Hey, did you hear? The Angels made a trade yesterday. Yeah, they dealt Tyler Chatwood to Colorado for Chris Iannetta. Here's what people are saying:
Los Angeles Times has this great quote about who DiPoto feels is his starting rotation (for now)-
Angels get catcher Chris Iannetta from Rockies for Tyler Chatwood. "Giving up Tyler wasn't easy, but you have to give to get, and catching is very tough to come by," Dipoto said. "If you've got [Jered] Weaver, [Dan] Haren, [Ervin] Santana, [Jerome] Williams and [Garrett] Richards, you're not going in empty-handed. This was more reflective of how tough it is to find catching."
The OC Register includes this quote about the catching situation -
Angels trade Chatwood for catcher Iannetta. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Dipoto said when asked about Mathis' future with the team.
Lyle Spencer at angels.com doesn't want us to forget about Mathis' defense -
The Angels acquired catcher Chris Iannetta from the Rockies in exchange for righty Tyler Chatwood. Mathis and Wilson are candidates to be traded. Mathis, who will be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season, shared the catching job with Mike Napoli for four seasons and excelled defensively, ranking among the best in the game with the glove.
NBC HardballTalk likes the deal for the Angels -
The new Angels are smarter than the old Rockies. So, score one for the Angels and new GM Jerry DiPoto here. The upgrade from Jeff Mathis to Iannetta behind the plate should net them three wins or so next year.
And so does FanGraphs -
Angels Acquire Iannetta. While Iannetta is a massive upgrade over Mathis, his acquisition also signals an organization change by the Angels. When Jerry DiPoto was hired, he talked about the importance of on-base percentage and upgrading the catcher position. In that regard, Iannetta looks like the perfect fit for the new regime. Iannetta also comes relatively cheap, and should easily outperform his $3.55 million salary as long as he receives adequate playing time.
While Bugs & Cranks doesn't -
Iannetta to Make Strides … Elsewhere. Iannetta was either walking to first base or walking back to the dugout. The bat was just for show, or the occasional pop-up to the second baseman or double-play ball.
- This is the third day I've linked to one of the OC Register's slideshow posts, but this time I think they did it right. The slideshow format fits this type of post perfectly, as Sam Miller shows us: Vernon Wells says .300/30/100 in 2012 - The Orange County Register
- Williams, Mueller lead 13 to join Hall ballot with Larkin, Morris - CBSSports.com Baseball
The complete ballot: Jeff Bagwell, Jeromy Burnitz, Vinny Castilla, Juan Gonzalez, Brian Jordan, Barry Larkin, Javy Lopez, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Bill Mueller, Terry Mulholland, Dale Murphy, Phil Nevin, Rafael Palmeiro, Brad Radke, Tim Raines, Tim Salmon, Ruben Sierra, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell, Larry Walker, Bernie Williams, Tony Womack, Eric Young. If I had a vote...Larkin, McGwire, Raines, Smith, and Trammell would be on my ballot. But so would've a couple second basemen; Bobby Grich and Lou Whitaker. Edgar Martinez and Don Mattingly would almost be on it. Salmon would have my vote for the Hall of the Very Good. - Kelvim Escobar is making another comeback - HardballTalk. "Kelvim Escobar is 35 years old and hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2009 because of shoulder problems"
- Vlad Guerrero and the Threat of Unemployment - FanGraphs Baseball. "Despite his obviously declining skills, Vlad wants to keep playing. "I feel I can play two or three more years," he said to The Baltimore Sun’s Dan Connolly back in September. "And I just need to work a little harder this offseason when I go to the Dominican and see what happens.""
- The Cubs sign the guy who should be playing right field for the Angels. Yes, to beat a dead horse, I still believe the Halos should have sign DeJesus before the 2011 season instead of trading for Wells. Cubs sign OF David DeJesus to 2-year deal - CBSSports.com. "The Theo Epstein era in Chicago is starting with David DeJesus, as the team announced it signed the free-agent outfielder to a two-year deal worth $10 million with a team option for 2014. There is thought, though, this move could be a precursor to a bigger move, perhaps a trade of Alfonso Soriano." Oh, and if Reagins were still the GM, I'd be VERY nervous Soriano would be finding his way into an Angels uniform.