disarcina

CALZONE - you are so right about the 'battle for Los Angeles' -- when the Dogs were going through the McCourt debacle there was a real LIMITED TIME window of opportunity to really take advantage there and steal market share ---- and once the local alternative ownership investor group formed, it was only a matter of time until the Dodgers would be back and ready to spend some money...........the Angels really missed the pitch during that about two year period -- and if they would have struck then, really made some moves to penetrate the greater LA market -- then they would have been in an even better position today to take advantage of the LA 'not on TV' situation which is nothing short of scandalous in this, Vin Scully's final year behind the microphone............. oh by the way -- Scully's departure also provides the Halos with an opportunity to snare some of the LA market as well --- read a piece in the LA Times on Scullly the other day and it mentioned as in an 'oh. by the way,' throw away line at the end of the article --that Dick Enberg is calling it a day as well this year -- he's been announcing SD Padres games the past four or five years.

under club control for four years - perfect..........SLC rotation spot is set for a few years now........

our team isn't going anywhere in the standings the next few years --- I'd love it if they bring these back for road uni's -- perhaps for Sunday day road 'get away' games.

that's great -- thanks for posting the photo of the old PCL uni.......!!!

Scioscia brings out the best in Napoli -- unfortunately that's the case ONLY after Napoli left the Halos.

amazing how a non-contending team can tank the team's leverage on the ballpark situation. you would think that Halos would sort of be like Disney was and put a competitive / contender on the field, if for no other reason, than to increase the value of the team for sale purposes. of course, back when, the Disneyland folks were more interested in just keeping the Angels in Anaheim than winning a title - but it all worked out ok - Disney upgraded the park - entered into the much discussed / litigated extension (including the LA team name language stuff) extension for the ballpark, won a title and successfully sold the ballclub at higher value than before all that happened. now it looks like the Angels are about to sign the equivalent of one of those player - team 'one year' options.........

when we play quality teams like the Cubs, it just highlights how far away we are from being a serious contender

well, Calhoun may be the most 'trade- able' position player we have. if we need to build some young prospect arms down at the Farm - dealing him may be the best way to get a promising pitching prospect or two. I don't like the idea of dealing Calhoun, but let's face it -- we're not going anywhere near the playoffs the next two maybe three years.......

and so the AAA roster for September gets an early start.......... Halos attendance numbers look good because apparently the Halos sell off blocks of un-used tickets to the ticket brokers at a discounted bulk price with an agreement that they can turn back in the unsold tickets to the Halos for half of what was paid.........essentially they 'rent' the tickets and if they are sold -- great -- if not, they turn them back in for their deposit. what this does for MLB attendance stats and allow the team to report that all those broker tickets are SOLD -- even if they are later returned. so that helps explain why we see reported attendance numbers of 30,000 plus combined with embarrassing TV shots of a more than half empty ballpark -- now into mid-August and September it can only get worse on that score........

probably get trashed for saying this (perhaps, rightfully so) but I think he's worth a flyer -- of course, I'd wait to see if the Astros really let him go-- and then pounce on him for the MLB minimum -- not sure what his contract is or how many years remain on it -- but this guy was a stellar player just last season and not that long ago........ he's likely better than what we have planned for LF next year....... so I'd be game to pick him up for us -- I think Houston might just be dangling him to see what interest he draws and will listen to any offers -- not sure if anyone will offer much and instead wait the ten days to see if they can get him really cheap and at Houston's expense.......... I have been under the impression that like waivers, teams can pull players back from the DFA list........

Some valid comments in there - but overall, agree with other posters here -- fairly weak analysis. Keep Scioscia? Sure, why not, let him finish out his contract (what? after an even 20 years after the 2019 season?) since the Halos likely won't be doing much in the AL West during that time.......Scioscia can put together a record of sub-.500 teams. Trade Pujols? Great idea, let's get on that -- am sure a lot of teams want that contract !! And if we eat most of it -- what does that do for our payroll. It's easier to knock Pujols poor initial start with the Halos and now, at the back side 5 years of his 10 year deal, his complete lack of any versatility as he truly is a DH who should only be at 1B because someone is injured or some sort of NL inter-league game double-switch..........I don't see how a trade of Pujols (who would take him?) does anything for the Halos since his salary/ contract probably stays on the books under any circumstances and Halos get deprived of his climbing the all time HR list -- which may be one of the few reasons (other than Mike Trout) for Halo fans to come to the ballpark over the next few years. Weaver retire? I go back and forth on this - at times Weaver looks like a guy who could fill the fifth spot back of the rotation as well as anyone else. Other times, I think, well, maybe so but leaving a year arguably too soon is far better than a year late -- Weaver must have cringed watching double Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum struggle to hang on with the Angels and think -- OUCH, that could be me soon, I better get while I can........ Trading players? With the exception of A. Simmons -- who I really like at SS and would try to build even the marginal team of the next few years around strong up the middle guys - Trout and Simmons -- I would agree that everyone else is on the block -- hopefully for the best prospects we can get -- because the author is right, we're not very deep on the farm. Calhoun, Escobar, Shoemaker, Cron, virtually anyone not named Trout and Simmons should be on the block. The Santiago deal -- I thought we lowered some payroll there which is what Arte wanted to do -- I think it got the Halos below the luxury tax thresh-hold........if we can't finish in the first division or as a contender -- might as well finish in the black rather than red ink. We only wear red, Arte prefers that his books not bleed it.

are you sure we didn't extend Kazmir -- I thought we did -- his contract went from $8 million in 2010 (he was 9-15 for us that season) to $12 million in 2011 (was that his TB Rays' contract?) and in 2011 for all money - he pitched one game for us.......was out all of 2012 and 2013 (perhaps partially on our dime -- not sure) and then signed with Cleveland and wound up in Oakland where he re-jump started his career.........now he's signed with the Dogs through 2018 for the largest contracts of his career ($18 million for 2018) Here's a guy who I was sure was DONE when the Angels finally released him - and the Halos gave him every chance in every different kind of pitching role to come around to his early years (Mets prospect, Tampa Bay rotation guy who either led or was near top in K's in AL for 3 straight years)........during the time before he was completely shut down, I remember watching him pitch and it looked like he was bored with the game and would rather be anywhere else put pitching in MLB. then, suddenly, he's out for two seasons and now he's climbed back into a contender's rotation........

no comment on Josh Hamilton's contract -- that was a disaster day one and, I think, to a poster -- everyone on this board said so -- so for the folks here on that - there's no Monday Morning Quarterbacking re Hamilton's contract -- Arte seemed to be responded to action elsewhere and perhaps up the freeway with Dogs' moves -- and, apparently, felt 'he/ the Halos, 'had to do something" -- and then the Hamilton signing debacle -- criticized day one by virtually every poster here (and rightfully so then and certainly now). Hamilton and his history is a guy, who, if he is to be signed (then and certainly ever again), should be signed to one of those NBA like contracts -- duration Ten Days.

lost in all the 'non-hype' I guess is that the ongoing media narrative with Pujols starts and ends with his less than stellar start with the Halos his first season here -- and actually, he rebounded in the second half of that first season to post decent power numbers and, really, season line for each year with the Halos since shows good production -- the batting average is not what it was in St. Louis -- but he has had good numbers -- some can (and may) argue he's had "Steve Garvey like stats" in the sense that the knock on Steve Garvey and whatever fairly decent stats he may have put up in any given season were 'non-clutch/ key hits/ HRs" such as a hitting a late inning HR or key hit in a game the Dodgers were losing 8-0 or something........so his stats looked good but he could not be counted upon when it counted.........I don't think that's the case with Pujols -- and if you look as his record/ production overall, he's done pretty well during his time here...........he's approaching what? HR No. 600 and with his latest HR the other day, I was very surprised to read in several newspaper accounts of the game and his HR (including the LA Times) that there was no mention that it was HR 587 (or whatever number it was)........

As mentioned in today's LA Times -- this 'comeback' effort by Lincecum has fallen short but has shown him and all that he probably needs to develop a new pitch -- it was mentioned that if anyone could become a knuckleball pitcher, it's Lincecum. Remember Charlie Hough with the Dodgers? Was a starter and never able to really make it as a starter, wound up being sent out and shortly came up with a knuckleball -- he eneded up being one of the top knuckleball pitchers (not the best, like Niekro but up there) of his ear........not sure if he ran across Phil Niekro or maybe even Hoyt Whilhelm -- who pitched for about five years (or more) for the Dodgers towards the end of Wilhelm's long career -- but Hough became a knuckleballer and had a pretty good MLB career after being declared 'finished' Perhaps Lincecum can do something like that...... Also -- remember Scott Kazmir -- comes to Angels, signs lucrative extension contract, flops badly (and the Angels gave him every chance , multiple chances -- towards the end he was being put in game for mop up role and couldn't get guys out in that role !!. Then about a year plus later, Kazmir is back, pitching in the Oakland then the Dodgers rotation and being effective........so Lincecum done? Don't count him out -- his starts with the Angels over been overall terrible though -- almost Joe Blanton like -- another guy who somehow found his way back from being 'MLB's worst pitcher' to be in the Dodgers rotation this year and now playing what seems to be an ever expanding/ important pen role for them..........as Dizzy Dean used to say on the national telecasts "who woulda thunk it?"

Not a big Tex fan -- he's not a HOF'er by any means. went for the money and said so up front -- that's ok -- but we don't have to like it. didn't like the way he acted like a short timer in Anaheim from day one after the trade. I still think the deadline deal made sense for the Halos even knowing that Tex was clearly a rental and not about to sign here. He did play well for us and I was pleasantly surprised at how good he was defensively at first base.

well -he just blew a save opp there and gets bailed out by A's base runner blunder -- are we sure DiSar isn't coaching third for the A's??? every time I watch one of these MLB run down plays it just seems to highlight the lack of fundamentals in the game today at the highest levels. Angels ran the runner towards third (the next bag) instead of back towards second........the idea taught in Little League on up is to always, to the extent possible, make the runner retreat towards the bag, in case something goes awry (dropped throw, wild throw etc.) so that the runner has more ground to cover to advance.....don't run the baserunner towards the next bag because when the bad thing happens (and it will often) the runner has already pretty much advanced to the next base and now headed to third or home as the case may be. also -- a series of short throws between the fielders chasing the runner back towards the prior bag......

Bedrosian becomes the ' go to' guy after several stints with the Angels and some real problematic years...... good to see he's stuck with it and the Angels with him........with out of contention season (ignore Sosh's rants on the subject) 7-8 weeks of games........good time to test Bedrock in the closing role - and , yeah, he's going to lose some games -- but the experience will be good and it's not like we're doing much else the rest of 2016.

as for getting more for Santiago -- you know -- it's that deadline dance -- teams know Halos NEED TO MOVE Santiago - so they sit back and wait -- apparently none of the contenders felt Santiago so he gets dealt to the Twins who figure he's a bargain for 2017 even if they pick up two months of Nolasco's contract..........once the contenders opted out of the Santiago sweepstakes -- Halos probably needed to scramble to find a trading partner -- although Santiago signed through 2017 is a pretty attractive contract for a serviceable fifth starter who's probably had a career year in 2016 -- for a team needing to fill a back of the rotation spot without much to spend in the payroll budget. And, remember, this year's F/A starting pitching field looks fairly weak -- hard to tell what that means now -- either teams get desperate and over-pay for second rate rotation guys OR -- some F/A will be sitting out ST and perhaps the first month of the season until they finally understand they have to lower their economic expectations and sign for less........for some of these guys - the Nolan Ryan/ Roger Clemens option is a pretty good fall back --- I call it that because remember when Ryan, at the end of his career, signed with Houston and cut a deal where he didn't travel with the team, pitched mainly at home and when he pitched away games, flew in, started, flew home. And Clemens, among his 'other issues' not known at the time -- but he cut a deal, also with Houston, I think, where he sat out two three months and then pitched the second half of the season making as much or more (for the whole year) as some of the other starters.......nice work if you can get it -- skip ST take an extra month off and still make a season's worth of dough...........

upon further review of the Halos deals at deadline time, reading this morning's LA TIMES, the deals are OK. The Twins did pick up the difference in salary between Nolasco and Santiago. I thought the Smith trade was fine from the get go - we had to move Smith and got something in return - which is fine -- but we also shed his 2016 contract for the remaining two months which places the Halos under the luxury tax thresh-hold..... Much depends on whether the once top prospect, Alex Meyer, can be a successful rehabilitation project after some DL time and injuries. But even if Meyer does not pan out, really -- all he has to do is equal Santiago's performance during Santiago's time in Anaheim,

well, at least the Angels made some moves at deadline time -- we were all after them to do that. Smith trade actually sounds OK -- we needed to move him and get something in return. Perhaps this Castillo arm will pan out for us. Better than getting nothing for Smith if he walked -- which he would have -- at season's end.

are the Twins paying part of Nolasco's salary? If they aren't - there's no salary relief here -- in fact, the payroll probably went up a bit for 2017 and Nolasco is signed, I think, through 2018. meanwhile Santiago is signed through 2017 and if he keeps pitching the way he has, it's a bargain rate contract. I'm not saying we shouldn't have moved Santiago -- but geez, I thought we could have gotten more or at least a prospect. this tells me Angels are looking to contend in 2019 perhaps '18. Nolasco either as a fifth starter in '18 or flipped to another team in 2017 deadline deal.

I thought we were trying to shed salary..........oh well.

that Smith trade to Chicago Cubs sounds better.........Cubs have loaded up the pen............were they going to flip one of the pen guys for something else they need????

we traded Smith to the Cubs? what did we get back? Perhaps there's hope here. Cubs pen now getting crowded with closer mentality egos. Will Smith was traded by Milwuakee to SF.