- The Story: Darren Oliver is signing with the Texas Rangers. The Monkey Says: Seeing how Oliver was the only reliable reliever in the Angel pen last year, this is a pretty serious blow. DO is rumored to be getting a one-year, $3.5 million deal, which if true is actually a slight pay cut for him which makes one wonder why the Angels let him get away. My thought is only that there must be a plan if the Angels let such a bargain walk right out the door to a division rival. Jose Valverde anyone?
- The Story: The Angels almost got rid of Gary Matthews in a four-way deal that fell through. The Monkey Says: The deal involved the Pat Burrell of the Rays, Milton Bradley of the Cubs and Luis Castillo of the Mets. None of those players would have been Angels but Private Matthews would have been a Met and almost certainly saved the team some money though it doesn’t say what the Angels were getting in the trade. Bradley has since been traded, so this is kind of moot point now.
- The Story: The new book “Traded” includes ratings of the best and worst Angel trades ever. The Monkey Says: How the hell did they forget the Jim Edmonds for Kent Bottenfield and Adam Kennedy deal? Bottenfield was a disaster and Edmonds had a great career, but the Halos would never have won the 2002 World Series without Adam Kennedy.
- The Story: The Angels Team Store currently features loads of bargains and tear-inducing products. The Monkey Says: If anyone wants some Figgins, Lackey or Vladdy gear, this is your last chance. I plan on buying some Lackey jerseys myself so that I can burn them in effigy.
- The Story: An ode to John Lackey, Traitor. The Monkey Says: I get that it is a business, but Big John definitely deserves some of the blame for bolting to the Red Sox, especially since he was one of the top Boston haters in the Angel clubhouse.
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