Angels sign Cozart to 3-year deal

[Corona]

I’m a big fan of this signing, good job billy 

[floplag]

1 minute ago, Turd Ferguson said:

The 2b market is pretty loaded next year. We have a ton of options now. If Kinsler works out, we can re-sign and maintain status quo. We could move Cozart to 2b next season and go after a 3b. We can keep Cozart at 3b and add a 2b. I think that flexibility, now and over the next 2 seasons, is a big part of the appeal of this. 

2B, 3B, and even the OF (Harper) is loaded next off season.  Cozart was the perfect signing if hes got his eyes on that class in that regard. 

[Troll Daddy]

5 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

Justin Turner had 921 PA with a 92 OPS+ before his breakout season; below average for sure, but with somewhat spotty playing time.  Daniel Murphy has 3619 PA with a 109 OPS plus before his breakout; he was already very good offensively: he just went to another level.

Cozart had 2521 PA with a 82 OPS+ before last year.  That's terrible.  Again, could he replicate last year, or even come down from that a little and still be valuable offensively?  Sure--but it's not likely, even with the underlying improvements that he's shown.

I was a 16 handicap ... went to a 10 with a swing change at a very old age

[Angelsjunky]

I like it a lot. The lineup isn't crazy powerful like the Astros, but is solid throughout, and i just love the defense of this team.

Don't expect Cozart to hit like he did last year, but I could see him hitting .270/.330/.450 with excellent defense.

[UndertheHalo]

11 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

Justin Turner had 921 PA with a 92 OPS+ before his breakout season; below average for sure, but with somewhat spotty playing time.  Daniel Murphy has 3619 PA with a 109 OPS plus before his breakout; he was already very good offensively: he just went to another level.

Cozart had 2521 PA with a 82 OPS+ before last year.  That's terrible.  Again, could he replicate last year, or even come down from that a little and still be valuable offensively?  Sure--but it's not likely, even with the underlying improvements that he's shown.

I’m just saying generally.  There are some similarities. 

And I think you’re being a bit unfair.  Cozart had one truly terrible season in 2014 that skews his numbers. And he’s been hurt several times.  The guy bounced back and should get credit for that.  Guys that are hopeless don’t do that.  

Ive said several times.  I expect that Cozart will regress with the bat.  But I don’t think it’s going to be a disaster.  I think we can expect average production which is fine.  And not unreasonably hope for better then that.  The main strength in this deal is the versatility.  We can spell Simmons or Kinsler and get Valbuena into the line up.  The positional versatility is important and useful here.  Next offseason we can either pursue a 2b or a 3b to replace Kinsler.  

Also, it’s relatively cheap.  If he surprises us and comps last year with the bat.  Then we made out like thieves.

Theres a lot of buzz around this team.  It’s exciting.

Edited December 15, 2017 by UndertheHalo

[stormngt]

37 minutes ago, floplag said:

Its not a need, its an upgrade.  Eppler is a fan of OBP, Cron isnt   Plus hes clearly the obvious weak link at this point at a position with available options.  
Eppler has filled the holes at this point, now is the time he gets creative. 

Pujols will play 1b half the time.  How much do we pay Lomo to be a part time player?

[aznhockeyguy]

.700 OPS from Cozart with his above average defense would be what I expect from him.  Don't think it's an overpay.  2 WAR players usually cost about this amount.

[Dtwncbad]

Somebody on top of the subject please post how much the Angels are now under the lux tax.

How much salary room is left if they wanted to make a move on a pitcher?

[ksangel]

15 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I have a hunch that the Phillies are going to trade for Machado and then back up the brink truck to keep him.  

Phillies are building up again so possibly a good hunch and they only have $33M on the books next year including the $20M they just gave to Santana so they have $100M or so to play with.

[Make Angels Great Again]

3 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

Somebody on top of the subject please post how much the Angels are now under the lux tax.

How much salary room is left if they wanted to make a move on a pitcher?

 

about 27m AAV left before hitting the tax threshold.

[floplag]

1 minute ago, stormngt said:

Pujols will play 1b half the time.  How much do we pay Lomo to be a part time player?

Assuming he does play half the time. 
You are right of course, i just get the feeling its something Eppler is looking at, it makes sense.  He hasn't really addressed his OBP desire as much as he could have.  
No reason to suspect it, its just an obvious area based on the roster today. 

[ksangel]

4 minutes ago, stormngt said:

Pujols will play 1b half the time.  How much do we pay Lomo to be a part time player?

Agree so Lomo gets $0...

[Dtwncbad]

1 minute ago, ksangel said:

Phillies are building up again so possibly a good hunch and they only have $33M on the books next year including the $20M they just gave to Santana so they have $100M or so to play with.

Santana signed for 3 yrs.  Phils are serious about winning NOW.

[floplag]

1 minute ago, ksangel said:

Phillies are building up again so possibly a good hunch and they only have $33M on the books next year including the $20M they just gave to Santana so they have $100M or so to play with.

Signing Santana would suggest that to be true, cant imagine why else they made that move if they arent prepping to tool up.   

[bloodbrother]

Wow $38 million? That's it? What a bargain. This infield defense is going to be ridiculous. Only downside is how RH heavy this roster is

[Ohtani&Trout]

I wonder if the Angels have enough $ remaining to sign Darvish.

[krAbs]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/09/sorting-the-starting-pitchers-of-the-2017-18-free-agent-class.html

This article includes a list of free agent starters ranked by ground ball percentages. Not sure what any of the expected contracts are, but I think it may be wise to go after one of these guys to add some stability to the lineup. Its possible their numbers will...look a little better than expected, with our infield. I think a Sabathia or Chatwood type would be really interesting here.

[bloodbrother]

With that left side of the IF, Sabathia continues to make a lot of sense....assuming they're still looking at bolstering the rotation a bit

[floplag]

3 minutes ago, Ohtani&Trout said:

I wonder if the Angels have enough $ remaining to sign Darvish.

As i recall we had about 40 based on the actual numbers not AAV, Kinsler and Cozart only take about 25, effectively we have about 15 left im guessing
BUT, we still need RP in my view so it would depend on how thats filled what we might have left

[bloodbrother]

5 minutes ago, krAbs said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/09/sorting-the-starting-pitchers-of-the-2017-18-free-agent-class.html

This article includes a list of free agent starters ranked by ground ball percentages. Not sure what any of the expected contracts are, but I think it may be wise to go after one of these guys to add some stability to the lineup. Its possible their numbers will...look a little better than expected, with our infield. I think a Sabathia or Chatwood type would be really interesting here.

Chatwood signed with the Cubs.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

1 hour ago, tdawg87 said:

IMO this means Cron is as good as gone. You don't sign a guy to a 3 year/38 million dollar contract to platoon with someone. 

Rather trade Valbuena and have Cowart  play utility IF.

[krAbs]

4 minutes ago, bloodbrother said:

Chatwood signed with the Cubs.

My bad, haven't been following closely.

[bloodbrother]

3 minutes ago, hangin n wangin said:

Something interesting about Cozart regarding his break out year last year:

Cozart said 2017 wasn’t a fluke, but the result of a tangible change in his stance. Instead of holding his hands high, he dropped the bat to his shoulder while waiting for the pitch.

“It was a game-changer for me,” he said. “I didn’t have tension. I didn’t think about anything but getting a good pitch. I think I should continue to play well and hit like I did last year. I’m confident with it.”

Hopefully this is true.

 

Not saying he's the next Justin Turner, but it's a comparable story. Turner wasn't much of anything until a few yrs ago himself after making changes to his swing. I'm sure the Halos are hoping they found their own Justin Turner in Cozart. An excellent defensive 3B whose breakout at the plate is sustainable

[floplag]

2 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

Rather trade Valbuena and have Cowart  play utility IF.

Interesting thought, especially if we go with 6 man rotation.  Having 1 guy back up all IF would be a huge plus

[Warfarin]

28 minutes ago, ksangel said:

Agree so Lomo gets $0...

I think it’s extremely unlikely Pujols even starts 50 games at first.  Most likely, we see him start around 25-30 games at first.  Moreover, at age 38, it’s likely he spends significant chunks of time on the DL.

We can potentially add LoMo given this.  It’s not necessary at all, but possibly something to consider.  We no longer need to save a roster space for a utility infielder, since Cozart fills that role in addition to being our primary 3B.