I was going to post on Newcastle's weekend soccer match this morning, but our work holiday party kind of took that away. Sorry, but that chicken at Claim Jumper was much more important than a post about the Magpies. Newcastle beat Liverpool, which was simply amazing, in spite of what they've been going through.
Instead, we'll skip right to the next Angels offseason post. It seems like a good time, as the most valuable free agents are getting snatched up, to examine what we've done and what we might/should do as we continue to work toward Spring Training.
Subtractions:
Scot Shields- Good ol' Bob Shields has decided to opt for free agency after kind of watching his career slowly die in Anaheim. In 2009 and 2010 combined, Scot pitched in less games than in 2008 alone, and had a 5.95 ERA with a 1-6 record. From 2008, all the way back to the start of his career in 2001, he never posted an ERA of above 3.86 and had 6 seasons of sub-2.90 stuff. But, after pitching a career high 148+ innings in 2003, Ol' Rubber Arm came back down to Earth, declining in IP and increasing in injuries and fatigue. If no team signs him, I'm guessing he's off to retirment, and after making $21.7 million over his career, that wouldn't be too bad.
Hideki Matsui- Godzilla is off to the A's. Look, lots of Angel fans ragged on Matsui for going through some horrible stretches last season. But when you look at his season as a whole (.274-21-84), it really wasn't that bad. We got what we paid for out of the aging OF/DH, and I think we should be happy. Now he's the A's problem, and even if he has a Vlad-esque return to prominance (which he won't), we did the right thing by letting him go.
Kevin Frandsen- Franny gave us some positive memories, but it was clear that he'd be off to free agency after the season. He's a good enough player to find a home on the bench somewhere, and he'll be that guy in 12 years that makes you go, "Oh yeah, I remember that guy was on the Angels." Kind of like Pat Rapp (2001).
Additions:
Hisanori Takahashi- Besides having a difficult name for me to remember, Taka is a serious first step toward the Angels making a serious bad part of the team better. Our bullpen was pretty bad last year, and Taka seems to be someone who can help out. In his first MLB season, Mr. Tokyo went 122 innings with a 3.61 ERA with an 8.4 K/9. He also notched 8 saves and was a 1.3 WAR. He may be a 35 year old "rookie," but this Japanese native should be a nice addition for the next 2 years. He's also a lefty, which we could always use.
Scott Downs- Speaking of lefties, Downs was picked up for 3 years and $15 million to complete the bullpen restoration project. He's a left-handed old-school Scot Shields. His ERA since 2007: 2.17, 1.78, 3.09, and 2.64. As Andrew told me, he's "underrated and consistent." Those are two things I greatly value in a reliever. He's 34 right now, so we'll see how he holds up, but added with Takahashi, I'd say Downs makes our bullpen amazingly better.
What's next?
You know I love me some rumors, and here is what we're looking at right now:
Adrian Beltre- Ugh. I feel like I've already gone through this. Oh well, let's try and prove something by briefly looking at his stats. In 2004, Beltre his .334 with 48 jacks. Last season he hit .321 with 28 jacks. Do you know what those two years have in common? Contract years. How about the other seasons? Averages of .215, .265, .266, .240, .255, and .257 grace his stat sheet. Homerun totals never eclipse 26 outside of those two years, with his 162 game average at 25. He's a career .275 hitter who averages 89 RBI per season. Why does every think he's so amazing? Mike Napoli averages 29 jacks and 80 RBI per season over his career. When you think of it like that, Beltre isn't that impressive.
Zack Greinke- That's right, Halo fans. There is a rumor out there that the Royals are shopping Greinke around, and that the Angels are considering offering a Mathis and Aybar plus prospects for Greinke deal. I don't really see how we don't pull that off if the Royals are dumb enough to accept it. Despite going 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA last year to drop off after his Cy Young season, homeboy is still a stud. He averages a 3.82 ERA in the American League (which is an important point) over his career, and I think I speak for everyone when I say we'd love to have him.
José Reyes- I'm not exactly sure what the Mets are looking for, but the rumor is that they are shopping Reyes around. We're talking about season averages of .286, 13, and 66, with an AVERAGE of 111 runs scored/year. If I knew exactly what they wanted, I could make a better call on this, but unless it's crazy, I say it's amazingly smarter to go after Reyes than Beltre. I think I could hang with a Reyes-Callaspo/Wood (?) left side of the infield, rather than a Aybar-Beltre infield. You?
Jim Thome- I'll end this section with the enjoyable rumor that the Angels may go after a season with 40 year old part-time DH, Jim Thome. Now, I know, you think this is a joke. But, no! If we keep Mike Napoli as a C/DH and add in Jim Thome as a part-time DH, I think we'd add a lot more than you think. Thome makes about the same amount as Jeff "Worst Hitter Ever" Mathis, and he hit 25 jacks in 276 ABs (a 3.5 WAR) last season. I know it sounds crazy, but it'd be a good pickup, in my opinion. Why not?
So, it'll be fun to see what the Halos will do as we move forward toward Spring Training, and let's hope they read this blog for some good ideas.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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