The December 8th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including C.J. Wilson, Dipoto knows fans aren’t thrilled and much more…
The Story: The Angels are reportedly shopping C.J. Wilson.
The Monkey Says: However, they are not willing to keep much, if any of his salary. So… good luck with all that. I mean, it make sense to shop Wilson to try and find someone willing to take on that salary, which would open up budget space to pursue Lester or Scherzer, but after such a terrible season, it is highly unlikely anyone is going to bite.
The Story: Jerry Dipoto knows fans aren’t thrilled with the Angels’ offseason so far.
The Monkey Says: This is another salvo in Dipoto’s efforts to temper expectations going into the Winter Meetings. It is also just kind of funny to see him address the fan base directly, which he doesn’t do too often. This was basically a diplomatic way of him saying that he doesn’t particularly care about the fans’ desire for him to make a bigger splash.
The Story: Can fans believe Dipoto when he says he is only looking for accent players?
The Monkey Says: No, because he’s not. If you read other comments of his, he is clearly on the lookout for bigger opportunities if they present themselves. However, he is going to set expectations low, just in case nothing comes through for him.
The Story: The Angels will look to be opportunistic at the Winter Meetings.
The Monkey Says: See, this is what I am talking about. He talks about how great it is to build depth, but he says it is great because it allows them to pursue other opportunities as they come up. If he really can find a way to land a Scherzer-type without blowing up the payroll structure, he is going to go for it. He just isn’t going to tip his hand because then people get upset if he doesn’t pull it off. Just think back to when Reagins failed to land Carl Crawford and how that enraged everyone. Not that it is hard, but Dipoto is smarter than Reagins.
The Story: The Angels are reluctant to trade Howie Kendrick due to concerns over weakening the offense.
The Monkey Says: Those concerns were present when he started shopping Howie right after the season, I don’t know why they’d suddenly be an issue now. I still think this is all a smokescreen to drive the price up on Howie.
The Story: What each team needs going into the Winter Meetings.
The Monkey Says: Rotation depth, but you knew that already.
The Story: Fangraphs updates their trade value rankings.
The Monkey Says: Trout is still number one and still the only Angel on the list. Consider yourself updated on the update.
The Story: Nick Francona has left the Angels front office for a position with the Dodgers.
The Monkey Says: The son of Terry had been a scout with the Halos, but primarily served as the instant replay coordinator. Now someone else will call Dino Ebel on the phone while Scioscia stalls with the umpires waiting for a thumbs up or thumbs down.
The Story: The Angels signed Edgar Ibarra and Adam Wilk to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training.
The Monkey Says: Both are left-handed. Ibarra is a reliever who had been in the Twins organization. Wilk has been a starter who saw some time in the majors with the Tigers a few years ago before bouncing to Korea then back to the States with the Pirates Triple-A team last season.
The Story: Mike Trout won the GIBBY for Everyday Player of the Year.
The Monkey Says: I declare this award a sham as no player actually played every single day last year.
The Story: The best and worst pitching mechanics in the AL West.
The Monkey Says: Jered Weaver and Kevin Jepsen both make this list for the wrong reasons. How Hector Santiago didn’t get tabbed as one of the worst is beyond me.
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