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Angels Outlook '23
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Anthony Franco
2:58
Hey everyone, hope you're all enjoying your day!
2:59
Looking forward to another chat, let's talk Angels
Halos are a mess
2:59
IF Trout asks to be traded, how much money would the Angels need to send to the acquiring team to get back a decent prospect (Organization’s 10-15)? $100M? More?
Anthony Franco
3:02
I don't think it's that high. Trout has seven years and $248MM left on his deal running from age 32 to 38. We saw teams pay guys like Bogaerts, Judge and Machado deep into their late 30s last offseason. Brandon Nimmo got 8/162 running through age 37 and isn't as good a player even as late-career Trout
3:03
If they paid it down to the $180-200MM range (and he was willing to move), I think they could get a solid return
Matt
3:03
Assuming money isn't spent on Ohtani, how do the Angels address their eternal pitching issues?
Anthony Franco
3:04
There are other options in free agency, but I don't think dropping nine figures on Aaron Nola or Jordan Montgomery really moves the needle for this team if they lose Ohtani
3:06
I'd rather fill in the starting staff with a stable innings-eater type like Kyle Gibson or bring Michael Lorenzen back, maybe take a shot on Tyler Mahle with a two-year deal as he works back from Tommy John, and try to reset things from within
Jessica Fletcher
3:06
What happened to David Fletcher? A few years ago he looked like one of the best pure hitters in the game that would challenge for a batting title perennially and walked almost as much as he struck out. Now I don't know what his roll will be.
Anthony Franco
3:08
It's a tough profile to keep up consistently in today's game. When you have bottom-of-the-scale power, you need to keep hitting .330+ on balls in play to keep the offense at a passable level. That's difficult to repeat, especially if you don't hit the ball hard
3:09
Nicky Lopez didn't sign the kind of extension Fletcher did, but he had a similar trajectory with Kansas City. Looked like a potential long-term piece based on the contact skills and the glove but couldn't sustain the offense necessary given his frame
Draft
3:09
Are you surprised by the strategy to draft 1st rounders and promote within a month? Halos have needed depth but how surprised were you to see Neto and Schanuel call ups?
Anthony Franco
3:10
They've been really aggressive with prospect promotions beyond the first round as well. Wouldn't say I was super surprised with Neto really, Schanuel getting called up within about three weeks was jarring
3:11
It all seemed within the general organizational philosophy of "do whatever we can to win while we have Ohtani under control," so I get it. I don't know if it's a particularly good long-term strategy, but both those guys held their own reasonably well and I imagine they'll slow down now that they'll know for certain whether they'll have Ohtani for the long haul
Gary
3:11
I thought the team looked good at the beginning of the season. Then they ended up with all of those injuries. Even without Ohtani next year, is this team really that bad going forward?
Anthony Franco
3:13
Feels like it'll have the same lack of depth that plagues the Angels every year. The bottom of the lineup won't be good, questions at the back of the rotation, middle relief is spotty
3:14
They've got some interesting pieces but not enough to weather a 162-game schedule. If they lose Ohtani, it's in the bottom seven to ten teams in the majors
SOS
3:14
Angels doing same old thing year after year. Need a new direction, should they build around younger players?
Anthony Franco
3:15
I hate to have every answer come off as "depends on Ohtani," but I really think the answer to this does
3:16
If he walks, this feels like a rebuilding team. If they re-sign him, then they'll have to keep trying a similar strategy they've have the last couple seasons of looking to patch things together with stopgap veterans to compensate for the lack of consistent talent coming through the organizational pipeline
Charles Richter (angelswin.com)
3:16
I, along with many of the Halo hopeful, believe that the only path for success for the team moving forward is for Arte Moreno to sell the team.

Do you agree with this sentiment?
Anthony Franco
3:17
I'm sure it'd help but I think saying it's the only path to success is an oversimplification. Other teams have overcome bad ownership situations to have success
3:19
Moreno seemingly doesn't want to greenlight spending on a strong acquisition/player development apparatus, which is a huge drawback. It makes it difficult for a front office to build an infrastructure that enables sustained success. At the same time, they've had some leeway for spending on veteran players to supplement they core they've had for the past couple seasons and haven't hit on many of those acquisitions either
Angel Fool
3:19
Honestly, what are the chances of the team actually bringing in some decent relief pitchers.  I would love to see Matt Moore come back, but I know that won't happen.
Anthony Franco
3:21
I can't see them signing Josh Hader but a couple more two-year deals for relievers seems right. Tepera and Loup didn't work obviously, but those guys were pretty appealing middle relief targets at the time
Gold
3:21
will Jo adell make it this year? If he played 135 games I am sure the results would be above average
Anthony Franco
3:22
I think he's a AAAA guy at this point. It hasn't been a great situation for him since they've always had to shuttle him back and forth between Triple-A and MLB, but he's just never shown consistent progress in either controlling the strike zone or making enough contact on pitches within the zone
Sad fan
3:23
What trade ideas do you have for the Angels (can either be buyers or sellers however you want to answer)
Anthony Franco
3:25
Guys like Drury and Estévez would be pretty solid rental trade candidates if they decided to take a step back. Free agent middle infield is so bad that this would be a good time to deal Drury, in particular
3:27
If they're going to give it another guy and want to add short-term pieces via trade, Alex Verdugo seems like a strong fit to play the Renfroe role (hopefully better). Ramón Laureano could work in the outfield too. Adrian Houser or Spencer Turnbull on the pitching front make sense
BuckRogers
3:27
Is Taylor Ward the answer in the outfield next year if fully recovered from that fastball to the face? He hasn't been the same since he ran into a wall in '22 and his defense is mid with a noodle arm.
Anthony Franco
3:29
Yeah I still like Ward as a good everyday player. The defense is just ok as you mentioned but I think there's more power than the .421 slug he had last year. Seemed like he was really starting to click right before the injury unfortunately
Gold
3:30
do you like rengifo
Anthony Franco
3:31
I like him as a high-end utility type, wouldn't be enthused about him as a regular middle infielder. He can hit but he's never clicked defensively no matter where they put him
Minasian
3:32
Assuming Ohtani walks, is an off-season of Jeimer Candelario (to play 1B/3B/DH), Tyler Mahle (rebound candidate), Andrew Chafin, and Joe Jimenez/Reynaldo Lopez enough to make the Angels a fringe competitor next year? My guess is they're gonna give it the college try and then completely rebuild and replace Minasian if things don't work out
Anthony Franco
3:33
Mahle underwent Tommy John in May so he's probably out into the second half. All the moves you suggest seem reasonable enough in isolation. I think they're still the clear fourth-best team in their division even if they made all of them though
David
3:34
is Urshela a quality regular at either short or third going into the next few years?
Anthony Franco
3:35
He's ok at third base, wouldn't want him playing regularly at shortstop at 32 coming off a pelvis fracture
Urshela's an impending FA, to be clear. I think he'll find a starting third base job somewhere else on a two-year deal in the $20MM range
Patrick Sandoval
3:36
So who's the Patrick Sandoval going forward? The 2022 version with more strike-outs than IP & and ERA under 3.00 or the 2023 version with less strike-outs and an ERA over 4.00?
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