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Four moves that could change the Angels
July 3rd, 2009, 6:35 am · 31 Comments · posted by Earl Bloom, staff writer
As promised Thursday, here are some thoughts on how the Angels can get better this season, and beyond. They are out there, but all mine, so don’t blame anyone else …
1. Get some more relief pitchers who can get major-league hitters out on a reasonable basis — If you are going to carry eight pitchers in your bullpen, it should be mandatory that at least five of them fit that description.
Let’s review: Brian Fuentes? Check. Darren Oliver? Check. Jason Bulger? Lately, most of the time. Matt Palmer gets a pass because he hasn’t been in the pen that long.
The other four? It might be the first-time in major-league history a contending team has carried FOUR mopup men. While that might be harsh, it’s what I see. And that’s 16 percent of a roster.
I look at the Dodgers’ retooled bullpen and, before you get to Jonathan Broxton, you see Ramon Trancoso, Ronald Belisario, Guillermo Moto and Brent Leach. Mota has been around a long time, and still has a great arm. But who ever heard of the other three before this season? Someone over there is doing a great job identifying pitchers who can execute pitches.
2. Figure out roughly how much it is worth to the Anaheim franchise to reach the playoffs, maybe even win a round — I don’t know that figure, and I am not going to guess.
But if it is less than it would cost to get Gary Matthews Jr. to waive his no-trade clause, and to pay most of his salary so you can trade him to say, Cincinnati, for a competent reliever, it should be done. Yesterday, if it’s possible.
With Reggie Willits or Terry Evans just a phonecall away, Vladimir Guerrero just itching to get back into the field on defense sometimes, and Sean Rodriguez around (for now) and seemingly capable of catching a flyball, Matthews is the biggest luxury in sports as a fifth outfielder … with the possible exception of Kenny Thomas with Sacramento in the NBA, but that’s another post for another blog on ocregister.com.
You might notice I did not mention one Angel who appears in the outfield sometimes. Which brings us to …
3. Trade Robb Quinlan to the Seattle Mariners, who need a temp at third base because Adrian Beltre is going to be out an 
extended period — This accomplishes a lot of things, not the least of which it would be nice if the Angels could get a major-league pitcher in return.
With Quinlan gone, Kendry Morales would have to hit against lefties, and we might find out conclusively if he can do so. Because, if he can’t, he should give up switch-hitting entirely and concentrate on batting left-handed. There’s no way to know right now.
This would also cut the chord that Mike Scioscia and Mickey Hatcher seem to have attached with Quinlan. My latest theory, and I have had many, is that they view Quinlan as another Hatcher. It’s not close, fellas.
Third … hmm, what a coincidence … moving Quinlan might give Brandon Wood an extended shot at the third base job next season, should Chone Figgins leave via free agency. Again, they are never gonna find out unless they try Wood for an extended period, and I don’t mean a handful of at-bats over a couple of weeks.
4. The boldest move of all, trade John Lackey to a contender in the other league — He’s going to be a free agent, and more and 
more it looks like he is going to walk.
Draft picks are nice, but they take time to develop, so how about getting somebody who is already along the way?
Philadelphia needs a short-term starter, but the only problem is, I see the Phillies farm system as a wasteland. Their Triple-A roster looks more like an independent league team (they’re not alone in this). Rodrigo Lopez is actually making a start for the Phillies this week.
But there must be some National League contender who could offer the Angels something significant for Lackey, especially now that he’s broken through with his first big-league hit.
31 Comments
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You know Earl, (can I call you Earl?) I totally agree with EVERY concept here.
1) Pitching: Yikes, right? I mean, seriously, Jepsen? I don’t know what role they envision for him, unless the Angels like to make games closer to keep them interesting when they have significant leads. Speier can’t pitch to Lefties. Period. The rest of the question marks down there leave a LOT to be desired. A LOT.
2) GMJr.: He’s totally an ace off the bench with his bat. Wait, no, he’s good and aggressive, and has some pop but not for the money he’s making. GMJr, a bag of balls, and some PTBN should be able to get us a decent pitcher SOMEWHERE to address #1( Cinci?)
3) Quinlans Goofy swing would need a new monicker
4) Lackey’s looked great yesterday, but all his comments show his heart is looking to free agency as a win-fall, And you can’t blame him, I guess, major leaguers earn their stuff that way, and if he feels the Angels have been unimpressive in their attempts, so be it. He’s got short timers syndrome, and you’re right. Something for him is better than nothing - - Love me some Yard Dog Lackey, but, that ship sadly may have sailed.
I guess all this was was a re-iteration of your post, but. . :) I’m with ya man.
I just hope Reagins does SOMETHING. . . because right now most of the fans know that what we have might win the West, but it probably won’t win much else come playoffs.
If the team is serious about winning this year, how in the world do they justify trading Lackey? The team needs one more starting pitcher, not one less. Besides that, I don’t believe its a slam dunk he walks at the end of the season, either. The team has a whole lot of dollars coming off the books after this year, a bunch of young hitters ready to fill rosters spots, and one giant hole in the rotation with no obvious replacement. If they offer him a fair contract I don’t see why he wouldn’t take it. I don’t envision any other team out there seriously over-paying for his services.
Come on Earl, you’re better than this.
1. “Get some more relief pitchers who can get major-league hitters out ” Duh. Except for one problem. Where are these relief pitchers Earl? For whatever reason bullpen performance does not carry over from year to year. If you go back to April, the bullpen was considered the strength of the team. No one could predict what happened to Shields. Arrendondo was fantastic as a rookie. It’s become popular to rip on Jepson, but don’t forget how good he was in September last year. If it was so easy to “get some relievers” everybody would have solved their bullpen problems by now. Don’t forget, Boston with the best bullpen in base just blew a 9 run lead in the 7th. You cite the Dodgers bullpen as something to be emulated but remember before the season started, nobody wanted Guillermo Mota, Bellisario was a 6 year free agent wanted by no one and Leach had never pitched higher than A-ball. They got lucky which happens with bullpens. Next year those same 3 saviors will be gettin lit up. It happens with bullpens.
Jake, you say the Dodgers got lucky, I say they evaluated talent well. Can we agree to disagree on that?
Earl if the Dodgers evaluate talent so well, how come they are paying Jason Schmidt gazillons to rehab when everyone else in baseball knew he was a “roider”, saw that he had lost 10 mph off his fastball once they started drug-testing and the Dodgers bid against themselves for his services.
If the Dodgers evaluate talent so well, how come they gave Andrew Jones a ridiculous contract again bidding agaisnt themselves, when everyone else in baseball wanted no part of him.
Need I go on?
Ouch. Jake does have a point, Earl.
I said they evaluated those relievers pretty well.
Obviously they have made mistakes, which as an Angels fan you delight in. That’s your right.
But check their record out sometime. I think the Dodgers have done pretty well, in a division that likely will produce TWO playoff teams, despite missing Manny Ramirez for 50 games.
By my count, 50-29 going into Friday action is the BEST record in MLB.
Ouch.
The Giants would be leading the other two NL divisions.
2. Trade GMJ.
Okay GMJ makes a lot of money but…
Let’s look at this from the team standpoint. Is he a valuable 4th outfielder? I say yes. He is a very good defensive outfielder who can play any of the 3 spots. He’s a very good late-game defensive replacement for Rivera or Abreau. He can pinch-run. He is a valuable piece to this team. If he wasn’t making a lot of money nobody would be complaining about GMJ. So if you trade him are you gonna get equal value in return. In other words would the Angels be better or worse with him gone. With that contract you can not get equal value, so whatever you get only makes the Angels worse. The idea of a trade is to make your team better. So far Earl you are 0 for 2
Thanks for describing Reggie Willits, who I believe is about $12 million cheaper.
You see GMJ as a fourth OF, I see him as a fifth OF unless it is declared Vlad will never play the OF again. I want the DH spot to be open for Napoli sometimes when he is not catching, OK?
Agreed, GMJ is a valuable player because of his versatility, but he is paid to not only to be an everyday player, but a star. He might get a chance to play regularly next year if Abreu and Guerrero are both gone. If so, I hope Angels fans are more forgiving toward him than they have shown so far.
I liked GMJ’s father as a player a lot, and I would like to see the son be happy, too. Playing CF and hitting in Cincinnati, I think he thrives.
And if he brings a MLB reliever to the Angels in return, that’s OK for a fourth or fifth OF. Nobody’s giving you equal value for him, because he hasn’t performed to that contract’s value, or been given the chance since Hunter arrived.
Earl, I agree with you on Napoli. Next year when Vlad is gone Napoli has to DH and catch twice a week. The numbers don’t lie, when Mathis catches the Halos win. Angels will need to carry a third catcher. I’m seriously thinking about doing it now. I know Vlad will never sit but he refuses to adjust to the fact that he can longer hit every pitch that comes out of the pitcher’s hand. He’s absolutely killing the Angels right now. As much as I love Vlad and what’s he’s done in the past, he just won’t adjust and I don’t think he ever will. So we agree Napoli DH’s full time. As for Willits, I love, love, love what he brings but Mathews brings more. If the sole purpose is too win, GMJ helps more than Reggie. Now if someone is stupid enough to take that contract straight up then trading him for a bag of balls helps the Angels. But noone is going to take that contract.
3. “Trade Robb Quinlan to the Seattle Mariners.”
I’ve been saying for weeks that Qunlan does not help the Angles win. Nice guy but no help to the team. But no way you are gonna be able to trade this guy. The only team in America who thinks Quinlan belongs on a big-league rosters is the Angels. Unlike GMJ he has absolutely no value. He is absolutely terrible defensively. He cannot, I repeat cannot play 3rd base or anywhere else for that matter in the field. He cannot hit right-handers. He can hit lefties with absolutely no power. He cannot pinch-run. The only thing that can be done with Quinlan and should be done is to release him. Bring Wood up and letter him super-sub. One game a week at 3rd, one at short, one at 2nd, and one at 1st. This will give him enough at bats to make it worth his while to be here. The Angels will get to see if he’s ready to replace Figgy. Morales will get the right-handed at bats he needs. Releasing Quinlan makes the Angels better. And it’s one of the few moves that can actually be accomplished
I still don’t understand why they even re-upped him in the first place. Its not like he fell off a cliff this season; he hasn’t been useful in a few years. Rivera is worth $3 million this year, Abreu is worth $5 million… and yet they don’t bat an eyelash giving Quinlan over a million? I could only guess that it was as a fallback option in case Morales flopped. But even then… Matt Brown, Brandon Wood, even Juan Rivera could have stepped in if that were the case. Quinlan will be in AAA or Japan (or the National League) this time next year.
Yes Carlos, Quinlan is quite the double-switch guy, isn’t he? Plays four corners, a perfect NL fit.
Earl, I can stand at 3rd, 1st, Lf, & Rf for two innings, that doesn’t make me a major leaguer. Quinlan is not a major leaguer. Hey maybe the Dodgers will give him a six-year contract.
4. “The boldest move of all, trade John Lackey to a contender in the other league”
Admit it you said this just to get a rise. There is no possible scenario where this makes any sense. The Angels are in a pennant race. With a starting rotation held together with duct tape and superglue. The only way trading Lackey at this juncture makes any sense is if you get a major-league number 1 starter in return, signed to a long-term deal (Dan Haren anyone). Well if a team is in the market for Lackey and his expiring contract, they obviously have a shortage of pitching not an excess.
I want you to admit that number 4 was just to yank our chains Earl. Either that or you’ve been partying with Geovany Soto.
Jake, in the future, lay off the stuff in the last graph, OK? We don’t need that here, and I see no reason to lump poor Geovany in with an unsavory character like me, just because he went to a party once. Jeez.
And, just because I was a teenager in the 60s, don’t paint me as a party animal now. I am a soon-to-be triple grandfather, with some role-model responsibilities. Please.
If half the league wants Lackey, and you think he’s walking, why not see what you can get for him?
If you really believe Soto “went to a party once” you’ve been indulging a lot more recently than the 60’s….
Again, you haven’t addressed what to do with the rotation once you trade Lackey. Kind of a big hole in your strategy, don’t you think?
Hmmm. Maybe, do what the Angels did the first month or so of the season without Lackey, Santana and Escobar?
If Santana is healthy — albeit a huge IF — the Angels have a nice first three besides Lackey. Scott Boras is gonna want Weaver to be paid like a No. 1 soon, why not see if it fits?
For the last two spots, you’ve got O’Sullivan, Palmer and Loux. Far from awesome, but have you seen some of the starting pitchers being trotted out there every fifth day by other teams? Lucky or not, how many of them are 7-1? Oh that’s right wins and losses are meaningless to you with starting pitchers. They named the award after Cy Young because he was a nice guy.
Look, I said it would be be a bold move. But I can’t believe the people on here who think the Angels could get a No. 1 starter back for Lackey when Lackey is in a walk year. How smart is that?
Sure, give Palmer the Cy then! He must be an Ace, look at that record!
Wins, saves, fielding percentage… I don’t think they’re completely meaningless, but like your comparison with Cy Young, it tells more about a guy’s career than what he’s doing mid-season. I’m no scout, and I’m sure you have a better eye for talent than I do, but Palmer is a journeyman with mediocre stuff and command. Nice for depth, but it would be foolish to think he could adequately replace Lackey for the balance of the year. You’ve watched the game long enough to know a pitchers W/L record on paints part of the picture.
And you really want a repeat of April? Where the team barely survived and there seemed to be a new starting pitcher every day? Unless we’re punting the rest of the season, or Reagins gets VERY creative with a trade, Lackey is here to stay and, with all due respect, it’d be dumb to even consider otherwise.
I knew mentioning Palmer in the same paragraph as Cy Young would get a reaction, and I almost apologized for it beforehand, or at least qualified it. Thanks for calling me on it.
Seriously, Lackey looked like Lackey last night for the first time in awhile. I would keep that one the rest of the way, shake hands and part friends if were Angels management.
But I think it’s at the point now with FA coming for him, that you at least see what you can get for him. Seem to remember Randy Johnson, CC Sabathia and Mark Langston, to name three, who were dealt in similar circumstances.
Earl, Johnson, Sabathia, and Langston were traded by teams who had given up on the season. The Angels are in first place. That is the hole in your theory. If you trade Laceky, you are waving the white flag. Not gonna happen.
Sorry about the Soto mention, I was gonna say you’ve been hanging out with Michael Jackson’s doctor, but I thought that was tasteless. Go figure the Soto mention was the classiest of my two posts.
Agreed on the Soto remark. I was just trying to have fun in my response. Usuallly people get that over here, on the Lakers blog it’s hopeless.
Almost forgot.
I knew I should’ve included the A’s trading Rich Harden when they were six out in July. Of course, the bottom fell out of Oakland’s season after Harden and Joe Blanton were dealt.
I think the Angels are tougher, and could withstand that. And I don’t want to give Lackey away, I want to get something for him beyond two 18-year-olds next June.
Based on the comments from Lackey and the Angels management I don’t see any way he returns to the Angels next season. Lackey is a good pitcher but I wouldnt put him in top 5 of starters in the AL and Saunders is just as consistent. He is no Beckett or CC or Holliday and while some team might be willing to pay him as such it won’t be the Angels.
and for the record Lackey has 0 post-season wins since 2002, going 0 and 3
Trading lackey is a tough call because if you think you make the playoffs and want to win it all then he must stay! Saunders and Weaver are good most of time, Santana we don’t know but Lackey will and has done the job in playoffs! Get rid of Lackey you must get a #1 starter in return! Definitely, send him to N.L.
So Scoscia says he anguished over not walking Blalock, couldn’t sleep, well if it makes him feel better I couldn’t either. He says Speier wasn’t suppose to throw a strike, your BP isn’t exactly trustworthy this year. Is he given a commitment to fans to walk the next Blalock or whoever fits that role next time. I hope so!
Last night in 8th were up 5-2 with runners on first and second and no outs, Scoscia lets Izturis hit and of course it bites him in the derriere as Iz hits into DP. I personally thought a bunt was in order, especially with our bullpen, interested to hear what others think? I know Izturis is gr8 with runners on base but if he lets down a good bunt we got 2nd and 3rd with one out and infield in! I would rather have a 4-5 run lead then a 3 with our BP! Does he do this in playoffs?
Of course, they would have walked Napoli to get to Aybar with the bases loaded. Not sure which scenario works better: to let Izzy swing or let Aybar bat with the bases loaded.. Squeeze, anyone?
Last night, lefties are hitting over .500 against Baltimore’s reliever Chris Ray. So he let Izzy swing. .500 is pretty hard to ignore. Of course it came back to bite Scioscia in the butt. Thats why managing is so hard. Had he bunted, there would be 10 people in here screaming at him that lefties were hitting over .500.
If it makes you feel any better I was screaming bunt too. But Jim is right too, Napoli would have been waked to face Aybar.
With Aybar being young, you tend to get really good games or really bad games, rarely anything in between. Last night Aybar look horrible at the plate. Maybe that and Izzy’s average with runners in scoring postition played in to it.
When considering a bunt, one must always consider who is coming up next in the order. I never want to take the bat out of my best hitters hands.
People might want to look at the fact lefties were hitting .500 against Ray. I say who cares and what lefties did he face? Izzy was 0 for 5 in his career against Ray.
Earl,
I would only trade Lackey if the team determines it’s just not good enough to make a deep playoff run. Given the losses next off-season, I think it’s highly unlikely they’ll cash in the chips on 2009.
I do agree that he’s not coming back, though. As good as he is, free-agent starting pitching is rarely a good investment. Let somebody else pay him $50 million-plus and pray he stays healthy. They often don’t.