The Angels are doomed to be a stars and scrubs team as they choose to be a team that has spent all their resources on stars and high upside, low floor prospects. They have nearly half their budget spent on Trout, Rendon, and player benefits through 2026. Their prospects in AA and AAA for the most part are not performing well. They really only have two choices, breakup their team or put everything they have into a Stars and Scrub team for the next two seasons.
They have one of the top 3 best players in history plus 2 other superstars. If they don’t do everything possible to win right now, they may as well never try. It is totally reasonable for them to mortgage their entire future to win while they have Trout/Ohtani/Rendon. They don’t have prospects, so they should just spend the damn money to build a championship level rotation and add a capable SS. They are only 3 players away from truly contending. Unfortunately 2 of those are ToR SP so they need to dig deep, but if they get thru the Trout/Ohtani era without a ring or pennant, they ****ed up royally and half assed their way to shame.
They should probably start with a playoff win. The last time the Angels won a postseason game was a few months after they drafted Trout. That's insane.
They've thought they were 2-3 players away for how many years now? If Seattle ever makes the playoffs, the Trout/Ohtani era may become known as the longest current playoff drought in the majors.
The Angels need to find a bat, be it at 1st or RF and stay healthy. Plus trade whatever it take to either through FA or trade get a legitimate ace. With Pujols off the books through trade and FA they could fill these hole pretty easily.
You would think they could get an above avg SS in FA on the cheap. What Worries me is if they sign Correa and one TOR guy, then at the deadline trade for another Lance Lynn type guy. Did the Angels draft a bunch of pitchers in this last draft?
Jared Walsh is their current first baseman. I think they have the position covered. You are correct that right field could use some help
Walsh also played RF some earlier this year. Which are more obtainable at the deadline a 1st baseman or a RF?
Any guesses where the college draftees are going to land? I assume the HSers will be heading toward the complex league. Back when the Astros had three short summer season teams (now down to just one with the complex league), most of the college draftees went to a short season team, with only 2/3 elite college draftees going to low A at least to start. Anyway, the Astros will have to find place for 20+ draftees on lower minor league teams, which currently have full rosters.
I do not expect any of this years draftees to play for any of the full season minor league teams this season. We may see a few get into the complex league games in Florida, but I think the new normal is for draftees to spend their first 1/2 pro season in the complex getting coached up and/or recovering. We will see a large group of prospects released (20-30) in the next 2 weeks as the Astros will have to get under the 180 man limit when they add the draftees. I think most of the releases will come from the Florida complex roster along guys currently on the injured/inactive/development lists on the full season rosters.
Interesting. My guess is that they'll be pretty aggressive sending the college position players to Fayetteville. I could see complex development for the high schoolers and most pitchers, but I figured the new normal would just force them to make quicker decisions about some of their prospects.
You think they will trade Trout or Rendon. That's a gutsy call. If they keep both those players, they will be a Stars and Scrubs team. That isn't to say they can't win, it is just really hard to find that many cheap scrubs that don't suck.
If the Angels were smart, I know of one out-of-work GM that would fix their minor leagues system and their MLB club in short order.
That out-of work GM didn't have to deal with the team he primarily built last time, and had time to build his team. With the Angels, he would have about ~100M to work with while having about 15 guys worthy of being on the 40-man next year.
I hate the constant Luhnow vs Click debates that pop on this board, but it’s wild to me that Luhnow hasn’t been poached and it appears that his future in baseball is over. Some of the more powerful owners must hate his guts.
