disarcina

In today's MLB economics -- any MLB team would trade for Pujols? Really? I doubt it Even a Dodgers deal like the one with Cincinnati where the Dodgers did a total salary dump of Puig, Kemp and Wood ( a very solid LHP rotation guy and the best player the Reds got) for HOMER BAILEY - a guy with a $12.7 million contract for 2019 that the Dodgers were going to immediately release for some other team (maybe our Halos - we need pitching help) will. pick up for the MLB minimum and Bailey will play for his new 2019 tram while most of his contract is paid for by the Dodgers. Way back when Bowie Kuhn (then Commissioner -- anyone remember back that far) vetoed some deal Charlie O' Finley made -- well -- this Dodgers - Reds deal is far worse than whatever deal was vetoed way back when. Trade Pujols ? Sure. But I doubt any team would want Mr, GIDP on their roster and probably would not want to pay the MLB minimum of $450,000 or whatever it is these days.

"What kind of money are we playing with?" A lot less than what it would take to sign key players to become competitive again........ I just don't see us doing much in 2019 or even 2020 -- hopefully we can compete by 2021 - isn't that about when Pujols' contract will finally be off the books ?

GrittyVeterans : " We need a catcher better than that" I don't disagree with your comment. My list is of catchers who I think the Halos' front office can afford -- I don't see the Halos spending what it takes to get a top tier catcher (offense wise) and I've always been OK going with a defensive oriented catcher -- on that list -- I think Martin Maldonado is a top tier defensive catcher and is the one I'd like to see back -- but Houston seems to really like him and will pay him what it takes to keep him there.

On that list - we need a catcher: Martin Maldonado, AJ Ellis and Bobby Wilson -- all familiar names. SP -- Should we extend an offer to Garrett RIchards - lotsa DL time; whaddya think? Other than Richards on the Halos list - let 'em all go. Blake Wood ???? perhaps. SP - two names on that list (not the top guys on the list but guys I think the Halos could possibly afford: Gio Gonzalez, Jeremy Hellickson RP -- David Robertson --- set up/ pre-set up guy - the exact area where we've had issues

I think everyone but Calhoun and Kinsler will win. as for Maldonado -- his first half with the Halos this year he was not as stellar behind the plate as he was last season - so it seemed to me. then he went over to Houston, they won the AL West title and advanced into the playoffs -- and he worked out well there - did well, the pitching staff liked him -- so he might win back to back GG one with the Halos and then this season primarily with Houston. Simmons at SS is a no-brainer for two in a row here (after several in Atlanta over in the NL) - I was sort of surprised that Simmons won the GG over Cleveland's Lindor last year -- not because Lindor was necessarily a better glove (he's pretty good and it's a close choice between the two) but because i felt Lindor may have had the advantage with the sports writers -- but this is chosen by the managers/ players ???

I could see Arizona or San Diego in his future.

Yeah - the ESPN Angels Board was pretty good back in the day and was for quite some time before some incessant trolling took over and got ridiculous -- about this time Chuck had put together AW.com and it was pretty amazing --- one day Chuck or some one (might not have been Chuck but one of the AW folks who was on the ESPN Board) said - hey - AW.com is up and running and is the start of something good.........starting tomorrow let's all go over there -- and it happened.......everyone left the ESPN board all within a day or two went to AW.com and never looked back........I've gone back to check the ESPN site about twice in the last ten years (does ESPN even have team boards any more? Have not checked in a quite a while). The last time was perhaps three years ago and it was a ghost town...... AW.com TEN YEARS IN -- WOW!! Time does fly. A lot of good folks here and a lot of good things here.

I may reluctantly root for the California team. it really helps that the opposition is the Boston Red Sox. All of this just is a painful reminder of the opportunities missed by the Halos over the past five plus years to really penetrate the Dodgers' stronghold on S. Cal . I trace much of it to the Josh Hamilton signing -- just at the time we had a chance with that knucklehead McCourt figuring out how to some how implode one of the most successful MLB franchises -- we signed Josh Hamilton to that ridiculous contract (which virtually every AW poster -- in fact, I think every single regular -- just blasted before the ink was even dry on the contract) -- that Josh Hamilton tied up the Halos salary structure for years and cost the Halos a chance to take advantage of the Dodgers free fall all caused by the McCourt circus/ debacle. Once the LA based ownership took over the team -- the ownership coalition that Bud Selig should have let get the team in the first place instead of giving McCourt some strange exclusive negotiating rights to buy the Dodgers........time McCourt spent trying to shore up his under-capitalized bid -- something that should have warned any fiscally prudent investor (commissioner) away from McCourt -- but instead McCourt's shaky financing deal won out and the result was a total embarrassment to MLB with a storied franchise being run into the ground. Meanwhile the Halos were paying Josh Hamilton -- a guy with a history that warranted - perhaps - one of those NBA ten day contracts rather than a long term deal. Now the Dodgers are in the World Series and dominating the market (to the extent MLB dominates any market these days -- St. Louis excepted). It's not quite the early sixties when the Angels were relegated to second class tenants of the Dodgers (O'Malley's 'deal' with Autry gave the Dodgers all the concession and parking revenue -- the Angels only got ticket sales revenue) but sort of feels like it.

Gio Gonzalez is a veteran MLB starter -- didn't he start his career with Oakland? I remember him best with Washington and part of a vaunted rotation that wasn't able to get the Nationals to the promised land of the W/S. Gonzalez seems to have spent a lot of time on the DL with his various teams. His durability seems an issue. He's a good pick up but I think any team who signs him will be over-paying for his past performance (more promise than performance) and experience. but -- he has a history of pitching some quality starts.......seen some real gems from him. I remember a few years back when he was with the Nationals - I attended two games of a three game series vs. the Giants at AT&T and had seats right on the rail of the Nats bull pen - saw Gonzalez warm up with a front row view.........the Nats vaunted staff got hit hard by the SF Giants the entire series -- and the Giants then weren't and still aren't a very offense oriented team.

Torii would likely manage in the Twins system - isn't he a ST coach for them already? Of he could stay close to home and manage a minor league team in Texas.

I think Eric Chavez remains at SLC managing AAA and boosting his managerial credentials. Chavez does not have that much managerial game experience. He would probably be better at AA (where the better players are) but AAA will do. Not sure why - but I think Ausmus is a three year interim guy until Chavez is ready........if Chavez can wait that long and if Ausmus just doesn't have great results/ success that provides him with a longer tenure..........I really don't see another 19 year run for a Halos manager.

sure -- if we could get Kipnis for Calhoun -- I'd say go for it. I think Kipnis - oft injured in recent seasons -- is past his prime. Calhoun has some decent time left but his first half slump this year is a cause for concern -- he really tanked at the plate for much of April/ May -- don't think he really caught fire got back on track until late June or later -- by then the Halos were pretty much out of it......

I like most of the guys listed above -- all current coaches -- some of them Scioscia's hand picked guys. I like Ebel and Griffin especially -- that being said -- Ausmus ought to be given full authority to hire new guys across the board if he wants. time to sweep the deck of the Titanic. Vizquel coached for the Halos? Don't remember that at all.........he interviewed for the Halos' manager job and then bowed out nicely........ not sure if we can snare him as an infield fielding coach -- he would be great. Love to see him in Tempe on infield drills with our MIFs and prospects.

can we root for both teams to lose ?

I like Ausmus. I like this choice. I commented on that when he was hired as 'the manager in waiting' and I still feel that way. I know a lot of posters here didn't like his track record from Detroit. I remember Ausmus from his playing days as a team leader/ catcher with San Diego, Houston and Detroit. By the time he signed on with the Dodgers at the end of his career he was almost pretty much a player-coach.

this decision was made when Ausmus was hired as special assistant to the GM. He has been the 'manager in waiting' since his hiring as a special assistant. Ausmus has spent the 2018 season sitting next to Eppler in the cushy club controlled stadium suite behind the plate with Arte there as well from time to time. He discussed his moves vs. Scioscia's moves with Eppler all season long. Some of us (certainly this long time poster) said back when Ausmus joined the organization that he was the 'manager in waiting'-- the only question was - when? If 2018 had gone better -- and it should have -- remember the optimism coming into the season? then Sosh would have been given a one or two year extension. I am pretty sure Sosh was informed about mid-July if not sooner -- that he wasn't coming back and the nature of how his departure would be scripted was up to him, Leave 'on his own accord' OR be terminated right after the season.

Inside Pitch summed up some of the Disneyland and other major employer / business benefits in Anaheim. Disneyland has made Anaheim. For better (mostly) and for worse (some bad stuff - mostly good). Lot of Disney dollars flow through that city and get re-circulated (taxes, wages paid to employee who make retail purchases etc.) Cypress, Stanton and those cities would love D-land in their city limits -- that plus a bunch of new car lots selling cars.

Las Vegas Angels...........wanna bet?

also - I'm OK with Ausmus -- I know there is a certain segment (perhaps a majority here) of AW posters who, for whatever reason, do not want to see Ausmus named the next Halos manager and don't like him. I've always thought favorably of Ausmus and thought he left the Detroit managerial position showing some class.

well, Fletcher would know -- I tend to agree with his take. i have felt he was the successor in waiting from the day he was hired by the Halos. I also think (and I have ZERO inside sources, no knowledge other than what I read/see/ hear in the media) for whatever reason, Ausmus' ultimate goal is the front office so his hiring will essentially be a plan to manage three to five years and turn it over to someone like an Eric Chavez Ausmus had access to Arte and Eppler -- and to Arte in a way that, apparently, is not viewed as a threat to Eppler - re over-stepping his authority.

I still think it's Brad Ausmus. and Eric Chavez becomes either third base coach or bench coach. Astros guy Espada (?) probably gets a managerial position - Texas ? (Texas interviewed Girardi this past week). Ausmus spent the past season as special assistant to Arte Moreno.......and sat in the owner's box for many of the Halos 2018 games (not that Arte was there for every game). So, who do we think is the front runner? Maybe the guy who has Arte's ear, perhaps?

Chili Davis' post playing history is a bit checkered. Players seemed to like him as a team-mate -- I still remember seeing him hit a grand slam in Anaheim Stadium (for the Angels) back when it was really the Big A. As a coach/ hitting coach he apparently is difficult to deal with/ get along with.........in addition to 'been fired by two teams in the last 12 months' I seem to recall he's been let go by a team or team(s) in the past as well..........hard to say. I'm thinking the Halos may be best sticking with Brad Ausmus or Eric Chavez. Just pick one. Hopefully announce it right after the W/S is over. I prefer Ausmus -- don't really have a reason why - perhaps because I like catchers and MIFs as managers. Folks/posters here at Angelswin.com seem to over-whelmingly prefer Eric Chavez -- who may be the better choice to relate to today's players -- who knows? At least Chavez can't complain about injuries and players on the DL........a significant part of his MLB playing time "days" were spent on the DL.

Betts the name was Wilson....... how many Mookie's can there be??????

close - no cigar