Tuesday Halolinks: 4 Angels named in Astros' offseason trade talks

For the second straight week the Angels took Monday off, however last night wasn't intentional.  The Halos and White Sox were rained out in Chicago and will play a traditional doubleheader on Tuesday.  Traditional in the sense that fans will only need one ticket to attend both games, rather than the Day/Night jobs some team have where you'll need a ticket for both games.

• This story is pretty fascinating.  Not the bit about the Astros' internal computer system getting hacked, but the actual notes contained within that system's database.  Prior to the Angels completing the Mark Trumbo/Tyler Skaggs/Hector Santiago deal on December 10th, it looked like the club had been doing some trade talks at least a month before the deal was done with Arizona and Chicago.  In the notes stolen from the Houston organization, the Astros were told four players from the Angels' roaster were available: Leaked: 10 Months Of The Houston Astros' Internal Trade Talks.  "11/4/13
  [Stearns] spoke to [Angels AGM Matt Klentak]: LAA will look to supplement SP and RP. They are willing to deal from position player strength to fortify other areas. Four players they would consider dealing are Bourjos, Trumbo, Aybar, and Kendrick. DS told MK that of those four, we would likely have interest in Borjous down the r[oad]."  According to this note, this verifies that the Angels were willing to deal Erick Aybar and/or Howie Kendrick.  Also, from online sources, my perception was the Angels weren't getting much interest when talks involved Peter Bourjos, however it looks like Houston was interested in the Angels' center fielder prior to the deal that sent him to St. Louis on November 22nd and the White Sox were already thinking a three-team deal with the Angels: 
  "11/13/2013
  [Rick Hahn] asked [Luhnow] if Hector Santiago would entice us. JL said that was not enough for Castro. RH came back later in the day and asked if Bourjos (from LAA) would entice us in a Castro context?"
• As I mentioned above, the White Sox will face the Halos best pitcher and former best pitcher in Tuesday's doubleheader: Angels-White Sox Preview - Yahoo Sports.  "After compiling the lowest ERA in the AL last month, Richards looks to win a fifth straight decision as the visiting Los Angeles Angels start a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox with a traditional, single-admission doubleheader Tuesday. Heavy rain postponed the opener of this set and kept Richards (8-2, 2.76 ERA) from adding to his 4-0 record and 1.05 ERA in five starts in June. Opponents batted .161 against Richards last month."
• What do you think, does the home run derby ruin a player's second half? Angels' Mike Trout is undecided about home run derby - Los Angeles Times.  "Mike Scioscia would prefer Trout not do it, but ultimately, the manager said, it is the player's decision. "As a fan, you're interested in it, it's a fun part of the All-Star experience, but I know the grind it takes to go through that, and it's affected more players' second halves than helped," Scioscia said. "I don't think it's as much the changing of the swing. It's the volume of full-gorilla swings in a short amount of time. It's like you're on a driving range. You're letting the shaft out from the beginning. It takes a toll on your body."
• Angels' Pujols plays day after injuring groin - Yahoo Sports.  "''He feels good,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Sunday. ''It's not really anything that's muscular . just a little infection that got a little irritated. It shouldn't be anything that's going to impact what he needs to do.''
• It looks like a former Halo has found a new team: Kansas City Royals sign Raul Ibanez - ESPN.  "The Royals signed the 42-year-old Ibanez Monday, nine days after he was released by the Los Angeles Angels. "It's been in the works for a while. I was really excited about the opportunity to come here. I like the makeup of the club, and I like the possibilities. They're endless," Ibanez said in Minnesota before the Royals played the Twins. "There's a great opportunity to do some special things here."  And another former Halo has been released and suspended: Joel Pineiro, former MLB pitcher, suspended 50 games after testing positive for a banned stimulant - ESPN.  "The Cubs signed Pineiro in late March but released him earlier this month after he struggled with their Double-A Southern League affiliate in Tennessee. Pineiro signed with Los Angeles on June 7, but the Angels released him after he posted a 7.48 ERA and allowed 36 hits in 21 2/3 innings with Salt Lake in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League."  And yet another one-time Angels' pitcher is on his way out the door in Houston:
  

  Jerome Williams has been DFA'd

  — Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 1, 2014

• Here's an interesting, two-part post regarding Tommy John surgeries: A Primer on Tommy John Surgery: Part One – The Hardball Times.  "The research and debate on the subject has increased as the number of MLB pitchers who have needed the operation has exploded over the past couple of seasons. This graph illustrates the changes on a year-by-year basis:
  
  And part 2: A Primer on Tommy John Surgery: Part Two – The Hardball Times