The Official Los Angeles Angels 2023-2024 Hot Stove Offseason Thread

[Erstad Grit]

17 minutes ago, T.G. said:

Things never happen fast enough for fans.  I'm not going to judge this off season until the roster is set for opening day.

Things have happened just fine for Dodger, Mets, Cardinals, Braves, and Royals fans. 

[T.G.]

9 minutes ago, Erstad Grit said:

Things have happened just fine for Dodger, Mets, Cardinals, Braves, and Royals fans. 

Ok.

[Duren, Duren]

Fan morale has to be at a pretty low level currently. Optics are important in generating income on multiple levels. And the off season has been as disappointing as could be so far. 

Knowing for a long time that they were going to lose Ohtani management should have had a plan B in the works. Targeting upcoming free agents and trade options, and been aggressively pro active. Instead they have barely done anything even remotely considered as upgrading. And they haven't even stocked the prospect pool significantly. 

2024 will be hard to sell optimistically. Hopefully the young players keep progressing and the key veterans stay healthy and useful. 

 

[Angel Oracle]

31 minutes ago, T.G. said:

Judging an unfinished product is silly, IMO. 

And if the Angels end up saving their money for next year's FA crop, I'm find with that too.

Agreed, just as long as they do sign one of the key pitchers a year from now.

Do the same heading into ST that they did a year ago, add solid volume on short deals.

[Inside Pitch]

The lack of anything substantial being done by the Angels so far sucks.  The lack of moves solely to try to make the fanbase THINK they are trying does not.  Given recent history, avoiding big money mistakes would be a refreshing change.

[EdmontonAngelsFan]

49 minutes ago, Duren, Duren said:

Fan morale has to be at a pretty low level currently. Optics are important in generating income on multiple levels. And the off season has been as disappointing as could be so far. 

Knowing for a long time that they were going to lose Ohtani management should have had a plan B in the works. Targeting upcoming free agents and trade options, and been aggressively pro active. Instead they have barely done anything even remotely considered as upgrading. And they haven't even stocked the prospect pool significantly. 

2024 will be hard to sell optimistically. Hopefully the young players keep progressing and the key veterans stay healthy and useful. 

 

That's why I'm starting to think Arte sells the team. He's not interested in throwing money at big name FA's and wants to move on.

[Erstad Grit]

17 minutes ago, EdmontonAngelsFan said:

That's why I'm starting to think Arte sells the team. He's not interested in throwing money at big name FA's and wants to move on.

Then why in the hell sign Luis Garcia for 4 million? 

[ThisismineScios]

13 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

The lack of anything substantial being done by the Angels so far sucks.  The lack of moves solely to try to make the fanbase THINK they are trying does not.  Given recent history, avoiding big money mistakes would be a refreshing change.

This is like devil on one shoulder, angel on the other. Been just thinking on some things. Don't mind me I'm just here. Forgive the long post but it's a bit therapeutic for dealing with the lethargic team I follow. 

1) This kind of marks the first offseason in...as long as I can remember that we don't know where we stand. Are we saving $? Re-tooling? Rebuilding? (Unlikely). Going for it? Most teams' fans know what the objective is in the offseason. And while I don't think Perry needs to tell the world all his plans, or exactly how much money they're going to spend (which is what Blum is going on about), I think some sort of goal would generate more excitement and fan support. And while it's easy to say that nobody in the org cares about that...of course they do. No team flat out doesn't care about their fans. But the Angels are mentioned in nearly every rumor. The ones I've seen so far: Snell, Montgomery, Teoscar, Bellinger, Imanaga, Hicks, Brasier, Stephenson, JDM, Soler, Stroman. They've shown real interest in all these guys? Really? They've even allowed themselves to be reported as seriously in or in the lead on Snell, Imanaga, Stroman, Soler, and Teoscar. They likely won't come close to signing any of these guys. I'm not sure what this accomplishes? You get your fan base to get somewhat excited or hopeful, and it turns out you were never close to getting any of them -- maybe it was, "Hey (agent), if your guy is open to 2 years - $30 million, let us know." (Signs for close to double that). But how does that benefit them? Either they're oblivious to their name being thrown around constantly, as a joke/tool among agents and as a false hope for fans (which is bad), or...they don't care? Which I think is also bad. I don't see an in-between, because they don't leak anything (intentionally or not) and Perry uses the same "Management 101" lines every time he talks to reporters. I guess I just don't get the way they go about negotiations, rumors, leverage, and keeping everything from your fans and even your own players! The players are on Twitter and watch MLBN as well! I'm can see Trout texting Perry after seeing these rumors like, "Hey, we thinking about Snell?" "No, lol, just a rumor." "Oh ok. Montgomery?" "No, just showed some interest." "Ahh. Bellinger?" "Too expensive". "Oh...ok. Who are we talking to." "Remember Plesac? Yeah..him and Adam Duvall." The players always talk about learning about things on Twitter. What's it like for them to think the team is in on guys constantly, only to find out they're not? 

2) Arte. I know, we tend to talk about him in extremes. However, I am truly at a loss for where his head is at and what he wants. He is a 77 (!!) year-old billionaire that owns a baseball team. Which just has to be a hobby at his age and wealth. Owning a team cannot be all about making money. I cannot relate, but I also cannot understand how that does not cause you to behave in a certain way. For example:
-He did not exceed the luxury tax once ever, not even in 2022 when we thought we would have a healthy Ohtani (fresh off MVP), Trout, and Rendon. So clearly winning only matters so much to him--not enough to not make money...even though valuation means he can recoup, quite literally, all of that lost money 10x over when he does sell the team. What I mean is if he spends a lot, and the team loses $20 million dollars...uhh ok? When you sell, you are going to profit $2 billion+. 
-His family has no interest in continuing ownership. Which means you are going to make several billion $ to pass on to them when you sell (or die) no matter what. Sustaining a profitable enterprise first and foremost should not matter for a man in his position. 
-He will not talk to the media openly. He has barely done so in years. Which means he does not want to answer for certain decisions, and does not want to deal with negativity or criticism. 
-He knows the fans don't like him. He did not go on the field for Ohtani's Team MVP award, but fans still chanted "Sell the Team" and "Arte Sucks" during the game. 
-His legacy at this point is going to say, "He never won a Championship, missed the playoffs for 9 straight years, wasted the years of perhaps the 2 greatest players in history, and was known for meddling." I can't think of another way he is remembered if he died today. 

So all of this considered...he is old, extremely rich, loves baseball, is not passing the team on to family, knows the fans don't like him, knows the media will hound him if he talks to them, but has never won a championship and has a truly awful ownership legacy.
The thing that I cannot wrap my head around: there is a single solution to all of these things: spend aggressively. Invest in your team, go over the tax, spend spend spend. Fans would get excited, the media for the most part sits where the fans do, the team would be more competitive, you go out looking like a guy who actually wants to win, and save that legacy in some way. What I'm saying essentially is that even though I know he is the way he is, I don't understand why when if he just went all-in, he could remedy all of these things.

I know the responses are going to be "WHO CARES and "YOURE WASTING YOUR TIME" or that all he care about is money, but when you factor everything, what he is doing and the place in life he is at does not make any sense to me. 

[EdmontonAngelsFan]

Heyman updates on his B/R Live Take just now:

-In on Stroman

-Laying in the weeds for Snell and Montgomery

-Angels in a holding pattern on FA's. Not hearing much on them

[Erstad Grit]

3 minutes ago, EdmontonAngelsFan said:

Heyman updates on his B/R Live Take just now:

-In on Stroman

-Laying in the weeds for Snell and Montgomery

-Angels in a holding pattern on FA's. Not hearing much on them

He said angels are in on them? 

[ScottM]

This would be a solid upside signing. Not wipeout stuff but he knows how to pitch.

 

[ScottM]

4 minutes ago, ScottM said:

This would be a solid upside signing. Not wipeout stuff but he knows how to pitch.

 

He hung out with Ippei's dad in Costa Mesa the other day https://www.sanspo.com/article/20240107-JDYNCSJOWZINXNVSTAEC3PYTH4/

[EdmontonAngelsFan]

6 minutes ago, Erstad Grit said:

He said angels are in on them? 

In on Stroman and said they are attached to Snell and Montgomery.

[jsnpritchett]

8 minutes ago, ScottM said:

This would be a solid upside signing. Not wipeout stuff but he knows how to pitch.

 

https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2023/12/18/how-good-is-naoyuki-uwasawa-an-npb-free-agent-scouting-report/

"What to Expect

Uwasawa projects as a swingman in MLB with enough durability and control to be given a shot at the back end of a rotation. His four-seam characteristics and splitter have him standing a decent chance at some sort of valuable production for an MLB team, if he consistently hits spots, but the lack of velocity and overall stuff will limit his ceiling to that of a Kyle Gibson-type pitcher."

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=uwasaw000nao

EDIT:  Uwasawa's signing deadline is also tomorrow, btw.

Edited January 10 by jsnpritchett

[ScottM]

1 minute ago, jsnpritchett said:

https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2023/12/18/how-good-is-naoyuki-uwasawa-an-npb-free-agent-scouting-report/

"What to Expect

Uwasawa projects as a swingman in MLB with enough durability and control to be given a shot at the back end of a rotation. His four-seam characteristics and splitter have him standing a decent chance at some sort of valuable production for an MLB team, if he consistently hits spots, but the lack of velocity and overall stuff will limit his ceiling to that of a Kyle Gibson-type pitcher."

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=uwasaw000nao

Yeah pretty much. Probably just gives the Angels the flexibility to trade one of the backend arms for a bat without sweating it too much.

[Ochocinco!]

3 minutes ago, EdmontonAngelsFan said:

In on Stroman and said they are attached to Snell and Montgomery.

Like to the hip? 

[EdmontonAngelsFan]

3 minutes ago, Ochocinco! said:

Like to the hip? 

Yes

[rafibomb]

23 minutes ago, EdmontonAngelsFan said:

Heyman updates on his B/R Live Take just now:

-In on Stroman

-Laying in the weeds for Snell and Montgomery

-Angels in a holding pattern on FA's. Not hearing much on them

which means they are making a move soon 

[Blarg]

5 hours ago, DCAngelsFan said:

Arte could've lured away every Dodger scout and development guy with McCourt in charge - I said so at the time.  He could've bought their development system at fire sale prices.  

That entire group was disbanded when McCourt sold the Dodgers. 

[Inside Pitch]

3 minutes ago, Blarg said:

That entire group was disbanded when McCourt sold the Dodgers. 

Yep, Logan White was the lynchpin of that group, he was one of Pressler's first hires.  

[Erstad Grit]

38 minutes ago, ScottM said:

This would be a solid upside signing. Not wipeout stuff but he knows how to pitch.

 

I'll be honest I never heard of this guy until now

Crazy his innings are higher than Imanaga.
2021 ---160.1 > 149.1

2022 ---160 > 158.2

2023 ---170 > 159

 

[Angelsfan1984]

4 minutes ago, Erstad Grit said:

I'll be honest I never heard of this guy until now

Crazy his innings are higher than Imanaga.
2021 ---160.1 > 149.1

2022 ---160 > 158.2

2023 ---170 > 159

 

does it make you happy to know that the Angels did? 

[Erstad Grit]

6 minutes ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

does it make you happy to know that the Angels did? 

I'll answer that if the angels actually sign him

[Angels 1961]

Angels should sign Yasiel Puig only 34. Minor league deal with invite to ST.

[Kendo36]

Need an explanation on Angelswin's last twitter post.