***Official 2013 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Offseason Thread***

[naija nitemare]

I feel so helpless as an Angel fan. The Dodger stans are unbearable.

It was us in the playoffs just a few years ago

 

[naija nitemare]

Don Baylor hired as hitting coach

I'll allow it.

 

[kookcle]

Good hire.

 

[darthska]

The previous Don picked up by a SoCal baseball team got them to the Championship series.

 

[dako akong otin]

Yeah we had a platoon player/pinch hitter in Mickey hatcher and a career minor leaguer in jim eppard who had like 80 career MLB at bats as hitting coaches... I would say Baylor a former, a former MVP is an upgrade

 

[naija nitemare]

I think Eppard was just brought in to help ease Trout's transition into the big leagues. Doubt the organization ever envisioned him being a real MLB hitting coach.

 

[naija nitemare]

Gary DiSarcina, a personal favorite of mine, is now our 3B coach.

 

[darthska]

^ That's the team I grew up with.

 

[HIM]

"Good Chance" Angels Trade Trumbo During Meetings
By Steve Adams [December 9 at 11:52pm CST]
11:52am: The Angels' talks with Arizona are focusing more on Skaggs than Cahill, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

11:18pm: There's a "good chance" the Angels end up moving Trumbo during this week's winter meetings, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. Gonzalez adds that while the D-Backs are one possibility, the Angels are engaged in talks with many clubs.

7:28pm: In their talks with the D-Backs, the Angels are primarily focused on Skaggs and Trevor Cahill, says Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

6:12pm: There are 12 teams in the mix for Trumbo, according to Heyman (Twitter link), who suggests that there could be a fit with the Diamondbacks. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports (via Twitter) that the Angels aren't interested in trading Trumbo for Tyler Skaggs straight up, while Heyman notes that Arizona doesn't want to move Patrick Corbin or Wade Miley.

Meanwhile, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says the Angels have put other talks to the backburner as they focus on Trumbo. The Royals are also a possibile trade partner, according to Stark (Twitter link).

5:27pm: The odds of the Angels dealing Trumbo are increasing, according to Rosenthal (via Twitter). Rosenthal says that the Angels are becoming more open to the idea, while the Diamondbacks are pushing and other teams are improving their offers.

4:31pm: Angels GM Jerry Dipoto confirmed that there has been "fairly heavy traffic" on Trumbo, tweets Jeff Fletcher of the Orange Country Register.

4:14pm: The Angels have spoken to the Diamondbacks about Arizona's pitching, though it's not clear whether Trumbo has been in play in those talks, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

3:04pm: The Diamondbacks have been said to be looking at starting pitching, but Rosenthal tweets that they could also join the mix in talks for Trumbo. As Rosenthal notes, Arizona has plenty of young pitching to tempt the Angels.

11:20am: Sources have indicated to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Mark Trumbo is "in play" as the Angels discuss trades with other teams (Twitter link). Rosenthal notes that the Angels would hate to lose Trumbo but also recognize that he may be the best trade chip they have.

Set to turn 28 in January, Trumbo once again posted big-time power numbers in 2013. The right-handed swinger slugged a career-high 34 home runs and knocked in a career-best 100 runs as well. However, he batted just .234 with a .294 on-base percentage, displaying a continued difficulty in getting on base. He's turned himself into a solid first baseman, posting plus marks in both UZR and Defensive Runs Saved in recent years. His defense at an outfield corner has been subpar throughout his career, making it seem likely that teams looking to put him in right or left field wouldn't be willing to surrender as much talent.

Eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason, Trumbo is projected by MLBTR's Matt Swartz to earn $4.7MM in 2014. He can be controlled through the 2016 season via the arbitration process. Recently, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange Country Register noted that a trade of Trumbo is unlikely.

Also Gary DiSarcina was my idol growing up Those laser, 2 second hang-time, homeruns

 

[vladimir dinero]

^ That's the team I grew up with.

same here

Trumbo on leaving the #Angels: “I’m a lifelong Angels fan, and all my memories as a kid revolve around the Angels, and as a pro, spent 10 years with the organization. It’s all you ever know and these are the friends you meet. But you also understand as a player that these things are part of the game, and where the Angels stood, there were some holes that they needed to fill and only a few possible options as far as how they were going to do that. For me, looking at that situation, it’s almost painfully obvious that either myself or Howie where the ones who were going to bring back what the team needed.”

wishing him the best in az and know his numbers will be better at chase. that said, i'm happy with the trade. gives us two young lefties who are locked up for 5 and 6 years and i will never have to witness trumbo play defense again. still wish we had bourjos tho

 

[kookcle]

2014 Season Bump

Projected lineup
Kole Calhoun, RF
Mike Trout, CF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Josh Hamilton, LF
David Freese, 3B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Raul Ibanez, DH
Chris Iannetta, C
Erick Aybar, SS


Projected Starters
J. Weaver
C. Wilson
G. Richards
T. Skaggs
H. Santiago


Glad they didnt sign a big name pitcher it will help with the Trout extension [ I say 10yr $275M ]

Bullpen upgrades were good. The back end of the rotation is still a big question mark

 

[naija nitemare]

I have the lowest expectations for this team. Can't get any worse than last year. Let's come out this season and play respectable baseball guys.