THURSDAY ANGELS ROUNDUP: Torii Hunter Hurt Too, Angels Still In Mix For Halladay

by WiHaloFan on Jul 9, 2009 8:21 AM PDT in News Comment 15 comments

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Andruw Jones powers Rangers into first place - Los Angeles Times
Andruw Jones -- yes, that Andruw Jones, the same overweight, underachieving outfielder the Dodgers paid $21 million last winter to go away -- hit home runs in his first three at-bats Wednesday night to lead the Texas Rangers to an 8-1 romp of the Angels.

Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero undergo MRI exams - Los Angeles Times
Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero played the outfield together Tuesday night. They were together again Wednesday undergoing MRI tests at the Orange Imaging Center, not exactly the place the Angels want their Nos. 3 and 4 hitters to be hanging out.

ESPN.com Poll Results
Who will win the A.L. West?

Could B.J. Ryan make the Angels bullpen better? - Earl Bloom - OCRegister.com
There’s a Toronto Blue Jays pitcher who, I believe, the Angels can obtain for a lot less than it might take to get Roy Halladay out of Canada.

Halladay and Wells a package deal? - MLB Daily Dish
According to a report in the NY Post, the buzz around MLB is that if you want to acquire Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay you might also have to be willing to accept Blue Jays centerfielder Vernon Wells. Wells, who still has $107 million remaining on his contract, is certainly not your typical throw in. Should this be the case expect this to greatly narrow down the teams that could possibly acquire Halladay. It probably would make only the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers and Angels the only contenders.

I mentioned this in a comment a couple days ago, but now with Hunter hurting and Guerrero out, would the Angels take on Wells' salary?

What should they offer for Halladay? - Steve Bischeff - Los Angeles Times
Already, among beat writers, Internet columnists and bloggers around the country, the speculation has begun. Which, if any, teams have the deep reservoir of young talent necessary to pull off a deal for a player of that caliber?

I read somewhere the Cardinals told the Jays to pick any 5 players from their minor league rosters. Could the Angels do the same thing, and would it be enough?

Rivera the first multi-year free agent to pay out - Sam Miller - OCRegister.com
It’s official. After his second home run last night, Juan Rivera has now been worth $13 million to the Angels, more than the entire amount he’ll be paid for his three-year contract.

Is Kevin Jepsen the Reliever the LA Angels Have Been Looking for? - Bleacher Report
From 2002-2004, the Angels' bullpen lead the American League in ERA, and in nine years it has never been worse than eighth. As of July 7, the Angels' bullpen ranks 14th—good for dead last in the American League—with an astonishing 5.02 ERA. Only Cleveland's bullpen has been tagged with more losses.

LA Angels Run Ragged on the Bases...Literally - Bleacher Report
Is it that hard to go 90 feet without screwing up? Seriously. Vladdy we know is a self destructive missile on the basepaths. He runs the bases the same way he swings: damn the torpedoes!

Mark Mulder's agent tells Olney he's ready to audition - MLB Daily Dish
According to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, Mark Mulder, the veteran left-handed pitcher who has spent the last eight months working on his flexibility and mechanics, has informed his agent, Gregg Clifton, that he feels like he's 95 percent, and should be ready to audition for scouts in the next week to 10 days.

Just sayin'...

Best (or possibly the worst) prank ever:

Poll

What should be the Angels #1 priority?

Improve bullpen

84 votes

Improve starting pitching

174 votes

Improve offense

34 votes

Re-sign free agent(s) (Figgins, Lackey, Guerrero)

40 votes

332 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

For Starting Pitching we have it inhouse with O'Sullivan and Palmer.

These guys were getting it done. I think the main problem was the bullpen which is comin around as of late. We could use another reliable arm in the Pen, and If Hunter aint out long our offense is still VERY GOOD without Guerrero. I still think they gotta give Wood a shot at DH if one goes on the DL and if it aint panning out use Napps at DH or make a trade.

Put Kendry Morales at 1B, and move Sean Rodriguez to 3B......NOW LETS GO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by acuda27 on Jul 9, 2009 9:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Demote Kendrick and Thompson...that's a good start!

by TheChaz on Jul 9, 2009 9:36 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

+ 1

I tend to root for Rich because of his wife’s blog but the dude is way too inconsistent to be out there. Also, I basically see this as a lost year for Howie…hes like Gary Mathews jr jr now…

Do it for Nick '09

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Jul 9, 2009 10:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

let me add that Thompson should be sharing a seat back to SLC with Jepsen...

I swear we have guys in triple A who could do better than Jepsen. Hell…put Ortega in the freaking bullpen. Anyone but Jepsen. 9 ERA in the bigs…9 ERA in SLC. worse MLB player in the league right now?? Arguably.

Do it for Nick '09

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Jul 9, 2009 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't catch him last night...

But Jepsen seems to be turning a corner (fingers crossed). He does have some great stuff, and has recently shown it.

Thompson, on the other hand, is not good at baseball.

What do you need a fancy suit for, Charlie, you ain't got no job to wear it to.

by clover_black on Jul 9, 2009 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

agree

Inconsistent = Rich Thompson

I love this team.

by Downing Rules on Jul 9, 2009 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Palmer

got lit up in his June starts.
4 starts, 7+ era, hitters batting .371 off of him. He still went 2-1, guess that’s good enough ?
I think the guy has been extremely lucky, but i’ll take luck over Santana right now.

by Quinlan's Goofy Swing on Jul 9, 2009 9:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

that prank

WAS AWESOME

i love the yankee fans, “guy was ugly and wearing a mariners jersey”

by Quinlan's Goofy Swing on Jul 9, 2009 10:01 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

YES! Awesome!

And yet, I fear the future levels of escalation.

We don't have a Bullpen. We have a Cowpen. Before we get to call it a Bullpen these guys gotta grow a pair.

by Stirrups on Jul 9, 2009 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whats up with New Hampshire??

only state on the east coast choosing Texas…and their is Vermont…which just didnt vote. Hahahaha….

Do it for Nick '09

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Jul 9, 2009 10:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Halladay Trade Link Update:

Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun thinks the Angels are 2-1 favorites to land Halladay. Here are a couple comments from his article:

“No way the Halos part with Weaver – - their only solid pitcher this season – - and the rest. Maybe Saunders, more like Santana and Trevor or some such pitching combo.

I say Aybar, Santana, Conger, and Reckling get’s this done."

“The Angels will get him with a package of Santana, Wood and Mathis”

I could live with either of these deals, except I’d rather see Aybar go instead of Wood. Interesting that Santana’s name is mentioned as he’s not as cheap (4yrs/$30M) as I thought the Jays would want to go.

by WiHaloFan on Jul 9, 2009 11:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

OMG...

Santana Wood and Mathis??? WHERE DO I SIGN? I’ll be at the Corona Del Taco in 5 minutes.

I love this team.

by Downing Rules on Jul 9, 2009 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Those quotes are from reader comments

So it’s hard to tell how valid they are.

by WiHaloFan on Jul 9, 2009 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Canadian Pitching Options

1. BJ Ryan – This guy just screams roider. He has no velocity and little to no movement this year. I would not waste a spot on the 25 man roster on him.

2. Halladay – I do not think the Angels have the horses to get this done. Don’t see it.

Play Wood already. Willits sucks.

by hauldog on Jul 9, 2009 12:52 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs