The Battle of Los Angeles 2010 Interleague Play Begins

Regardless of whether or not you enjoy interleague Baseball, you can't dispute the fun of rivalry games.  Some cities don't have cross town rivals.  The Yankees have the Mets (The Subway Series), The As have the Giants (The Battle of the Bay), The White Sox and the Cubs (I don't know if they have a clever name) and the Angels have the Dodgers (The Freeway Series.)  The key differences between those other cities ans Los Angeles is that the Dodgers and the Angels have never faced each other in a World Series Games, but not for a lack of trying.

The Dodgers although handcuffed with the McCourt divorce and lets be frank the Dodgers haven't been real big spenders during the McCourt era have managed to make the playoffs the last few years.  They have been in the mix for the NLDS Four of the last Six years and are currently ranked #1.  The last time the Dodgers have won a World Series was 1988.  

The Angels similarly have been very successful in the American League West the past few years, winning the American League West Title Five of the past Six years.  The last time the Angels won a World Series was their first win, 2002.  

The two teams aren't only battling for respect, but to keep pace in their own division and market share.  In 2005 Angels owner Arte Moreno re-introduced the Angels as a Los Angeles brand.  Complete with a marketing campaign in the inner cities of Los Angeles.  Although the Angels play in Anaheim which is in Orange County.  The Angels have often fought over baseball free agents as well.  Vladimir Guerrero was expected to sign with the Dodgers, before donning his Halo.  And before the Angels signed Gary Matthews Jr., it was rumored the Dodgers wanted him.  And most recently, the Angels signed Torii Hunter before the Dodgers had an opportunity to pick him up.  

All the magic will happen on the field tonight.  Game 1 of a 3 Game Series from Chavez Ravine.  The Dodgers return the favor in a few weeks.  But Round 1 starts tonight!  We'll see how the Angel Dodger Rivalry translates in 2010.  And see what impact, if any the wins and losses will have on the respective clubs drive to the post season.

Dearly Departed

:::Updated Feb. 11th:::
According to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer, Quinlan and his goofy swing have re-signed with the Halos to a minor league deal. This should provide the Angels with another option in case either Morales or Wood spend an extended period on the DL. So it appears I spoke to soon, Robb has been serviceable in small doses and adds depth to the team. No complaints here.

Matthews to take a bite of the Big Apple!

It was never Gary Matthews Jr.'s fault the Angels over payed for him.  Bill Stoneman always had a way of signing talent that never lived up to the expectations of the Halo Faithful.  Does anyone remember when the Angels front office went out and signed a fat, aging first baseman... Cecil Fielder.  Then attempted to right the ship by signing a fatter more aged first baseman... Mo Vaughn.  In that situation, it didn't work out.  Well Stoneman signed GMJ for far more money than he should have.  With numbers that may have been inflated with banned substances.  Tony Reagins attempted to right the signing of his former mentor Stoneman.  And he did, because Torii Hunter was great.  But what to do with Stoneman's little mistake.

The idea so far had been to play him as a 4th Man.  He would come in when needed.  And he was overpaid, but he did his job and with few complaints.  He looked great with Hunter was out with injury.  But GMJ wanted out.  And said so at the end of the season.

"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."

And when many of the Angel faithful saw Matthews heading for Atlanta, Reagins managed to send Matthews to the New York Mets, got a choice reliever in Brian Stokes, and it only cost the Angels $21MM!  The price was high, but it was the only option the Angels had.  Matthews got what he wanted, out of the franchise.  The Angels got what they wanted, the ability to keep another AAA on the depth chart, be it Peter Bourjos, Chris Pettit, or Terry Evans. And even managed to strengthen one of the few weakness the Angels of 2009 had. Good move for Matthews, but a better move for the Angel's Front Office. So long Matthews!

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.

ESPN Insider predicts the Angels will sign Holliday

Hat tip to Halos Heaven poster AngryFan, Olney speculates that The Angels will sign Matt Holliday

As I've mentioned in other posts, the Angel roster already has 3 capable outfielders-- Juan Rivera, Torii Hunter, and the recently re-signed Bobby Abreu. Adding another outfielder forces Abreu to DH, which no longer becomes an option for a platoon type position. Holliday seemingly found his bat in the National League. But was he ever terrible in Oakland, facing American League West Pitching.

A Holliday signing could bolster the offense of the Angels which looked somewhat anemic during the ALCS, however signing Holliday all but guarantees that Chone Figgins will not be returning and the Angels will probably have a need to move another player (Gary Matthews Jr., Reggie Willits, or even Juan Rivera.) Also a contract to Holliday would be expensive which would probably tie the hands of Angel Front Office to re-sign John Lackey or another free agent starting pitcher.

I would have to say that I would be against such a signing. Holliday's price tag will be much to high and there is no guarantee will be getting the Matt Holliday of the National League or the Matt Holliday of the American League.

Angels, Tigers Discuss Granderson Trade

MLBTR is reporting that the Angels and Tigers are discussing a Granderson Trade.

The Angels and Tigers have discussed a trade for center fielder Curtis Granderson, according to Ken Davidoff of Newsday. Davidoff says the Halos would use Granderson in left field and either shift Juan Rivera to DH or trade him. In my opinion, the Angels could fill several needs cheaply for the Tigers with players such as Mike Napoli and Brandon Wood. Davidoff adds that the Yankees "think very highly" of Granderson and the Cubs are "expected to inquire."

Granderson has always played well in Anaheim. But he is far from a complete player. He has good defense but his offense is sub-par. He does have good speed, but his OPS is much to low to be a lead off hitter. And he doesn't hit well against Lefties.

The move at the very least is interesting. But I can't see the Angels trading either Wood or Napoli for a player who is similar to a younger Gary Matthews Jr. Before Tony Reagins makes a move, our outfield is slated to look like Juan River (LF), Torii Hunter (CF), and Bobby Abreu (RF). With Matthews scheduled to be the 4th man. If Matthews moves, then Willits is promoted to the 4th man. That means The Angels still have an abundance of outfielders.

Preferably the Angels, if they are going to make some trades, should look to trade for another starting pitcher. Considering John Lackey isn't likely to return. There is a lot of IFs this off-season and it looks like we'll be waiting to January to see how it all works out.