MVN: Most Valuable Network

A few posts back I mentioned that I think the Angels should consider offering Manny Ramirez a four-year contract for about $100 million, rather than offer Mark Teixeira a 10-year contract for $200 million.

Now I am beginning to wonder if the Angels should even do that.

It was about this time last year that the Angels shocked many in the baseball world when they swooped in and grabbed Torii Hunter for five years at $18 million a year.

And while I was satisfied with the Hunter contract at the time, I am not sure if the Angels need to spend that kind of money and then some to get a free agent like Ramirez, Teixeira or even C.C. Sabathia.

I don't think that it would necessarily be in the Angels' best interest to be the first bidder for guys like Ramirez and Teixeira - guys who will command a premium because they happen to employ a guy named Scott Boras.

(Sidenote: Do you think that in the offseason that Boras and his clients dive around and swim in a giant Money Bin? Just a thought.)

The Angels might be better off by waiting to see how the market plays out - and even consider missing out on Ramirez, Sabathia and Teixeira.
There is always the possibility the Angels could find the missing pieces they need through a trade and the team will still be competitive in 2009.

Kendry Morales seems more than competent and ready to start at first base and the Angels will get Kelvim Escobar back as a fifth starter - until he gets injured again.

You might argue that the Angels need Ramirez or Teixeira to be competitive in 2009. But I have breaking news for you - I don't see any way how the Angels can enter 2009 without looking like a weaker team than the 2008 squad - at least on paper. (And the 2008 squad did not make it to the World Series, like so many believed.)

The Angels are likely going to move into 2009 without their closer, without their all-time leader in hits and RBIs, without one of their five starters, without a decent backup outfielder and potentially without a slugging first baseman.

The bottom line is the Angels have a lot of holes to fill for the 2009 season and saddling the team with $20 million and/or $25 million contracts may weaken the team in the long run.

I would rather the Angels patch up their holes in the lineup with quality players at fewer dollars or through the minor league system. At the same time, maybe the team can control costs and lower or at least keep consistent the cost to attend games, given the state of the economy.

(Angels tickets are pretty cheap but I would not want to run the risk of having to pay more because the Angels signed a premium free agent. Call it the Teix Tax.)

If the Angels miss out on the big free agents so be it. Given the state of the economy, the fact that many people are losing their homes and their jobs, it might be worth it to pull back and measure the health of the economy and re-enter the free agent sweepstakes in 2009 and 2010 - at which time the Angels can sign the biggest free agent of them all - Lebron James.
 

It was announced today that Angels' center fielder Torii Hunter won his eighth straight Gold Glove. That's all well and fine but he came to Los Angeles via Anaheim to win something that weighs considerably less than a glove and fits around your finger and is also shiny - a World Series ring. Sigh. Oh well. Here is a clip from Torii Hunter's own marketing video: Hanging with Mr. Hunter Part 4 where he hangs out with Ludacris and Gary Matthews, Jr. Is it sad that I would prefer to see Ludacris playing the reserve outfielder role next year more than Gary Matthews, Jr.?  ... Read more

Maybe the Angels should make it Manny-heim. Understand, I am not a fan of Manny Ramirez. I think that the attention he gets, his antics, and the way he left Boston is despicable. But he can hit. And - maybe more importantly than that - he can get people to the games. The Angels are expected to go after their free agent rental Mark Teixeira and offer him a multi-year deal that Teixeira and his agent, Scott Boras, want. (Incidentally, want a scary costume for this Halloween? Try a Scott Boras mask. Sure to scare any general managers in your neighborhood.) But what if the Angels can't sign Teixeira? What if the Yankees or even Orioles swoop in and give Teixeira a 10-year, $20-million a year contract? And if it is the Yankees, could they come in with a $22 million-a-year contract? That would be mighty tempting money to Teixeira and I think he... Read more

I have a lot of disjointed, random thoughts after the Angels were eliminated from the playoffs on Monday night. Here they are: - There are many, including myself, who will say that this 2008 season is a disappointment because the Angels did not make it to the World Series. Still, I appreciate that for the Angels, the World Series is a goal and not a pipe dream. This team will compete again next year. - Also, I, like a lot of Angels players, did not feel the Red Sox were as talented as the Halos. The Angels beat themselves, rather than letting the Red Sox beat them. The silver lining, if there is one from this series, is that the Halos made all four games competitive unlike in 2007; if a ball had bounced this way or that way - or if a bunt had been placed correctly - it... Read more

We are tired here at Big A Baseball. Tired but happy. And while Sunday night's marathon win for the Halos did keep Red Sox fans on the east coast up after midnight, I would argue that they still did not have it as bad as Angels fans. Every pitch to a Red Sox batter in the latter innings of the game came with a heaping dose of anxiety for Angel fans. Was this the pitch? Was this the pitch that would result in a late-inning run for the BoSox? Would this pitch be another walk-off for the Sox like in 2004 and 2007 and another sweep? For me, and I would argue, other Angels fans, Game 3 was a crash course in watching your team live on the edge. The Angels have obviously played poor in this series - with errors, poor decision making and a tremendous ability to leave... Read more

The five questions the Angels need to answer in order to win this series against the Red Sox: 1. Can Vladimir Guerrero produce in the postseason? This is the one question that is being asked by columnists, bloggers, Angels and Red Sox fans and, I believe, was once the Final Jeopardy winning response. In three postseasons with the Angels, Vladimir Guerrero has produced a miserable batting average and with the exception of a lone grand slam against the Red Sox in 2004, he has done diddly squat. Now with Mark Teixeira batting in front of him and Torii Hunter hitting behind him, some of the pressure is off Vlad to produce. But, of course, now it means with such production in front and behind him, there is even more pressure for him to produce. No more excuses. 2. Can the Angels win in Fenway? The Angels went 5-1 in Fenway... Read more

Mike Scioscia is famous for preaching the one-day-at-a-time mantra to his players. What happened yesterday, last inning, or your last at-bat is irrelevant. It's in the past. Focus on now, this at-bat, this pitch, this moment. That is the only thing you can control. Oh, but this team remembers 2007. The Angels finished that season 94-68, tops in the American League West, ready to face the American League East champion the Red Sox. But we all know how that went. Embarassing is definitely a good word for what happened. Truth be told, the Angels were severely banged up in that series. Vladimir Guerrero had a bad knee. Garret Anderson had pink eye and couldn't see. Gary Matthews wasn't even on the roster due to injury. Casey Kotchman was hospitalized. Thus, facing Boston -- which in and of itself is tough enough -- was made that much tougher. But now, the... Read more

Allowing 10 runs in less than three innings is not the outing John Lackey wanted in his last appearance before the playoffs, a 12-1 loss to Texas. It was his worst mound performance ever, but it was softened by the fact that the Angels already won the American League West and, thanks to Tampa Bay's loss, claimed home field advantage throughout the playoffs. So, Lackey will get to take the hill again in game one next week, again at Angel Stadium, and redeem himself against the Boston Red Sox. Ah, Boston. Why do the Angels draw Boston again? Last season, the Angels were swept by the Red Sox, but it was an Angels team depleted by injuries. It does not look like that will be the case this year. Plus, the Angels in 2008 are 8-1 against Boston, 5-1 in Boston and 3-0 in Anaheim. That has to account for... Read more

I was on the Angels baseball Web site the other day and I noticed that the team has put up a list of top moments from the 2008 regular season that fans can vote on for the top moments of the season. However, some of the moments at the Angels’ site I disagreed with – such as Texieira’s grand slam which was proven moot because the Yankees came back to win. So I decided to put together my own Top Ten list ranked in order from 10 (significant) to 1 (most significant). In some cases I did not rank individual plays but rather moments or events from the season. Other things that are notable (like Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo holding the Dodgers hitless in a 0-1 loss) were not included because they involve our least favorite thing here at Big A Baseball – an Angels loss. So without further... Read more

The LA Angels of Anaheim were the first to punch their post-season ticket and Manager Mike Scioscia has used the last couple of weeks as a sort of extended Spring Training.  Several key players have been given time off to get healthy and some potential playoff bench players have been given valuable big-league at-bats.  Now the injured players are getting put back in the everyday line-up to get their timing back and position the club for a long October run. Kevin Baxter has a nice article in today's LA Times describing the club's on-field and clubhouse chemistry.  This is a team that is enjoying playing together and has blended well.  The question is whether or not they will have that 'edge' that they will need to propel them past some of the best baseball teams in the league.   It is certainly entertaining watching the Angels beat-up teams like Oakland,... Read more

Now that it has been a week since the Angels clinched the A.L. West division (although it has felt like weeks months) Halo fans can start thinking about who the team will face in the first round of the American League Division Series and overall in the playoffs. The good news is that as long as the Rays and Red Sox continue to beat up on each other the Angels will have a good chance to clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Right now the Halos are three games up in the win column on both the Rays and Red Sox; if the Angels can manage maybe five to six more wins this season I would feel pretty good about their chances of getting home field. The bad news is there is not one of the potential playoff teams that is particularly appetizing for the Angels to face in... Read more