Wednesday Halolinks: Angels' Bullpen Not That Bad, Just Got better

Mike Trout (there's your fix):

• I'm sure you've heard the news, my test results came back negative! Wait, I mean the Angels agreed on a one-year contract with Ryan Madson. No terms were disclosed, but really, who cares? Five million, eight million, forty gazillion, does it really matter? Jeff Sullivan takes a pragmatic look at what the signing could mean for the Halo bullpen:Ryan Madson: Bounceback Player for a Bounceback Team - FanGraphs Baseball. "To be honest, the 2012 Angels’ bullpen wasn’t characterized by a lack of talent; rather, it was a problem of results, and things were probably going to get better regardless. Madson should just help them get more better, once he’s good and ready to go." I think Sullivan's right, the players the Angels already have weren't bad last season. Okay, Jason Isringhausen was crap, but overall, the talent was there. I realize the club once again had a hard time holding a lead and finished near the bottom in blown saves, but sometimes bullpens seem to just "click" when they are successful and Angels never got to that point. I'm far from any kind of expert to point out what that "clickiness" is or what it takes to materialize, but like most of you, I can recognize it when it happens. Regressing to the mean can sometimes be a good thing (progressing to the mean?), and the Angels' bullpen is too talented to not improve. With or without Madson.
  
• Which is a better signing; Madson for one year or Broxton for three? Yeah, I know, without dollar amounts this is a dumb question, but who would you rather have? Broxton has deal to return to the Reds - CBSSports.com. "Broxton proved to be a versatile reliever in his time in Cincinnati, but he should be back as the ninth-inning guy. Broxton was 4-5 with 27 saves and a 2.48 ERA in 2012 for the Royals and Reds."
• Besides my test results and the Madson signing, you've probably already heard about the passing of union chief Marvin Miller. Here's a good write-up: Players past and present owe a debt of gratitude to Marvin Miller - Tom Verducci - SI.com. "Miller's career in baseball is a template in labor leadership. His work and writings will be studied by law students for generations. Players today such as Greinke and Josh Hamilton reap the benefits he sowed, as someday so, too, will Mike Trout and Bryce Harper and a generation of players who might not ever have heard of Miller or, in this era of unprecedented labor peace, have a clue about the labor wars waged for decades. It is a huge and undeniable legacy, far bigger than the imprimatur of the Hall of Fame." A great book about the evolution of baseball business is this one: A Whole Different Ballgame.
• So who kept Marvin Miller out of the Hall of Fame, anyway? - Baseball Nation. "I'm emphasizing that most of them were players because one of the things I read on Twitter this morning was that the owners have kept Marvin Miller out of the Hall of Fame. Which isn't, you know, true. The players did that, at least the first time around. Well, some of the players, along with some of the writers and broadcasters. But not the owners." And they should be ashamed.
  
• Here's an interesting look at each teams' television deals: Dodgers Send Shock Waves Through Local TV Landscape - FanGraphs Baseball.
  
• Hopefully this catches on: A’s donate full postseason share worth $34,325 to charity - HardballTalk. "Each "full share" for an A’s player equaled $34,325 and at the urging of Jonny Gomes–who has since signed with the Red Sox–they decided to donate one full share to charity." One of the charities receiving a portion of the share is the Donnie Moore Ministries.
  
• Here's another one of those "Jered Weaver is going to suck" articles: Jered Weaver: A Cause for Concern in 2013? - Beyond the Box Score. "What is most concerning though has to be the loss of velocity on Weaver's fastball. Weaver is 30 years old, and according to Bill Petti's research, thirty year old's only have .22 times the odds of regaining velocity. The Angels will need to hope that Weaver doesn't decline further, because Dan Haren is a free agent, as is Zack Greinke. Mikes Bates at Halo Heaven found similar results." And then there's this one too: Rating the players (and contracts) in Major League Baseball, Part 1 - Grantland. "The Angels should be happy to have Weaver for the next four years at $70 million. But the subtle signs of possible skills erosion combined with a skill set uniquely tailored for his home park mean he probably wouldn't be as strong an asset for most other teams, and falls behind a bunch of other pitchers higher on this list." That's it, season's over.
  
• Are they HOFers? Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa set to appear on Hall ballot - ESPN. "Longtime members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America will vote through next month. The much-awaited results will be announced Jan. 9, with players needing to be listed on 75 percent of the ballots to gain induction."
• Here's a guy who may come cheap and provide the Angel rotation with some quality innings: Non-tender deadline coming Friday - MLB Daily Dish. "Jurrjens, 26, has 125 starts under his belt and a 3.62 ERA. He struggled last season, however, posting a 6.89 ERA with the Braves and 4.98 ERA in Triple-A."
• The FanCave is looking for new residents: MLBFanCave.com - 2013 Application - MLB.com. "Each Winner will:
  Be a passionate baseball fan
  Have a fun and creative personality
  Be highly skilled on social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
  Pass a background check to the satisfaction of MLB
  
  Background check? So much for most of the Halos Heaven community. You delinquents. For you 1%, Submissions must be received by January 25, 2013.
• I find Amy K. intriguing. In a good way. She seems like a guy's-gal who'd be fun to hang with at a game, or a bar, or bedroom floor. As you probably know, she's one of those SBNation's talents who gives good interview. Here she's talking to some NASCAR chick (just kidding) and asked for some input from her Facebook followers. Yeah, a gaggle of guys, most (if not all) are probably single: Interviewer Solicits Questions For Danica Patrick On Facebook; It Goes About How You'd Expect. "Before interviewing Danica Patrick yesterday, SBNation's Amy K. Nelson asked her Facebook fans to help her come up with questions for the famous driver. She got over 80 submissions, and right off the bat, they were about as awful as you'd probably expect."