they could have been.
How long will Ollie play? Will Lackey resign? Shields isn’t getting any younger. These young arms, the pitchers are what Angels baseball is all about. That and defense. Fifth starter?
Kristy_Joe - February 17, 2009
The Red Sox took Gonzalez, not the White Sox.
hauldog - February 17, 2009
oops
still wearing my multi colored sox.
Kristy_Joe - February 17, 2009
The top 10 highlight yr missing
Is the one that has yet to be perpetrated — a trade, clearing away surplus for something we need (5th starter, or OF prospects).
Also, the draft-pick haul might end up as the biggest deal here. We’ve got 5 top-50 picks, which is just tremendous.
mattwelch - February 17, 2009
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