Official 2022-23 Offseason Hot Stove Thread

[Angels 1961]

15 minutes ago, mmc said:

 

Could this mean Devers be traded? 

[Warfarin]

 

[Angels 1961]

3 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Could this mean Devers be traded? 

Devers to Angels? Rendon to SS the big SPLASH

[mmc]

 

[Warfarin]

Just now, mmc said:

 

I’d say the Dodgers won that “trade.”  Would rather have Martinez at 1/10 than Turner at 2/22

[TempeAngel]

On 12/17/2022 at 2:10 PM, mmc said:

Angels Twitter fans are funny.  They’re seriously shocked we haven’t made a bunch of other moves

There are guys like that here. One who even listed 6 additional positions they would add and said 5 was a lock.

[Stradling]

5 minutes ago, TempeAngel said:

There are guys like that here. One who even listed 6 additional positions they would add and said 5 was a lock.

Except he isn’t freaking out or shocked that nothing has happened in the last couple of weeks. So no, he isn’t like those Twitter fans. 

[Warfarin]

38 minutes ago, TempeAngel said:

There are guys like that here. One who even listed 6 additional positions they would add and said 5 was a lock.

Yeah, that seems rather unlikely to me.  While there are certainly 5+ spots worth upgrading, assuming this team has a somewhat limited budget moving forward (reasonable), it would seem unlikely that we'd see that much change.  Minasian will likely have to assess the market remaining, look at how much money he has left to spend, and pick which spots he feels is worth upgrading.  The remaining will probably come in the form of various minor league signings with invitations to spring training, such that he hopes to find a diamond in the rough.

If the rumors are true that he is looking at the remaining FA SP market, I would assume that if he signs someone in the Hill/Wacha/Lugo "class," there is probably financial room for only one more move, whether that be a reliever or a rather modest SS acquisition.  Of all the spots we have to upgrade, I am guessing that the 4th OF spot will almost assuredly be filled internally, with the hope that Moniak that can step up and fill that role.

[Stradling]

SS- Yes

Starting Pitcher-Yes

RP-Yes

RP-Probably

C-Yes

4th OF-Maybe

[Docwaukee]

16 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

 Of all the spots we have to upgrade, I am guessing that the 4th OF spot will almost assuredly be filled internally, with the hope that Moniak that can step up and fill that role.

It would really suck if they did nothing here.  It's probably the most vulnerable spot on the roster.  Moniak and Adell are sub replacement players until proven otherwise.  Their replacements are absolutely no one in the minors and perhaps some monkey fucking with Walsh, Fletcher and maybe Rengifo or Urshela which has a significant collateral effect on other positions.  

To put it another way, there really isn't a legit major league OFer after Ward and Renfroe in this org right now.  

[ThisismineScios]

I always take the "how dumb do I want to look" factor into account. He didn't say we like what we have, which give him an out. He said it's early, "Santa hasn't come yet" (whatever that means), and they've been tied to starters and relievers. I do think they will go after Andrus or Segura, if a trade isn't possible. I'd be all for them signing Segura and trading Rengifo + (Suarez/Canning/Barria) for either an upgrade at SP or SS. 

Again, Perry knows going into last year with Squid, Fletcher, and Wade as the everyday SS options wasn't good enough. I can't see how he possibly thinks Fletcher/Rengifo is good enough in MIF. I just can't see it. He'd have to be the worst GM in the league to actually believe that, and I don't think he's that. The new owners surely want to extend and keep Ohtani. Not upgrading MIF at all doesn't convince Ohtani to consider staying. Perry knows that. They will get a SS and another SP, and likely another RP. 

[Warfarin]

 

I hope whoever the new owner is, is ready to give Ohtani an absolutely enormous deal before he hits free agency.  The Dodgers have very little committed payroll next year.  Can't be a coincidence that all of their moves this offseason are one year deals.

[Warfarin]

8 minutes ago, Docwaukee said:

It would really suck if they did nothing here.  It's probably the most vulnerable spot on the roster.  Moniak and Adell are sub replacement players until proven otherwise.  Their replacements are absolutely no one in the minors and perhaps some monkey fucking with Walsh, Fletcher and maybe Rengifo or Urshela which has a significant collateral effect on other positions.  

To put it another way, there really isn't a legit major league OFer after Ward and Renfroe in this org right now.  

I agree that is the most vulnerable spot.  Middle infield isn't great but at least there's varying degrees of promise in what Soto and, soon, Neto can provide.  The OF does not really have much talent anywhere.  

At this point though, maybe he is hoping that one of Moniak, Adell, Oliva, Aguilar (?), or Whitefield (?) can emerge and at least be replacement level, if called upon.  But I agree, it is our greatest depth weakness right now.

[Docwaukee]

15 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

At this point though, maybe he is hoping that one of Moniak, Adell, Oliva, Aguilar (?), or Whitefield (?) can emerge and at least be replacement level, if called upon.

if he's hoping for that then he's about the repeat a critical mistake.  

[Angels 1961]

23 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

 

I hope whoever the new owner is, is ready to give Ohtani an absolutely enormous deal before he hits free agency.  The Dodgers have very little committed payroll next year.  Can't be a coincidence that all of their moves this offseason are one year deals.

I'm sure Ohtani is top priority for them. Dodgers also want to get under lux tax this year. Trevor Bauer case is the difference for them.

[Revad]

36 minutes ago, Docwaukee said:

if he's hoping for that then he's about the repeat a critical mistake.  

Absolutely.  It’s an opportunity to improve the offense and avoid those games last year when we had at least three spots in the lineup that couldn’t hit.  

[Angels 1961]

3 hours ago, Warfarin said:

 

I hope whoever the new owner is, is ready to give Ohtani an absolutely enormous deal before he hits free agency.  The Dodgers have very little committed payroll next year.  Can't be a coincidence that all of their moves this offseason are one year deals.

I'm sure Ohtani is top priority for them. Dodgers also want to get under lux tax this year. Trevor Bauer case is the difference for them.

[Angels 1961]

Joe was traded to Pirates today. Joe's mamma is happy with the deal

[Docwaukee]

2 hours ago, Revad said:

Absolutely.  It’s an opportunity to improve the offense and avoid those games last year when we had at least three spots in the lineup that couldn’t hit.  

what about the ones with 4 or 5?  Because I'm pretty sure we had at least 3 in every game.  

[beatlesrule]

Angels Fan

9:21

Please don’t tell me David Fletcher is going to be our opening day shortstop

Mark P

9:21

Don't worry, it could be Rengifo!  Or Gio Urshela.

Perry M

10:07

How do I convince Ohtani to stay?

Mark P

10:08

A dump truck full of money, for one.  But really, the ownership question looms large in Ohtani's future, since I would imagine Ohtani would want to both get paid, and feel more secure that the Angels are on the right track towards winning.  So that will depend on who the new owner is, and what influence they can demonstrate between the time when they actually take control of the team, and when Ohtani's contract is up.

Ken C

10:13

Should the Angels go after Crawford or Rosario to play shortstop?

Mark P

10:14

I doubt Crawford would approve a deal, since he has full no-trade protection.  Rosario makes sense for the Halos, however, if they can meet the Guardians' asking price.

Nightman

10:29

How likely is it that the angels make a big move this offseason considering the longevity of Minasian’s job is probably contingent on the team’s success this season? Since it seems unlikely a new owner would keep Minasian on if the team underperforms again, do you think he’ll try to trade for an impact player(s)?

Mark P

10:31

It's quite possible that Minasian will be out of a job no matter how the Angels perform, since if a new owner wants to hire their own GM, that's that.  (As we saw with James Click, even winning is no guaranteed of continued employment.)

It all depends on who the new owner is, and it isn't like Minasian has total carte blanche this year either.

Jack

10:40

I can’t wait for the Ohtani sweepstakes next year. Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Giants, Rangers, hell I could even see a team like the Nationals or the Orioles with lower payrolls and tons of flexibility taking a stab at a 500 mill plus contract with him. It’s gonna be fun!

Mark P

10:41

It's going to be absolutely fascinating.  If Ohtani has another superb two-way season, it feels like he'll definitely surpass $400MM.  $500MM seems like another quantum leap in spending, and maybe one that might've been more realistic if Ohtani was a few years younger.

[Revad]

Rosario?  What would that cost?

I agree with the Mark P. from the chat- Minasain could get fired regardless.  Should he feel free to spend what he needs to in prospects to get a SS and/or good SP?

[BTH]

24 minutes ago, Revad said:

Should he feel free to spend what he needs to in prospects to get a SS and/or good SP?

No.

Even if they know they are on the hot seat, I don’t think most GM’s nowadays would trade away the farm or start making irrational decisions— partially because that’ll impact their ability to get a job going forward.

It’d be hard to sell yourself as a GM candidate going forward if you ruined the team’s long-term outlook to try and save your job.

Edited December 19, 2022 by Trendon

[GeronimoSon]

50 minutes ago, Revad said:

Rosario?  What would that cost?

I agree with the Mark P. from the chat- Minasain could get fired regardless.  Should he feel free to spend what he needs to in prospects to get a SS and/or good SP?

Not a lot.. or it should not be. 

[Docwaukee]

46 minutes ago, GeronimoSon said:

Not a lot.. or it should not be. 

the problem is that they'd have to have a really good reason to trade him.  I don't know why they'd sign Bell only to dump payroll.  And he'd be a pretty sought after piece for someone.  I could see them wanting Neto and Perry telling them to go pound sand.  

[Warfarin]

8 hours ago, Trendon said:

No.

Even if they know they are on the hot seat, I don’t think most GM’s nowadays would trade away the farm or start making irrational decisions— partially because that’ll impact their ability to get a job going forward.

It’d be hard to sell yourself as a GM candidate going forward if you ruined the team’s long-term outlook to try and save your job.

Agreed to the above.  I think in this league now, trading a ton of prospects away to "save his job" would probably ensure that he not only gets fired, but that he probably won't get rehired as a GM by anyone in the future.  Most organizations recognize the importance of developing prospects and not getting fleeced in a trade.

 

7 hours ago, Docwaukee said:

the problem is that they'd have to have a really good reason to trade him.  I don't know why they'd sign Bell only to dump payroll.  And he'd be a pretty sought after piece for someone.  I could see them wanting Neto and Perry telling them to go pound sand.  

Right.  So I think as fans, it is fun to create what we feel are "reasonable" trades - trades that seemingly benefit both sides.  But the key element that is likely missing in a number of these trades is the other team's willingness to make a trade.  The Guardians are looking to compete.  They likely could be enticed to trade Rosario, but the return for him likely won't be that high, and his cost isn't high enough for them to be motivated to trade him, so they likely would need to be "WOWed" by an offer .. which means they would need to fleece us.  Obviously we don't want this.