Much to the surprise of no one, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim put four players on the Waiver Wire according to Ken Rosenthal. Nevermind that the players that are put on waivers are supposed to remain confidential, Angels closer: Brian Fuentes, Odd man out of the Outfield: Juan Rivera, the De Facto 1st Baseman: Mike Napoli and lead-off hitter: Bobby Abreu. Talking heads like Roger Lodge of AM 830's Sports Lodge, attempted to mass up a media frenzy with Angel fans with this report. And a few callers called in rallying behind Napoli and making statements like trade Fuentes and Rivera, with slightly less articulation. Its kind of funny when you hear all of these armchair GMs demand that the Angels go after this player or that player. And get rid of this guy or that guy.
But the Waiver Wires are simply a way to test the interest of players to those teams looking to make a surge into the post-season. There is no guarantee that any of the 4 horsemen will be bringing the Apocalypse after the waiver wire deadline, which is Tuesday. I also don't see this as Reagins throwing in the towel either. And in reality, most of these guys will probably stay right here in the Halosphere. But looking closer at a few of the players you can measure the goods they could bring to a team.
Brian Fuentes certainly has to be on many teams radar. Fuentes has already save 23 games, last year he led the league with 48 and the year before he had 30. His ERA is down from last year. He's been able to get a hanful of wins and seemingly has pitched a lot better recently. There doesn't seem much of a chance for Fuentes' Option to vest, which means he'll be a free agent at the end of the year. Teams who are currently struggling with Bullpen Issues could find the lefty invaluable. The Yankees, Phillies, Giants, Cardinals, all could use more depth in the bullpen. And even if he comes out of the bullpen as a lefty specialist, instead of a closer, he would be a great asset.
Mike Napoli's versatility at the very least has to make some GMs take notice. Napoli's defense at catcher is passable and he has looked surprisingly well at 1st base. Napoli has a pretty good pop already having hit 21 Home Runs, which is one more this year then he has hit in the last two years with a couple of more weeks left to play ball, and that was spending the first half of the season in a platoon at catcher. Any team in need of a catcher would certainly be tempted to pick up a claim on Napoli. And for a team like Boston, New York, or the Rangers, his power would shine a little brighter and could help those teams in the long stretch. Napoli is expendable for the Angels because of the young core of catchers already in the team. Mathis and Wilson have shared most of the catching duties this year, with Budde and Conger waiting in the wings. And after this season the Angels will bring back Kendry Morales at 1st. This would also save the Angels some money when it comes to his arbitration hearing this year, where surely he expects to see a raise.
Bobby Abreu has recently got hot. His mixture of speed, 17 bags and power, 15 home runs could help some teams. His bat also affords him the ability to hit just about anywhere in the line up. The drawbacks to Abreu are slightly steeper than Napoli or Fuentes. Abreu has one more year on his contract, so any team making a move for Abreu is going to have to over pay him for next year as well as this year. And finding playing time is becoming more difficult in Anaheim already, with Abreu shifting from Right to Left and working some nights as a DH. The biggest obstacle in Abreu will be that salary and I'm all but sure the Angels would choose not to eat any of his salary if he is moved.
And lastly Juan Rivera, the poor guy just hasn't performed up to his normal standards this year. And who knows if it is a mental thing or if his skills have just started to diminish. Notorious for being a later starter, all of his measurable numbers are down. His defense has looked down right terrible. And he hasn't earned enough consistency at any position to keep regularly at bats. Rivera's contract isn't gigantic by any stretch, but there comes a point when a GM just won't pay for what Rivera is providing. Sure a change of scene might do Rivera a great deal. And maybe a team like the Reds or Giants could use Rivera. I thought Rivera would have been moved prior to the trade deadline, but since then he's looked worse and worse in the outfield.
Ultimately I feel that none of these players will be moved. It is just Tony Reagins looking to see if he can move some payroll in hopes of landing a Real Big Fish in the offseason. Although if some of these players are not moved, it is hard to see the Angels making any acquisitions in the off season. Only Arte, Scioscia and Reagins know what the Angels next move is.
Go Halos.
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