OC Register: Perry Minasian says Angels can keep spending after Brandon Drury deal pushes payroll to record levels

[BTH]

9 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I was once told agents like to publicly put the Angels in the mix for their clients because they know they have lots of money and pressure to win. 

So does that mean that the Angels reported interest in a player is exaggerated or that it just becomes public more often than it does for other teams?

Edited December 27, 2022 by Trendon

[Jeff Fletcher]

1 hour ago, Trendon said:

So does that mean that the Angels reported interest in a player is exaggerated or that it just becomes public more often than it does for other teams?

It means it’s exaggerated. 

[BTH]

48 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

It means it’s exaggerated. 

So, regarding the Heyman tweet, maybe their interest in Eovaldi and Kluber is being exaggerated?

He also said the Angels are seeking one more starter, but that doesn’t really seem exaggerated.

[Pancake Bear]

27 minutes ago, Trendon said:

He also said the Angels are seeking one more starter, but that doesn’t really seem exaggerated.

Might mean they're just checking around opportunistically looking for a deal rather than being particularly aggressive - like a team that is in urgent need of another starter.

[Warfarin]

33 minutes ago, Trendon said:

So, regarding the Heyman tweet, maybe their interest in Eovaldi and Kluber is being exaggerated?

He also said the Angels are seeking one more starter, but that doesn’t really seem exaggerated.

Well, based on the news now, it is quite possible the Angels' interest in Eovaldi was exaggerated maybe, lol.

[Jeff Fletcher]

58 minutes ago, Trendon said:

So, regarding the Heyman tweet, maybe their interest in Eovaldi and Kluber is being exaggerated?

He also said the Angels are seeking one more starter, but that doesn’t really seem exaggerated.

The point is that if an agent wants to make his client’s market look bigger, it’s easy to add the Angels into the mix because it’s believable that they’d be in on just about anyone, since they have money and holes to fill. 

[Blarg]

On 12/25/2022 at 10:02 AM, Trendon said:

Heyman reported the Angels were interested in Anderson before they signed him.

And FWIW, he’s also the one who said they have interest in Eovaldi and Kluber. So I don’t think that rumor is just manufactured.

Eovaldi is signing with Texas. Remember what I said about throwing darts? 

[BTH]

3 hours ago, Pancake Bear said:

Might mean they're just checking around opportunistically looking for a deal rather than being particularly aggressive - like a team that is in urgent need of another starter.

If they wanted to be opportunistic with Eovaldi, that’s fine.

But I do think they are in urgent need of another starter.

[BTH]

3 hours ago, Warfarin said:

Well, based on the news now, it is quite possible the Angels' interest in Eovaldi was exaggerated maybe, lol.

Makes sense.

But I hope the Angels reported interest in seeking one more starter isn’t exaggerated.

[Warfarin]

Just now, Trendon said:

Makes sense.

But I hope the Angels reported interest in seeking one more starter isn’t exaggerated.

I think it isn't.  Still think there are several solid options to fill out the rotation on the market.  Or, alternatively, he can swing a trade like he did for Cobb before too.  We don't need him to find an ace, but rather, another pitcher who can pitch decently, soak up innings, and help continue to improve our floor.  I think he can likely find that.

[BTH]

1 minute ago, Warfarin said:

I think it isn't.  Still think there are several solid options to fill out the rotation on the market.

I count five solid options left on the free agent market.

BAL, BOS, COL, and SD all seem to need a SP.

Maybe ARI KC, LAD, MIN, and TOR as well.

[Warfarin]

1 minute ago, Trendon said:

I count five solid options left on the free agent market.

BAL, BOS, COL, and SD all seem to need a SP.

Maybe ARI KC, LAD, MIN, and TOR as well.

Trades can always be done as well  

Give it time.  Still about 1.5 months left before ST.

[BTH]

6 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

Trades can always be done as well  

Give it time.  Still about 1.5 months left before ST.

I’m not gonna count on trades since it’s difficult for teams to match up on deals and the Angels system isn’t the greatest.

[Warfarin]

1 minute ago, Trendon said:

I’m not gonna count on trades since it’s difficult for teams to match up on deals and the Angels system isn’t the greatest.

I reference the Cobb trade, because that was considered a rather uninspired trade at the time, but it turned into a fantastic deal.  I think there are deals to be had out there in general.  I don't think we will get a top line pitcher, but It think we can certainly find someone that would be able to replicate what Kluber or Cueto can as free agents.

We'll see.  Again, I do think there's time.  I think our rotation is rather solid and that this isn't an "urgent" need, so to speak.

[BTH]

5 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

We'll see.  Again, I do think there's time.  I think our rotation is rather solid and that this isn't an "urgent" need, so to speak.

Now that they’ve filled some other needs, I view the rotation as one of the more urgent remaining needs.

I don’t trust any of the internal options, and considering that they seem to have the money, I don’t want them to avoid addressing the sixth spot.

[Warfarin]

Just now, Trendon said:

Now that they’ve filled some other needs, I view the rotation as one of the more urgent remaining needs.

I don’t trust any of the internal options, and considering that they seem to have the money, I don’t want them to avoid addressing the sixth spot.

I think they will.  There's time.  Even if you are skeptical about how they match up with other teams, trades can occur.  The Urshela and Renfroe deals were not expected.  Minasian has strongly suggested they are still looking to upgrade the team, and I imagine SP is the top target now.

[ThisismineScios]

2 hours ago, Warfarin said:

I think they will.  There's time.  Even if you are skeptical about how they match up with other teams, trades can occur.  The Urshela and Renfroe deals were not expected.  Minasian has strongly suggested they are still looking to upgrade the team, and I imagine SP is the top target now.

Also thinking that having a guy like Barria pitch 4 innings paired with Canning pitching 3 might be an outside the box type of plan. However, this is 2020-2021 type thinking. I think to raise the floor, you turn the guys you were counting on into guys you don't have to count on. If Silseth knocks the door down, bring him up. If Canning shows good stuff, him. If C-Rod proves healthy (although I hope they just put him in the bullpen), same. But having one of those to rely on as your #6 is not wise. I really hope they bring in one more starter, but I'm much more concerned about the bullpen. They need to add a couple top end guys to have a viable pen. 

[Warfarin]

6 hours ago, ThisismineScios said:

Also thinking that having a guy like Barria pitch 4 innings paired with Canning pitching 3 might be an outside the box type of plan. However, this is 2020-2021 type thinking. I think to raise the floor, you turn the guys you were counting on into guys you don't have to count on. If Silseth knocks the door down, bring him up. If Canning shows good stuff, him. If C-Rod proves healthy (although I hope they just put him in the bullpen), same. But having one of those to rely on as your #6 is not wise. I really hope they bring in one more starter, but I'm much more concerned about the bullpen. They need to add a couple top end guys to have a viable pen. 

Definitely solid ideas.  Also, Davidson is on the roster, and while he fared poorly, he could perhaps be an option of some kind (although I think a DFA is more likely, as his most likely projection was always that of a long reliever).

[ThisismineScios]

16 hours ago, Warfarin said:

Definitely solid ideas.  Also, Davidson is on the roster, and while he fared poorly, he could perhaps be an option of some kind (although I think a DFA is more likely, as his most likely projection was always that of a long reliever).

My understanding with Davidson is that he's essentially a two-pitch pitcher and one of those (his FB) has no movement. He can't throw his plus slider for strikes. I'm sure the Angels wanted to teach him a Change, I'm not entirely sure it would make a difference. He's a bullpen option but not a good one I don't think. I think the next few guys off the 40-man are as follows:

Marte
Davidson
Thaiss
Stefanic 
Velazquez

One guy I am intrigued by is Zack Weiss. He had crazy spin on his FB last year (91st percentile) and his whiff % on his slider was 47.5 % (right above Scherzer, Snell, McClanahan) albeit on very, very small samples. No way to know if it will translate to a larger workload, but the Angels need more guys with quality stuff. I hope they DFA these 5 above before him as they acquire players. 

Other things that stood out looking at this:

-Canning's off-speed stuff is very good. His fastball is really bad. Hoping the year off allowed him to fix it and work on his change a bit. It's only 3-4 MPH behind his terrible FB
-Barria misses bats at an extremely low rate, gets barreled a ton, and doesn't have good velocity or movement. He's pure depth, that's all. 
-Chris Rodriguez...man. I hope he's healthy. 

[angelsnationtalk]

Saying they can keep spending has us shooting for the starts, when it could really mean a contract worth $1M-$2M

[Warfarin]

7 hours ago, ThisismineScios said:

My understanding with Davidson is that he's essentially a two-pitch pitcher and one of those (his FB) has no movement. He can't throw his plus slider for strikes. I'm sure the Angels wanted to teach him a Change, I'm not entirely sure it would make a difference. He's a bullpen option but not a good one I don't think. I think the next few guys off the 40-man are as follows:

Marte
Davidson
Thaiss
Stefanic 
Velazquez

One guy I am intrigued by is Zack Weiss. He had crazy spin on his FB last year (91st percentile) and his whiff % on his slider was 47.5 % (right above Scherzer, Snell, McClanahan) albeit on very, very small samples. No way to know if it will translate to a larger workload, but the Angels need more guys with quality stuff. I hope they DFA these 5 above before him as they acquire players. 

Other things that stood out looking at this:

-Canning's off-speed stuff is very good. His fastball is really bad. Hoping the year off allowed him to fix it and work on his change a bit. It's only 3-4 MPH behind his terrible FB
-Barria misses bats at an extremely low rate, gets barreled a ton, and doesn't have good velocity or movement. He's pure depth, that's all. 
-Chris Rodriguez...man. I hope he's healthy. 

That's some great analysis on pitching repertoires and promise.

I agree on your DFA list.  I think Thaiss will make it to ST but will probably be DFA'd in favor of Wallach (or another position), as I don't think he is a good enough backup catcher to make he team.  

Davidson, I agree.  The scouting reports were never particularly high on him.  I think we got him and decided we'd roll him out for the last two months of the season, let him work on some stuff, and see if we can help him learn another pitch (or improve his current ones) during the offseason, and see how he looks in ST.  The Braves couldn't fix him, and they're excellent in player development, so I think he probably gets DFA'd this spring too.

Weiss' pitches looked great.  I saw something on Twitter that showed that his Stuff+ was exceptional, ranking amongst the best in the sport.  Who knows how that ultimately translates, but I think he is a keeper for now, and possibly a very good reliever for us.  

Canning, I agree.  I think he could squeak by as a backend SP, but I am not that high on him.  He does have options though, so if he is healthy, he can work on things in AAA.  Barria, in his role as long reliever, is fine IMO.  

CRod would help a ton if healthy, but unfortunately he never is.

Another guy you did not mention, to keep an eye on as the year unfolds, might be Soriano.  He was curiously added to the 40-man roster this offseason.  I would have been shocked to see someone draft him, after all the time he has missed, but he was added nevertheless.  I wonder if they are going to fast track him as a reliever now instead.  His stuff looks very good, and relievers can most certainly be fast-tracked.

[Blarg]

Wallach bought a minor league ticket, Thaiss has positional versatility. Neither will be DFA, if it comes down to not trusted as a backup, Thaiss will be traded. But I'd rather Thaiss be a backup for a couple months for O'hoppe to develop rather than have Wallach on the roster. That guy was crap last season and pretty much everywhere else he has been. 

[Pancake Bear]

3 hours ago, angelsnationtalk said:

Saying they can keep spending has us shooting for the starts, when it could really mean a contract worth $1M-$2M

Not quite. I think what it means is they have the financial ability to spend more, but only if the deal makes sense to the front office and ownership. A deal that makes sense to anybody or even everybody on here wouldn't necessarily make sense to the Angels. What I'm saying is that they're not like children who have ten dollars and are just going to spend it because they have it. You don't go over the luxury tax casually. 

[ThisismineScios]

14 hours ago, Warfarin said:

That's some great analysis on pitching repertoires and promise.

I agree on your DFA list.  I think Thaiss will make it to ST but will probably be DFA'd in favor of Wallach (or another position), as I don't think he is a good enough backup catcher to make he team.  

Davidson, I agree.  The scouting reports were never particularly high on him.  I think we got him and decided we'd roll him out for the last two months of the season, let him work on some stuff, and see if we can help him learn another pitch (or improve his current ones) during the offseason, and see how he looks in ST.  The Braves couldn't fix him, and they're excellent in player development, so I think he probably gets DFA'd this spring too.

Weiss' pitches looked great.  I saw something on Twitter that showed that his Stuff+ was exceptional, ranking amongst the best in the sport.  Who knows how that ultimately translates, but I think he is a keeper for now, and possibly a very good reliever for us.  

Canning, I agree.  I think he could squeak by as a backend SP, but I am not that high on him.  He does have options though, so if he is healthy, he can work on things in AAA.  Barria, in his role as long reliever, is fine IMO.  

CRod would help a ton if healthy, but unfortunately he never is.

Another guy you did not mention, to keep an eye on as the year unfolds, might be Soriano.  He was curiously added to the 40-man roster this offseason.  I would have been shocked to see someone draft him, after all the time he has missed, but he was added nevertheless.  I wonder if they are going to fast track him as a reliever now instead.  His stuff looks very good, and relievers can most certainly be fast-tracked.

I think Soriano is intriguing because of his velocity (mid-high 90s) and his wipeout curve. It's nasty. Here's an example of how the Angels feel about it:

“You’re protecting a big arm,” Angels minor league pitching coordinator Buddy Carlyle said. “With that kind of fastball and breaking ball and feel, people aren’t scared to move guys up through the system. If somebody is throwing strikes with that kind of stuff, (a callup) could be any time."

Sounds like they love his stuff. We know Perry loves guys with good stuff. With that curve and a slider they said they're working on, he could be a really good reliever. He's had two Tommy Johns, so there is no reason to try him as a starter anymore. Two TJ's...kind of like Eovaldi....

[Warfarin]

2 minutes ago, ThisismineScios said:

I think Soriano is intriguing because of his velocity (mid-high 90s) and his wipeout curve. It's nasty. Here's an example of how the Angels feel about it:

“You’re protecting a big arm,” Angels minor league pitching coordinator Buddy Carlyle said. “With that kind of fastball and breaking ball and feel, people aren’t scared to move guys up through the system. If somebody is throwing strikes with that kind of stuff, (a callup) could be any time."

Sounds like they love his stuff. We know Perry loves guys with good stuff. With that curve and a slider they said they're working on, he could be a really good reliever. He's had two Tommy Johns, so there is no reason to try him as a starter anymore. Two TJ's...kind of like Eovaldi....

Nice find.  Agreed - with the stuff he has, he could indeed be fast-tracked.  If he is indeed being deployed as a reliever, and assuming he starts off at high A, he could conceivably blitz through to AAA if he has a really strong year.  The clips I saw of him on Twitter look fantastic.