Daily Links for the LA Angels including Angels looking to trade for a lefty bat, Morales’ chances of being ready to start the season dwindling, Kazmir showing progress and much more…
The Monkey Says: Olney tweeted this little tidbit (without much other info) on Friday and sparked a minor panic amongst Angel fans. Everyone’s initial reaction was that they must be looking for a third baseman, but limiting it to a left-hand hitting third baseman seems like a thin market. I’m fairly convinced at this point that the Angels were merely asking around to see who was available as Kendry Morales insurance (which you will soon understand why). Since K-Mo is really the only guy aside from Abreu with power from the left-hand side, the Angels would be wise to have fallback options ready to go.
The Story: Jon Heyman says Kendry Morales is “very unlikely” to be ready for Opening Day.
The Monkey Says: I really hate Twitter news sometimes because there is almost never any details that explain these wild assertions.
The Monkey Says: Now those are details… only now I wish I hadn’t heard them because they make me sad. Scioscia is trying to be optimistic, but it certainly sounds like Kendry isn’t even going to be available to even DH until a few weeks into the regular season.
The Story: After an impressive start on Friday, things are looking up for Scott Kazmir.
The Monkey Says: Scioscia talked highly about Kaz, naturally, but what I am most intrigued by is that Kazmir himself is actually starting to sound like a confident man, which might be the first time that has happened since 2009.
The Story: The Angels organization has depth at first base.
The Monkey Says: That is both true and false. They have depth in the lower minors, but after Morales, Trumbo is probably the only viable starter at first base in the majors, with the possible exception of Brandon Wood. After that, the Halos will be in dire straits if Morales has to miss significant time and Trumbo doesn’t pan out.
The Story: The odds of the Angels sitting Bobby Abreu to avoid his option vesting is highly unlikely.
The Monkey Says: I totally agree with this, the Halos simply don’t have the depth to not play Abreu almost everyday and there is a very real chance that Abreu might actually be good (or at least good enough) this season to be a productive top of the order hitter.
The Story: Can Bourjos hit enough to keep his glove in the starting lineup?
The Monkey Says: I don’t think he’ll have much of a problem. Bourjos’ glove is so good that the production floor for his bat is pretty low and I imagine the Angels will give him plenty of time to get his bat in order since upgrading their defense was such a big priority this off-season.
The Story: The Angels unveiled their full plans for Flashback Fridays.
The Monkey Says: The Halos will be showing off a lot of old unis, but most importantly, they won’t be dusting off those hideous Disney-era periwinkle-and-pinstripes uniforms.
The Story: Reggie Willits wants to start but is ready for his bench role.
The Monkey Says: Good, because he shouldn’t be starting for the Angels, or any other team most likely. Willits is best suited for the bench, but he may not even get that much action this year since I get the feeling Scioscia will spell his outfielders with Bobby Abreu rather than Willits most of the time.
The Story: Freddy Sandoval could be out for months after suffering a muscle strain in camp.
The Monkey Says: Sandoval had a good shot at a bench job last season but injury cost him that and most of 2010 as a whole. This year, he isn’t really in contention for a spot on the big league roster, but he isn’t far down the list of Angels that would be called up should injury strike. But now that injury has struck him first, he will tumble down the depth chart and is definitely on the bubble to lose his spot on the 40-man roster should the Angels need to open a spot up at the trade deadline.
The Story: Gary DiSarcina is on track to be a future manager.
The Monkey Says: DiSar is currently employed in the front office, so it seems odd to think that he is being considered for the coaching track and not more front office work.
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