So, did you hear? Of course you heard the Angels finally made that big splash we all have been waiting for when they not only signed the best hitter in this generation, they signed the best available starting pitcher in this year's free agent market. According to Bodog.com, the odds of the Angels winning the World Series went from 22/1 before Pujols, to 12/1 after signing Albert. No word yet on what those odds are now that Wilson has joined the club. Here's what some other A.L. West sites are saying:
- Albert Pujols heading to Anaheim - Lone Star Ball. "So...Texas wins back-to-back A.L. championships while Anaheim stays home, and the Angels react by moneywhipping one of the best players in the game. They mad." What's the phrase, "We don't get mad, we get even"? Boom. Oh yeah, and you know that window? It's now closed.
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Pujols ---> Angels - Lookout Landing. The typical response from other teams' fans:
"This is really horrible news. I love Pujols, and now I can no longer love him. Also, how many times will he destroy us over the next ten years I wonder? :("
by EnglishMariner on Dec 8, 2011 9:17 AM CST -
Albert Pujols Signs with Los Angeles Angels; C.J Wilson Also Joins the Monkey Crew - Athletics Nation. SBNations founder and Oakland A's fan Blez writes: "...but the A's should likely be on the rise when hopefully the Angels will be on the other side of that curve. Course that means we still have to endure the next 3-4 torturous years."
How about those Red Sox fans: -
Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson Sign With Angels - Over the Monster. "He (CJ Wilson) gives the Angels a rotation of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, himself, Ervin Santana, and Jerome Williams. That's absolutely ridiculous. There have been murmurs that Santana would be dealt should the Angels acquire Wilson, but even so, Weaver, Haren, Wilson, Williams is a force to be reckoned with -- especially since the Angels can hit a bit. " Best comment from the thread:
Angel Fan - Welcome to the Dark Side! Better win the AL West or this warm feeling goes straight down the drain.
by SoxAcumen on Dec 8, 2011 11:16 AM CST
- C.J. Wilson added to Angels' staggering haul - Yahoo! Sports. "Pujols agreed to terms on a 10-year deal worth from $250 to $260 million, meaning the Angels cut loose about $320 million as everybody else was focused on the Rule 5 draft and checking out of the Hilton Anatole hotel. The Angels are close to finalizing a new TV deal with Fox, according to the Los Angeles Times, which could explain where all the money is going to come from." Yeah, the TV deal plus all of that additional play-off revenue!
- The winners and losers in the Albert Pujols deal - Yahoo! Sports. One of the losers: "Texas Rangers: Has GM Jerry Dipoto avenged the loss of Mike Napoli by signing the best player in baseball and stealing away the Rangers' ace? One thing is for certain: No longer do the two-time AL champions have an easy ticket to a division title."
- The Pujols contract: great for now, an albatross later - HardballTalk. "The Angels are going to make a lot of money and get a huge TV deal and stuff before Pujols’ decline becomes a problem. And you can’t blame them for that. But it will become a problem at some point. It won’t — purely on the baseball terms — look very good in a few years." This may be true, but then, who knows what's going to happen 10 years from now?
- Report: Marlins’ final offer to Albert Pujols was $210 million - HardballTalk. "Albert Pujols‘ agent informed the Marlins last night that they were out of the running and now Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports that Miami’s final offer to the three-time MVP was $210 million for 10 years." Uh-oh. Why did the Angels go $50,000,000 more than the top Marlins' offer? Oh well.
- Angels Bet the Future on Albert Pujols - FanGraphs Baseball.
- Oh yeah, and this happened: Japanese star Yu Darvish agrees to be posted - Yahoo! Sports. "The ones who intended to bid guessed anywhere in the $20 million to $35 million range. Those who didn’t figured more like $30 million to $50 million." that's just the posting fee. The winning club must then negotiate with Darvish on salary, believed to be in the CJ Wilson territory.