Olney Predicts Angels will sign Matt Holliday

by AngryFan on Nov 16, 2009 11:33 AM PST Comment 34 comments

"Link":http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/features/rumors#3641

According to Buster Olney, NY is remaining in the Holliday bidding just to drive up the price.

That Bay's first choice is to remain in Bahston and that The Angels will sign Matt Holliday!

After getting out bid by NY last year for Tex, I just figured we'd stay away from Scotty's clients.

But if we sign Holliday and play him in left, does that religate Juan to the bench or would he be trade bait?

Would BoreAss' drive his contract so high that we couldn't afford to sign the ACE pitcher that we need?

Do you like this move?

This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.

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I can't see signing Holliday

The Boras factor has a little to do with it. Holliday will be the last major free agent to sign and the price will start to get inflated.

Personally, I’d like to see the Angels get Bay. Then I think Juan moves to RF and Abreu becomes the primary DH. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there’s room for Vlad.

OK, I'm finally over losing Tex. Thanks Kendry.

by 10 27 02 on Nov 16, 2009 12:07 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

if they sign another OF, then it’s goodbye to Vlad. But I honestly still think I’d rather keep Vlad. He showed he still has some pop, and he can still hit .300. Even if he doesn’t hit 30 HR anymore, I bet he’ll still hit .300 for a couple more years. Plus, maybe it’s just me, but I thought he showed signs of being capable of some plate discipline in the post season. If he had played as many innings as Holliday, his numbers could have been about the same.

No matter what happens from here on, it has been a great season.

by Rally Manatee on Nov 16, 2009 12:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd take Holliday over Bay.

Yeah, Holliday will be more expensive but his defense isn’t as bad and he hits for a better average. Also, Holliday has better speed and can swipe 20 bags given the chance. Both guys have power and good OBP’s.

Also, in the event that either Bay or Holliday is signed, I imagine that Vlad will be gone and Rivera will DH.

"F it, let's pitch." - Ervin Santana

by Chzburger Jones on Nov 16, 2009 12:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Wait a second, when we sign Holliday...

What are we going to do with Granderson? ;)

YOU DON'T KNOW THE POWER OF THE DARKSIDE.....

by halofolife on Nov 16, 2009 12:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

LOL

Where’s the daily Granderson post???

OK, I'm finally over losing Tex. Thanks Kendry.

by 10 27 02 on Nov 16, 2009 12:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Too many years

at a position we don’t need, for too much money

by Matt UK on Nov 16, 2009 12:40 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

So it will be...

Rivera at RF and Abreu at DH? Rivera or Napoli is going to be traded this offseason.

They want power. We want respect...

by SenorChuckles on Nov 16, 2009 1:11 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

i'd still rather go after Bay

but this could be an interesting deal. what does on our lineup look like then?

Aybar SS
Abreu DH
Holliday LF
Morales 1B
Hunter CF
Kendrick 2B
Rivera
Napoli C
Wood 3B

Thank you, Nick Adenhart. You will always be remembered. #34

by howiestheman on Nov 16, 2009 1:12 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Please, no Aybar at the top of the batting order.

His OBP last season was almost entirely a function of BABIP, and that typically regresses.

CHONE projections for Aybar in 2010:

0.288 avg 0.333 obp 0.396 slg

I think as further projections get issued, you’ll see them in this range. If Aybar hits .300, given last seasons BA/OBP differential, he’ll maintain a replacement player OBP at best. Not a top of the order kind of guy, yet.

by Turks Teeth on Nov 16, 2009 2:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

i was projecting

relax.

Thank you, Nick Adenhart. You will always be remembered. #34

by howiestheman on Nov 16, 2009 2:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You're assuming that a high BABIP is a matter of chance...

…when it’s clearly repeatable in players who fit into one of a number of characteristics such as speed (Figgins career BABIP .345, not dissimilar to Aybar’s .342) or a high line drive percentage (Abreu career BABIP .351, LD% 22.8% – Aybar 2009 LD% 20.9%).

Aybar has all the characteristics to maintain a BABIP in that range. Clearly he needs to learn to take a pitch or two over the coming years, but as Chone has shown, that’s eminently achievable.

Projections smojections – Aybar’s going to be awesome in 2010, that’s my opinion.

I see red people

by The Limey on Nov 16, 2009 4:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

im not sure im buying this

we’ll be involved but eventually bow out. Other teams will want him more.

RIP Nick Adenhart

by ihearhowie2.0 on Nov 16, 2009 2:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

my blog from thediamondaces.blogspot.com

The Angel roster already has 3 capable outfielders— Juan Rivera, Torii Hunter, and the recently re-signed Bobby Abreu. Adding another outfielder forces Abreu to DH, which no longer becomes an option for a platoon type position. Holliday seemingly found his bat in the National League. But was he ever terrible in Oakland, facing American League West Pitching.

A Holliday signing could bolster the offense of the Angels which looked somewhat anemic during the ALCS, however signing Holliday all but guarantees that Chone Figgins will not be returning and the Angels will probably have a need to move another player (Gary Matthews Jr., Reggie Willits, or even Juan Rivera.) Also a contract to Holliday would be expensive which would probably tie the hands of Angel Front Office to re-sign John Lackey or another free agent starting pitcher.

I would have to say that I would be against such a signing. Holliday’s price tag will be much to high and there is no guarantee will be getting the Matt Holliday of the National League or the Matt Holliday of the American League.

RIP Nick Adenhart 4/9/09

I blog about the Angels at The Diamond Aces

by Jay Cal on Nov 16, 2009 3:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

If we "probably have to move" GMJ, then color me impressed!

by mattwelch on Nov 16, 2009 3:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Olney

Has he ever been right about anything Angels-related? Frankly, I take his comment as pretty much a guarantee that Holliday will NOT be signing with the Angels. Kansas City is a more likely destination than LAofA.

by jjackflash on Nov 16, 2009 3:38 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Buster

Who calls themselves “Buster”? I mean, Buster Crabbe. Buster Brown. Buster Poindexter. Aren’t these all pretty much stage names or fictitious characters?

He was right about the Red Sox sweeping the Angels this year. Except he got the names reversed.

2011: The year of Angels World Domination

by LazorkoRules on Nov 16, 2009 11:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Dude, Buster Crabbe was one of our great American athletes of the early 1900's.

Had I owned the Pittsburgh Pirates, I could have saved America.

by Stirrups on Nov 17, 2009 10:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

This makes no sense at all

I am convinced these guys will go with any wild rumor or half-baked idea they come across, just so they can claim to be “first” should it actually be true. Immediate communication medium formats like Twitter just make the whole problem infinitely worse.

Boras has stated he is shooting for Teixeira money for Holliday, and while Arte came up short is his appraisal of Teixeira’s value (relative to the final price), nobody who is in good mental health would consider Holliday the equal of Teixeira, especially in terms of defense. Teixeira is a once-in-a-generation player in terms of talent; Holliday is a guy who hits the ball hard.

I don’t see any way on God’s green Earth that the Angels come close to meeting the minimum buy-in on the Holliday Bidding Derby.

"He's not a Rhodes Scholar to begin with''~Theo Epstein, talking about Papelbon

by George Kaplan on Nov 16, 2009 3:59 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

he wants to play here

Holliday did say last year that he’d like playing with the Angels as he likes our area- but he could get more from Red-sox, Yankees et all so I don’t think it will happen – he would have to take a steep pay cut-

Xavier Calvera

by xavier c on Nov 16, 2009 4:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Bora$

Does not allow clients to sign with anyone except the team offering the most money. That won’t be the Angels (Holliday will take no pay cut to play here).

by jjackflash on Nov 16, 2009 5:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, Teixeira said much the same thing

It is a rehearsed line of Boras clients to ingratiate themselves upon local fans.

Holliday is a Hessian. He will play wherever the most money is to be found.

"He's not a Rhodes Scholar to begin with''~Theo Epstein, talking about Papelbon

by George Kaplan on Nov 16, 2009 8:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, if he’s a Hessian, the Orange County is his place..with the Hessian Motorcycle Club being based out or here…..lol

by firebird81 on Nov 16, 2009 8:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

wants to play here

If he really wants to pay here, then let him do what A-Roid did and negotiate without Satan, I mean Boras.

by Baylorsgroove on Nov 19, 2009 6:01 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Please no.

Look, he’s a fine National (minor) League player.

But if the Angels outbid everybody on a Boras contract for this guy, it would be almost as bad as the GMJ signing.

by elricsi on Nov 16, 2009 7:30 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

no f&*in way

i don’t want that overpriced garbage on my team.

Angels 2009 WS Champs

by dan73962 on Nov 16, 2009 7:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Personally, I say pass. Bay is who I’d like to see on the Angels. Other than that, just bring Vlad back….I mean..he IS ours.

by firebird81 on Nov 16, 2009 8:59 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Olney? Holliday? Really?

When is the last time that Olney had decent inside information on a West Coast team?

by Diving Catch on Nov 16, 2009 10:34 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Olney is and has always been a fucking idiot.

RIP #34

by linkbruin on Nov 17, 2009 1:38 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

If I had the power here on HH, I would forgive any monthly F-bomb used against Olney.

Had I owned the Pittsburgh Pirates, I could have saved America.

by Stirrups on Nov 17, 2009 10:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Lest we forget

The “source” for this story was more than likely somebody within the Boras camp. It was last year that various media chimps were used by the Boras team to create rumors that Team X was interested in Teixeira, when Team X had no interest at all, or had dropped out. But when the rumor is repeated enough times—and with Twitter, it can get repeated dozens of times in mere minutes—it becomes “truth” and creates an illusion that the player is an even hotter commodity than he is.

This whole rumor from Olney is as ridiculous as the “Adrian Gonzalez to the White Sox with Konerko to the Angels” rumor which is reverberating in the echo chamber of the genuinely stupid.

"He's not a Rhodes Scholar to begin with''~Theo Epstein, talking about Papelbon

by George Kaplan on Nov 17, 2009 10:16 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

This

What’s great is that Reagins/Arte are jumping straight into that noise and saying “Nope!” whenever a Boras-generated rumor comes out.

by mattwelch on Nov 17, 2009 6:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Why does everyone just ignore or forget the simple fact that...

Matt Holliday proved last year, whether he was unhappy in Oakland or not, that he is simply not as good against American League pitching. Look at the simple numbers (from baseball-reference.com)

In 400 plate appearances in Oakland, Holliday’s line is:
BA- .286 OBP- .378 SLG- .454 OPS- .831 HR- 11 RBI – 54

That is comparable to his worst and similarly incomplete season in Colorado, in which he posted .290 .349 .488. .837 14 57 in 439 plate appearances respectively.

When Holliday was traded on July 25th, he went back to the NL, back to AAAA pitching and ballparks he was familiar with. He posted

BA- .353 OBP- .419 SLG- .604 OPS- 1.023 HR- 13 RBI – 55
in only 270 at bats

Many people disregarded the stat differential as simply being back on a contender and being back in a situation with which he was happy. I disagree, I think Holliday could not quite figure out AL pitching since it is far superior and was happy to get back to hitting the NL pitchers out of parks built for home runs.

Simply put, I do not want Holliday in our outfield. I am comfortable with the Torii, Juan, Bobby combo. I am a little worried about our future out there with Torii and Bobby getting up there in age, and Juan not exactly being a speed guy out in the field. Plus, let’s not forget the bone-headed play he made that cost St. Louis the chance of tying up the series going home! I do not think, however, a 30-yr old Matt Holliday, who just experienced his worst season statistically (albeit shortened) in the AL, is the answer! I’d be very very very disappointed if our front office spent the kind of money he’s going to require on Holliday.

The bat of Howie will rise again!

We Fly Flags

R.I.P. #34

by The Furious Bat of Howie47 on Nov 17, 2009 12:19 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Very old and long since debunked

Refine his Oakland stats to the final 30 days he was there. His BA, SLG and any other metric you’d care to view were consistent with his St Louis numbers.

He was in a slump and had bad mechanics. This has been widely covered. He made an adjustment, and the results are clearly seen in the numbers.

"He's not a Rhodes Scholar to begin with''~Theo Epstein, talking about Papelbon

by George Kaplan on Nov 17, 2009 1:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs