A cry for action

by LightUpTheHalo33 on Dec 21, 2009 10:22 PM PST

Dear Mr. Moreno and Mr. Reagins,

While it hurts to sit here and watch Chone Figgins, John Lackey, and now Darren Oliver sign contracts with other teams, I know that you two men have a reason for this. Our infield is over-crowded, so hey, Figgins leaving isn't the worst thing. Our pitching staff is more then outstanding, and Lackey is exactly Mr. Automatic, so maybe him leaving isn't bad either. Oliver could have had his last good year, so hopefully he doesn't have too much in the tank. While this is the thinking for some Angels fans, I cannot sit here and wonder why in God's name we let two division rivals and one of our deepest rivals pick up players that have made us successful in the past. Why have we sat here and watched the Mariners make great move, after great move(the Bradley trade could go either way, but Silva's contract is gone)? Why have we watched as the Rangers attempt to revive their team that was neck and neck with us for most of the season? Why have we witnessed the Red Sox and Yankees, again, pick up every commodity on the free agency market? We added Los Angeles to our name for a reason. LA is a marketable place, not just for consumers and fans, but for players as well. This is a team that players WANT to come play for. This is an area players WANT to settle with their family in. This isn't the day and age where cheap investments pay off 100% of the time. It is time to write some big checks and bring in players that will guarantee us die-hard fans another championship. The time is now for change. If we can take in one thing from the Yankees, it's that money wins championships. This isn't to say we should kill our whole minor league system in order to achieve victories in the present, but we should at least not have to settle for players like Steve Finley. Let's win in the next decade.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes,

Rusty--Angels fan since 1993(4 years old) when I saw my first baseball game ever

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Well, let me first say I understand your frustration.

But, lets keep this in perspective, while we have let certain FA’s leave, and as you pointed out, to some of our biggest rivals, re-signing them really made no sense, especially considering what they’re contracts would have cost. what worries me more is the off chance that we may make a move that we will likely regret in a few seasons (signing Bay, trading Johnny Rivers) that will hand-cuff the team financially down the road (just think GMJ’s contract). I have been as upset as you concerning our inactivity this off season, but really, ask yourself this-is Lackey going to be worth the money that the bosux signed him to in 3 years? Maybe, but probably not. I’m just going to kick back and let the season play itself out. Yes we’re going to miss some of our departed FA’s but the team is still basically intact, the same team that won 97 games and went to the ALCS. The one thing that DOES concern me is this, many will claim that this years FA class was weak, which is true, but if we couldn’t land any top tier FA’s this year, what leads anyone to believe we will next year? If we said thanks but no thanks to Lackey’s contract demands, what do you think we’re gonna say to Joe Mauer’s?

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

by halofolife on Dec 21, 2009 10:45 PM PST reply actions

BTW,

I’m not saying we should’ve re-signed Lackey, I’m just thinking the Halos will NEVER be comfortable handing out U-Haul or CC Sabathia type contracts. Which of course means top tier FA’s will continue to choose the bosux and skanks over the Halos.

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

by halofolife on Dec 21, 2009 10:49 PM PST up reply actions

If Mauer does reach free agency...

…I’d like to see the Angels make a “more than fair” offer. Ever since Moreno bought the team he’s promised a “big splash.” But, we’ve yet to see it. He claimed that Hunter was not the splash. I guess you could say that having Tex for a couple months was big. But, I’d still like to see us reel in a big, big fish.

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

by 10 27 02 on Dec 21, 2009 11:26 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah, this is where i'm torn.

While I really don’t think any ballplayer is worth the money handed out today, the sad fact is that’s the reality of free agency today. And what gives me concern is how do we decide who is truly worthy of the big deal, to reel in the big fish? I understand our apprehension, about re-signing Lackey due to his age and health issues, but what if Lincecum was a FA? I’m starting to think that we’ll always be relegated to signing mid-range FA’s. I could be wrong, but we’ll see next off season, or at the trading deadline.

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

by halofolife on Dec 21, 2009 11:43 PM PST up reply actions

Say what?!?

Ever since Moreno bought the team he’s promised a "big splash." But, we’ve yet to see it.

How did you view unexpectedly signing Vlad Guerrero after already spending that year’s budget on Colon (the best FA pitcher that year), Escobar and Guillen?

The “big splash” isn’t something which can be done annually (otherwise, it ceases to be “big”) and few players warrant that kind of money. He made a very generous bid for Teixeira, who would have been in that “big splash” class. But it is doubtful Teixeira will be worth his salary in the latter years of his contract. The Yankees can afford to pay for an underperforming player, but the Angels really can’t.

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

by George Kaplan on Dec 22, 2009 4:43 AM PST up reply actions

Arte made a statement several years ago

It was after Vlad was already on the team. He promised a big splash (from an offensive standpoint). I wish I had a link to back this up. But, the point is, the splash never came and most people have since forgotten about the statement. Tex certainly would have been awesome. But that didn’t happen. Yeah, yeah, we made a fair offer. We hear that every year. And while I appreciate not being recklace with the spending, it does get frustrating sometimes.

There’s really no big time player available right now. But next year there should be. And it would be nice if we do what it takes to get that missing piece and bring home another Championship.

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

by 10 27 02 on Dec 22, 2009 8:01 AM PST up reply actions

I think the message is that the big fish isn't necessary

That’s window dressing, the sort of thing which excites fans (and most importantly, spikes sales of season tickets).

But the big fish itself doesn’t mean all that much. Again, I’ll point to the addition to an already good Tigers team of Miguel Cabrera. At the time, the pundits of baseball in the preseason said that MLB should go ahead and have the Tigers engraved on the WS trophy for 2008. God knows that Angel fans here wept and wailed about why the Tigers landed MigCab instead of the Angels.

As we know, the Tigers came up way short in 2008, then choked like the Mets in the closing days of 2009 and lost their opportunity to the playoffs in the one-game playoff with the Twins. Having that big fish has meant zero postseason games to the Tigers, a team which won a World Series far more recently than the Angels.

And who exactly was the big fish on the Angels’ team of 2002? (No Salmon jokes, please.)

The fault, of course, is our own: We’re easily distracted by bright, shiny objects. The signing of a star can blind us from realizing the bigger, more dangerous holes in a roster. I am not worried about whether we get Player X or Player Y so much as that we have the depth from top to bottom to compete for an entire season.

We don’t need Jason Bay. We don’t need Matt Holliday. We would have enjoyed having Roy Halliday but we’ll do very well without him. The point is to build a team which doesn’t require a certain player for things to work. The point is to build a team diverse and skilled enough that it can continue through all kinds of scenarios and adversities. To do that doesn’t require a big fish. Sometimes, all it takes is a Brendan Donnelly.

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

by George Kaplan on Dec 22, 2009 9:45 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs

^^^^ This

Angels baseball. We do what we must, because we can -- HaloDutch

by red floyd on Dec 22, 2009 11:11 AM PST up reply actions

Okay, but this team DOESN'T have Donnelly circa 2002

Fuentes does not equal Donnelly.

Rodney certainly does not equal Donnelly.

While I am a fan of Kevin Jepsen I feel he is not quite at that level either.

So, while you do make some sense (at least a little bit) your argument simply highlights the fact that this team, as currently constructed, is not good enough to compete with the Red Sox and Yankees of the MLB world.

by Jack Frost on Dec 24, 2009 7:44 AM PST up reply actions

We don't know that

As of December 31, 2009, we’re still two months from pitchers reporting, three months from initial squad games, and four months from Opening Day.

The whole point to Brendan Donnelly was that we didn’t know what we had until he stepped up and surprised everybody. 31 years old (by midseason), no professional games on his resumé prior to making the team, a scab player from the earlier strike who could not be a member of MLBPA—would anyone have pointed to Donnelly and said “he’s the one who will make the difference”?

It is always possible that Trevor Bell (for example) builds upon his time on the mound last year, works with Butcher and the rest of the staff, and gets a newfound confidence in a changeup which makes him the 5th starter the team is looking for, providing 11 wins and 20 quality starts during the season.

Sometimes, it isn’t the big splash signing which makes the difference. Sometimes, it is the surprise found within the organization. That is part of the renewal of Spring Training, were anything is possible (except for the Pirates).

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

by George Kaplan on Dec 31, 2009 7:16 AM PST up reply actions

The players we lose to free agency next year are Izturis, Fuentes, Matsui, and Shields.

Those spots can be easily filled by less than top tier free agents or from within the organization so I don’t see anything dramatic happening next year either, but you never know.

The 2009 Pregame Picks Winner and Iron Man of Halos Heaven.com

by 44FAN on Dec 22, 2009 3:40 AM PST up reply actions

Maicer

Will be hard to replace…

posted from a yellow submarine.

by Figgi4life on Dec 22, 2009 10:27 AM PST via mobile up reply actions

Nonsense

We’ll just replace him with two 2’10" utility infielders.

~Buzzie Bavasi

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

by George Kaplan on Dec 22, 2009 12:43 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

ROFL

Angels baseball. We do what we must, because we can -- HaloDutch

by red floyd on Dec 22, 2009 12:47 PM PST up reply actions

It means we're free!!!

Free to go after Cliff Lee or Matt Cain! Free to chase an outfield bat and stick Bobby A in at DH! Free my friend, free!

Sometimes I wish Rex would be quiet

by gitchogritchoffmypetis on Dec 22, 2009 5:12 PM PST up reply actions

You can go after them all you want but FA's are not free!

If you can find a player anywhere for less, you mattress is freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

The 2009 Pregame Picks Winner and Iron Man of Halos Heaven.com

by 44FAN on Dec 22, 2009 5:57 PM PST up reply actions

You're killing me, 44FAN!!!

Angels baseball. We do what we must, because we can -- HaloDutch

by red floyd on Dec 22, 2009 6:17 PM PST up reply actions

I like how you make some suggestions

Jason Bay could be the next Steve Finley. Get it?

by Rev Halofan on Dec 21, 2009 10:50 PM PST reply actions

Rivals

While this is the thinking for some Angels fans, I cannot sit here and wonder why in God’s name we let two division rivals and one of our deepest rivals pick up players that have made us successful in the past.

You mean like when the Mariners signed Spiezio and Washburn?

Overpaying for a player in the decline phase of his career is rarely good business. I remember a lot of Angel “fans” moaning about the loss of Washburn especially, and to a divisional rival, no less.

But the Mariners paid a premium for a pitcher who rarely merited the salary.

Sometimes it is better to part as friends, rather than up the ante and then be disappointed by the performance of the player you’re paying top dollar for.

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

by George Kaplan on Dec 22, 2009 4:46 AM PST reply actions

Patience, Grasshopper.

“The Next Decade” will come soon enough. We’re going to win in 2010, too.

by wumbug on Dec 22, 2009 5:32 AM PST reply actions

This type of "Cry for Action"

is exactly what landed us GMJHGH a few years back.

Dear Mr. Moreno and Mr. Reagins,

Please, I implore you, do not make a move just to make a move.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes,

Adam—Angels fan since 1998 (10 years old) when I saw my first Jim Edmonds highlight ever

"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His Saints." - Psalm 116:15 Rest In Peace, Nick.

by angels4adam on Dec 22, 2009 5:36 AM PST reply actions

Adam!

I haven’t seen you on here in a bit bro!

I agree tho, we don’t need to make the same mistake twice.

Until spring training starts - let's go Cardinals and Suns!

by b0rd3rline on Dec 22, 2009 6:29 PM PST up reply actions

What up Nick

"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His Saints." - Psalm 116:15 Rest In Peace, Nick.

by angels4adam on Dec 24, 2009 5:30 PM PST up reply actions

I agree with above comments by George Kaplan and angels4adam.

The front office has got this post season mostly right, based upon;
- What we know at this time.
- Future projections for the FA’s we’ve lost (Lackey, Figgy,Vlad, Oliver).

I’m sure it’s somewhat difficult for them to see these guys leave as well, especially Lackey, Figgy and Vlad.

I see a very disciplined front office that will make fair market offers to key players, but not over-stretch. As a fan, I appreciate that discipline. It will keep the Angels competitive for years to came, rather than making risky moves that place the team’s year-to-year competitive balance on a roller-coaster.

Arte has convinced me more this year than any other year that he is committed to the long term success of the franchise.

Now…if they can somehow work a deal for a decent SP and a solid left hand RP…

by sothball on Dec 22, 2009 8:40 AM PST reply actions