The Ace who says Neigh-- to Arbitratoin

In a move that surprised no one, the Angels offer of arbitration was refused by both John Lackey and Chone Figgins. The Diamond Aces said goodbye to Figgins when it was announced he had signed a deal with the Seattle Mariners. It might not be too long before the Angels say goodbye to John Lackey as well. It is rumored that he is looking for a five-year, $82.5MM deal, which is comparable to what AJ Burnet got. Obviously their needs to be a suitor to pay that amount of money. The Yankees certainly overspent on Burnet, but it doesn't look like they will be making that same offer to Lackey. Burnet's closest suitor was the Atlanta Braves who offered four-years, 60MM. Surely the Angels would pay 15MM a year for 4 to 5 years for Lackey. But that probably will not be enough to get a deal done with Lackey. There are some rumors that the Mets might be interested in Lackey. If the Mets do decided to sign John Lackey, the Angels would then receive a compensatory picks from the Mets. Most likely their 2nd Round pick, because their 1st Round pick would be protected. There is sill a chance that Lackey will return to Anaheim, however anything can happen. We'll just have to wait and see.

Do you think the Mets will sign Lackey? Where do you think John Lackey will sign? Please leave a comment.

Should our expectations be Lowe?

Rev Halofan works up the Angel faithful at Halos Heaven on a possible deal that would send Derek Lowe to Anaheim for Gary Matthews Jr.

Last year the Atlanta Braves signed former Angel left fielder Garret Anderson to a one year deal. And although Anderson had a fairly decent year, Anderson is expected to file for free-agency. It is unknown if the Braves are going to re-sign Anderson who will be 38 this June. After the season ended, Matthews has become vocal about wanting to be traded.

"I don't expect to be back; it's time to move on," Matthews said. "I'm ready to play for an organization that wants me to play every day. This organization has other plans, and that's OK."

The idea would be to trade Matthews to the Braves for Derek Lowe. Lowe is owed 45 Million over the next three years. Matthews is owed 20 Million over the next two. This would certainly give the Braves some some salary relief, but they would require another starting pitcher. Matthews would more than likely fill the void that Anderson's departure would create. But the loss of Lowe would require the Braves to pursue a free agent pitcher or perhaps making a trade.

On the surface, this deal looks fairly reasonable. Lowe's 15 wins could replace Lackey's 11 wins. But his production isn't nearly as impressive as Lackey and the Angels would be on the hook for an additional 25 million. Its not a bad idea, but the Angels already have a pretty solid pitching lineup. The Angel's 5th spot could be filled by Matt Palmer, Sean O'Sullivan, or a prospect who might be ready to shine. Moving Matthews isn't a bad idea, but a move for Lowe should only be made if the Angels are planning on packing Lowe in a bigger trade.