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A welcome addition
February 11th, 2009, 7:25 am · 31 Comments · posted by Earl Bloom, staff writer
So the Angels got themselves a left-handed hitter in 
Bobby Abreu, and GM Tony Reagins played the market perfectly to get a nice price: He let it come to him.
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Angels and Abreu agreed on a one-year deal for $5 millon plus incentives. Abreu made $16 million as a Yankee in 2008.
The Angels certainly needed some LH help, as was pointed out early last month. But I think Abreu will cut into Gary Matthews’ ABs more than anyone’s. I still expect Juan Rivera to get as much action as he did in 2006.
All those Mickey Hatcher hitting approach critics should note that Abreu, like Mark Teixeira did, injects a very patient hitter into the Angels lineup.
Abreu has a career .405 OBP, with a run of eight consecutive 100-walk seasons from 1999-2006. His .371 OBP last year would’ve been second on the Angels to Teixeira.
Other baseball posts:
- Abreu deal done!
- Abreu deal done?
- A-Rod still gets a Hall pass here
- Giants sign ex-Angel Ortiz
- I’m on AM830 now
- Nick Green waived, making room for optimistic speculation
- Angels one of five teams chasing Abreu
- Second-place Angels?
- The true victim of steroids
- OC’s top prospects
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I am pleasantly suprised we could pick up Bobby. The price is right and we do not give up any draft picks which adds value to the deal.
Not a blockbuster, but a solid pick up.
dump Mathews
I cant believe the Angels have bowed to pressure from the press to add another outfielder, thinking he will hit when realisticly he will only be a part time player. I would point out that when Willits played everyday he was a 300 hitter. Mathews had a great year playing full time in Texas. So now we add Abreu to the mix, AND possibly Figgins (assuming Woods will get a real shot at 3rd?) and what do you have? 4 guys making over 20 million combined, who when playing part time will be lucky to hit 240! Players need at bats to be productive. The guy I feel sorry for the most is Willits. His confidence will be shot after spending most of the season on the bench, when he could have been an everyday outfielder for alot of teams and probably kept an average around 300. This was not a great signing and will not put the Angels over the hump to complete with Boston or the new look Yankees.
Larry Brown, what do you know about baseball? Stick to coaching basketball. Abreu will play every day and most likely bat in front of Vlad. He’ll help the offense a lot. And he’s a huge bargain.
GM Tony Reagins played the market perfectly to get a nice price: He let it come to him. GIVE ME A BREAK.. Just like Tex Tony????
My question is where is Abreu going to play?
I agree the Angels have far too many outfielders, but the fact is that none of them do what Abreu does best: get on base and take pitches. Figgins can get on base (although not like Abreu), but he is not a third baseman. The real problem is Matthews’s ridiculous contract, which is not Reagins’s fault.
Also, with all due respect to Larry Brown and Reggie Willits, Willits is not a .300 hitter. His best year was 2007 when he hit .293 in 136 ABs. Last year he hit .194 in 50 less at bats and is a a career .273 hitter. He has shown he can take pitches and get on base, but he has also yet to hit even one home run in his career and has a career slugging percentage on under .400. He would not be an every day OF for any major league team, at least any team that wants to win.
Scott- Mike Scioscia just about had Willits in the hall of fame two years ago. What a joke. It shows you Mike has no clue what it takes to win in the post-season.
Great pick up! Regardless of how many outfielders we have, this was a solid move for Reggins and the Angels as an organization. Take a look at the productivity in the 2nd half of the season last year by Vlad after putting a patient bat in front of him. Vlad will now have somebody in front of him again who knows how to get on base which leads to him seeing more pitches to hit and we know Vlad can still perform with the best of them when he doesnt feel pressured into hitting the ball 400 feet every time up.
Im excited for Angels Baseball and can’t wait to see Boston in the playoffs so we can beat em.
Go Halos
D Lane
Wow, just what the Angels need, another outfielder whose skills are declining now that players are being tested for steroids on a daily basis. Coincidence? I don’t think so…at least now when the 104 names on the A-Rod list are released Gary Matthews Jr will have a teammate that understands what he is going through!
Abreu is a mistake. Not a team player. Defensive liability (ranked 2nd worst). Hit well in small hitter’s parks. Anaheim is not a hitter’s park. Look how Torii’s numbers went down moving to Anaheim last year. Angels did not need a 7th outfielder/4th DH. Only good thing about this is Moreno didn’t give him $90 mil like Hunter. How about a starting pitcher to fill that HUGE hole?
Send Abreu, Aybar, Wood and a minor leaguer to the Padres for Peavy. That is a no-brainer! If not Peavy, some above average (min.) starting pitcher.
2 good questions: Why did the Yankees let him go and not re-sign him for $5 mil? Why did nobody else sign him for $5 mil if he’s as good as some writers and fans say? Yankees got tires of watching him butcher routes in right. He took a lot of heat for his fear of going back hard on deep fly balls. Didn’t we have a guy like that named GA?? His career offensive numbers in Anaheim are weak. Will he hit 8th at home??
Here is an idea! Why not re-sign GA?
Mike: I am pretty certain that Abreu, who made $16 million as a Yankee, would not re-sign with them for one-third that.
Just as I am sure that Garret Anderson, who made $12 million as an Angel, would not re-sign with them for less than half of that — nor would the Angels insult him by offering it.
But if that’s all they can get, it is better for them to get it elsewhere. Neither probably needs the money, but good ballplayers have pride, OK?
I am pretty sure he and Vlad will split RF and DH.
As for the ballpark numbers, 67 PA isn’t much of a sample. Remember, he won’t be facing Angels pitching in Anaheim.
Didn’t GA take a significant paycut to stay here when he signed his last contract or extension? I doubt he will take a 50+% paycut from his $14 mil(?) last year. But who knows… apparently the Angels like to stock up on extra outfielders/DH’s.
Earl- according to reports the angels did offer GA less money and less of a role for 1 season.
Didn’t see your post till after I posted mine, Earl. It would be nice and appropriate for GA to end his career here, but you’re right… I sense he has too much pride to take a paycut. And the loyalty lines between fans here and GA are a bit shaky.
Yankees did not offer him arbitration, so the Angels do not have to give up draft picks for him. It is well known the ball carries well in Philadelphia where Abreu played. It was a ban-box. NY has very short porch in right. When pitchers pound him inside, those fly balls to right are outs in Anaheim. He had 100 RBI hitting behind Damon & Jeter. The Angels 1 & 2 hitters do not get on base near as often. Thus his RBI will go way down. One more key: Yankees hitters enjoy a smaller strike zone. Watch enough games and it’s true. Abreu will miss that smaller zone this year. Angels could have signed Derek Lowe for $15 mil per year. Subtract the $5 mil (not including incentives) spent on Abreu = $10 mil net cost for a quality starting pitcher. Lowe would have dramatically improved the pitching staff by moving Weaver to the #5 slot. Instead, they just released a AAA pitcher and signed a 7th outfielder. All this when they only have 4 starting pitchers. Logical? Abreu does not dramatically improve the team. Not even close. Addition of Abreu still means Angels have no chance beating Boston/NY in playoffs. Lets hope Moreno still has a trade brewing for a good starting pitcher. If not, there’s always next year.
Yanks don’t care about money. If they thought Abreu could help them win, they would have made him an offer. Period. If he’s that good, somebody out there would have signed him for $10 mil. Watch and see. He is not a team player, and will not fit in Anaheim. He’s gone after 1 year.
The big mistake the Angels made was to sign Matthews to a big contract. The guy had only one good year and the Angels fell for it. Since they can’t trade him why not give him two months of playing everyday and if he doesn’t do anything then bench him or release him and move on.He is not going to show what he can do playing 2-3 times a week.Play him every day DH and or the outfield and see.
This part time team is driving me nuts making sure everyone gets to play is juvenile baseball. In the major leagues they have earned the right to play full time.
Mike S. has become the most predictable manager in the major leagues too. Why he chose to bunt last year when everyone and their mother new it was coming. Why he chose to put Washburn in to face poppy years ago…dump move. Letting K-Rod go was probably the best move they made in a decade.
Get ready for at least 3 more decades of losing. Hard to be a fan of this team anymore. Go Yankee’s!
People need to get their facts straight. Nick Green was not “released.” He was placed on waivers. If he clears waivers, he goes on the Triple-A Salt Lake roster. If he’s claimed by another team (which will have to put him on their 40-man roster), the Angels will get cash, probably something like $25K - $35K.
Green had a 5.32 ERA at Salt Lake last year. In 159.0 IP, he gave up 31 HR, the most in all of Triple-A.
Nick is pretty much the equivalent of Matt Wise — he has a good changeup but that’s about it.
A lot of craziness here. For one, DOc makes a case dissecting Abreu’s stats and how his home parks benefited his numbers, then suggests Lowe is the answer. Hey Doc, Lowes numbers away from pitcher friendly Chavez Ravine were average at best. Try out a 4.42 ERA. That is where you want 15 Million? Does not he get the same analysis you gave Abreu?
Abreu is a solid all around offensive player that hits for average, has decent power, drives in and scores runs and can still steal the occasional base. He also gets on base and takes pitches. In short he is half of Tex at least for one quarter the price. He will help those who have had surgery like Vlad and Mathews roatate in and out for longevity. They can spot a rotation at DH. Anyone who thinks Willits is an everyday player should have their head examined. Getting Abreu with his track record for the same money as Rivera is a solid pick up.
I agree with those wanting a great pitcher and I favor Peavy, however that does not look likely right now. Having the extra outfielder adds alot of roster flexibility which is also a nice benefit. This may get a pitcher down the road or allow some other move.
Funny how people were so ticked that the Angels didn’t make a move then when they make a pretty smart one they lament it. This is a smart move with little risk. It is one year and incentive laden.
Well done Todd, I agree. Little to no risk!!!
This is why you people sit on your butt watching the game and Tony and Art run this team. Wilits is a great part time player, yes, but do you really think he can play every day, I like to think of him as a little better Orlando Palmeiro. Nice guy to step in once in a while when the big guys are hurtin but not somebody you want up there in the playoffs against the Yanks or Sox. And Gary Matthews Jr. Might as well be dead. He sucks, get over it, we made a bad investment and we are taking a loss. He will never play every day for us again nor do I want him to. He was given a chance to play everyday already and we all know how he performed. GMJ walking up to the plate in a clutch situation is my version of a living nightmare.
And lets be honest with ourselves, the regular season is nearly pointless for us this year as it was last year. We WILL win the AL West with ease. Abreu brings the patient bat we need for stressful situations like the playoffs!!!
And by the way ZMTKING, your Mike S. comment is as ignorant as they come. Ask around the league and you’ll find that he is one of the most highly regarded managers, BY FAR.
Thanks for your time.
Go Halos
D Lane
Seems like a lot of stock has been put into what Abreu has done in the past as he is now exiting his prime. He definitely benefitted from playing with a killer lineup in NY, but most guys who come to Anaheim see their numbers drop (Hunter anyone?). I don’t think Abreu will approach the numbers he put up in Philly/NY again. It would be a mistake to write him down for .300/.380/.500/25HR/100RBI
BA RISP Average = .296 (2008)
GA RISP Average = .338 (2008)
BA years as an Angel 0
GA years as an Angel 14
BA is no GA
Can you imagine, GA in Left, Hunter in the middle, Vlad in Right and Abreu as the DH (playing occasionaly in right and in left)? Without GA in the mix, forget your season- he was the glue.
As one of the comments above said, Abreu is a solid pick up, but not the blockbuster that the Angels need. He got a one year deal so the Angels can let Vlad go next year after his option year is over and make a play for some big talent. Why would Vlad stay since the Angels have wasted his abilities over the last four years by not signing anyone of significance other than Tori Hunter. By saving money on not signing a big player this year, make some room in the outfield by getting rid of Matthews (although who would take him?) who has been a bust since he started. He was signed based on one good year in Texas.
The Angels have shown that they are content with only winning the West, which will be tougher this year as A’s have improved their team enough to compete for the division title. Getting into the playoffs this year for the Angels will be significantly tougher and even if they make it, they will again not go further than the first round.
Funny how some people are griping about Abreu’s age, yet he’s nearly two years younger than Manny Ramirez which a lot of people have been screaming for the Angels to sign regardless of the cost or contract length.
SCS, just for the record, I was NOT one of those who wanted Manny on the Angels. His numbers were on the decline in Boston. As a Dodger? GA had a monster 2nd half in ‘07, but that doesn’t make him worth $25M per. Abreu’s contributions will not be that much greater than GA. If he’s willing to get the bulk of DH duties, I’m fine with that.
There’s never enough Angel talk, so this should help get ‘er done.