The January 2nd, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Angels sign Mark Mulder, Braves not pursuing Howie Kendrick and much more…
The Story: The Angels have signed Mark Mulder to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.
The Monkey Says: And a whole lot incentives. If Mulder makes the team, he gets $1 million guaranteed and then up to $6 million in additional incentives. This is a nice story and all, but if Mulder actually makes the Opening Day rotation, the Angels are in big trouble. It would be nice to stash Mulder in the minors for the season, but it remains to be seen if he is actually open to that.
The Story: The Atlanta Braves are not pursuing Howie Kendrick.
The Monkey Says: Probably because he is not available, at least not right now. I still think there is a slim chance he gets shopped if the Angels have to go overboard to sign Tanaka or Garza.
The Monkey Says: At least not right now. I think they are doing the right thing here, but I just don't know if Arte is going to still agree with that if the Halos whiff on Tanaka and Garza.
The Story: The Joe Smith signing is one of seven most underrated moves of the winter.
The Monkey Says: Sure, fine, whatever. It might be underrated because most people don't like the contract, but everyone seems to be in agreement that Smith is going to be a big help.
The Story: The top 10 GIFs of the 2013 season including C.J. Wilson forgetting how to walk.
The Monkey Says: As embarrassing as that was, he still is cool enough to get a supermodel to marry him. Once again, C.J. Wilson is better at life than you.
The Story: Buster Olney says the AL West race is a top storyline for 2014.
The Monkey Says: Oh, how I long for the days when everyone in the AL West, besides the Angels, sucked.
The Story: Howie Kendrick is the longest tenured Angel.
The Monkey Says: That is kind of crazy. It really goes to show how much the roster has turned over in the last seven years that Kendrick, who is only 30, has been on the team longer than anyone else.
The Story: Thoughts on the AL West while listening to Beyonce.
The Monkey Says: I literally have never heard any of those songs. I swear I am not that old or out of touch, but this one was lost on me. That being said, I like the red alternate jerseys.
The Monkey Says: It is an interesting comparison, but the economics of the game have changed so much since then. The money in the game has increased several times over that even a $400 million contract probably isn't a franchise killer. I don't think Trout gets anything close to that simply because nobody has ever broken the $300 million mark yet, but it wouldn't be a shock if Trout does set some kind of record with his extension, if there is one.
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