The Wild Ride with the Angels Bullpen -- Or how Fernando Rodney saved the day!

The Angels rotation took a lot of abuse before the season even started.  The media was doubting the intestinal fortitude of the Halo Starters.  It was like Lackey was the straw that stirred the drink of the Angel's slingers.  But now that Lackey is gone, the Halos are done, no number one, etc. etc. etc.  Weaver has gracefully accepted the role of leader coming out of the rotation.  But a big surprise has been  Piñeiro .  But in the last couple of starts each pitcher has looked dominant.  Its very early in the season, but the Angels are looking like a Diamond full of Aces.  Weaver had a good start in Toronto, followed by Saunders and Santana.   Piñeiro starts it off against Detroit and Kazmir comes out looking pretty good through six.  Perhaps the rotation isn't as much of a concern as the media all lead us to believe.

However Kazmir win last night was nearly tainted at the hands of the bullpen.  Kazmir was charged the runs that Shields allowed.  Palmer didn't look much better.  And Jepsen had me worried.  But when Rodney stepped in the ninth it was all business.

Speaking of Rodney, it was Tim Dierkes of MLB TradeRumors who said that The Angels signing Fernado Rodney was one of the 10 Worst Free Agent Signings Of The Offseason. At the time many of the Angel faithful, myself include, understood this to be an insurance policy in case Brian Fuentes fell back into his familiar funk from last year. Spring opened up and Fuentes looked great. Opening Day, Fuentes looked great. And since his injury, Rodney has covered the closer spot and successfully closed 5 of 5 games. Not only the 5/5 closes, but each one of them were shut outs. Rodney even has a hold, from Opening Day and a win against Oakland. The only bad outing Rodney had was against the blow out against the Twins, where he was charged with the loss.  I am beginning to think that the closer position might be a shared spot between Fuentes and Rodney.  And that could save the Angels big cash, from Fuentes option investing.  Only a month or so into the season, but that Rodney signing is looking as impressive as the Piñeiro and Matsui signings this past off season.

Toronto and Boston get Swept! Damn it feels good to be a Halo Fan

When I originally started this blog, it was going to be in tribute to the young Angel rotation that was headed by John Lackey.  The remaining rotation was made up of Santana, Saunders, Weaver, and Matt Palmer who would be replaced with Scott Kazmir.  Even with Lackey on the roster, most circles I'm in would not even count Lackey as an ACE.  Hence the Diamond Aces, that each Angel pitcher could go out there and have an ACE like start.  2008, Saunders and Santana were both All-Stars.  2009, Weaver and Saunders were pitching like All-Stars.  Palmer was getting lucky!  Kazmir is a former All-Star!  So these Aces of the Diamond were set to destroy the American League West in 2010.  Now its much too early, but the pitching staff has certainly stepped their game up.  Toronto has never been a good city for the Halos, but they showed up in full force.  Weaver had a great outing, followed by Saunders going 8, and Santana finishing a complete game.  Nearly getting a Shut Out!  Now there is a long scheduled of baseball left to be played.  The Halos sit 2.5 games out of 1st Place.  

Speaking of Lackey, he signed with the Boston Red Sox.  He thought it would give him a better chance at winning another World Series ring.  Turns out, not so much.  Tampa Bay is in 1st.  New York is in 2nd.  Hell even the swept Blue Jays are in 3rd.  Because the Boston Red Sox are six games out of 1st Place in the East.  Now obviously this slide won't last all year.  But I plan on enjoying every moment of it I can.  

Go Halos!  

My Off Season Grade for the Angels, B.

Take a look at what the Angels did right this off season. They didn't over pay for any free agents including their own. They offered arbitration to the two guys who got picked up quickly, which netted them four draft picks. Replaced Vlad with a cheaper, more patient hitter, in Matsui. Replaced lefty Darren Oliver (7th Inning Reliever), who is/was still valuable for a former closer who saved 37 of 38 games last year. That move bolstered the bullpen, which was a huge problem for the Angels last year and with the return of Scott Shields the 7th, 8th, and 9th will look better than it did last year. The Angels also re-signed Abreu who had over 100 RBI. Then you have guys like Torii Hunter who is a Silver Slugger and Golden Glover winner, Morales who hit 34 Homeruns and 103 RBI., a platoon at 2B who hit over 18 home runs, a catching platoon who hit over 25 home runs, and I haven't even got into AVG. OBP. or OPS. And the Halos Rotation consist of three players who have been All-Stars, and another guy who had an All-Star year last year.

Just because the Halos front office didn't over spend on declining free agents or trade away their entire farm system for a one year rental doesn't make them worse.  Spending money in the right places, like adding Fernando Rodney who can save the Angels money in the long run by not allowing Fuentes contract to vest.  Spending money on bringing in a World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui, who is a proven commodity in a World Series race and who's patience at the bat could rub off on younger players like Brandon Wood or Howie Kendrick.  The re-signing of Bobby Abreu was a necessity after he was able to influence batters like Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis.  Hopefully the veteran leadership of Abreu, Hunter, and Matsui can rub off on the much younger infield. 

The real interesting move the Angels committed to is Matt Palmer.  Last year's off season was picked up relatively cheap when he couldn't keep a job in San Francisco.  Palmer to collect 11 wins, with a handful of those wins coming in relief.  There is something about Palmer that kept the Angels in a lot of situations that they probably should have lost.  Tony Reagins has even said that the "5th starters spot is Palmer's to lose."  Personally, I would have rather had the Angels pursue a project like project like Chien-Ming Wang or even a Ben Sheets.  But you cannot deny the successful decisions of the Front Office, and you have to accept that they know a lot more than most of us bloggers.  But what do you think?  Are the Angels making smart decisions with their money?  Did they blow it, by not pursuing Sheets or Wang?  Can Palmer pan out as a regular 5th man starter?  Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

Wang maybe Right.

According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, by way of MLBTradeRumors, Chien-Ming Wang is telling friends he's prepare to move on from the Yankees.  Abraham goes on to say that Wang should be ready to join a MLB rotation in May.

Wouldn't it make sense for the Angels to take a shot at Chien-Ming?

He had some mechanic issues coming off an injury, similarly to Kazmir.  He speaks enough English to conduct interviews, which probably means he understands enough to talk things out with Butcher.  Coming off an injury and an inflated ERA, Wang's market has got to be low.   Plus, "Wang has been idolized in Taiwan where all of his games are televised nationwide, many on public big screens to large audiences."

Part of what sold me on Godzilla was the opening of new revenue streams.  Couldn't Chien-Ming Wang also open similar revenue streams in Taiwan?

The Ninja could surely offer a 1 year, low base-heavy incentive contract to Wang.  This signing would keep Palmer in the bullpen, O'Sullivan a little more time to develop in AAA, and a potential ace to fill out our line up.  And if Wang doesn't return to his previous self, he surely could fill out the 5th spot of the rotation.  And if he's terrible, you could make the decision between Sully and Palmer.

What do you think?

Read My Lips, No New Free-Agents!!!

Originally posted at HalosHeaven

The void that will be created with the departures of John Lackey, Chone Figgins, Darren Oliver, and Vladimir Guerrero will be felt long after they sign new contracts with their new teams. Lackey is a true number one Ace, Figgins is a true lead off hitter and has great defensive skills, Oliver isn't only a lefty specialist, and Vladimir was the face of the franchise. But like Tony Reagins said on the Drive yesterday, you have to take the emotion out of the business decisions.

We Will Win, With What We Got or Lightning Strikes Twice.

Last year the Halosphere was bent because Mark Teixera took his U-Haul to New York for a big payday. Some of the Fan Faithful believed in the unproven Kendry Morales. And that investment paid in dividends. Could Brandon Wood produce similarly to Morales? Wood has nothing left to prove in minors. Given an opportunity of having regular at bats and every day play, perhaps he could put together a good season. And if his defense isn't as great as we were once led to believe or his offense never gets started, he can always be platooned with super-utility player Maicer Izturis.

What about Sean O'Sullivan, given a chance to shine could he become the John Lackey of 2002? And with a rotation of Weaver, Santana, Saunders, Kazmir, couldn't the Angels survive with a pitcher like O'Sullivan or Matt Palmer, Trevor Bell, Dustin Moseley or maybe even Anthony Ortega? Those 5 guys gave us 22 wins last year. With Vladimir Guerrero gone, our Designated Hitter position becomes a platoon position. It allows Bobby Abreu to take a day or two off, from the field. Giving playing time to Gary Matthews Jr. or Reggie Willits. And when days Abreu is in the outfield, Napoli could share time at DH keeping his bat in the line up, which when hot is a nice bat to have.

But why scrimp in save in 2010?

According to MLBTradeRumors, 2011 will see nearly 30 pitchers who will be available to file for Free Agency. Some of the names available in 2011 will be Josh Beckett, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Ted Lilly. Let alone All-Star catcher Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols.

What better way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's existence than to break the bank for a Lee or Halladay and a Mauer or a Pujols.

The Angels can Win With What We Got

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.