The December 10th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Angels acquire Drew Butera, show interest in Brock Holt and much more…
The Story: The Angels traded for Drew Butera, who might be the worst hitter in the league.
The Monkey Says: And you’ll like who is right above him on that list, too. He’s basically Handsome Jeff Mathis, but he’s as good or better defensively than Conger, so taking the offensive downgrade and monetary savings in exchange for adding Nick Tropeano and Carlos Perez seems like a worthwhile tradeoff. Perez may even be better than Butera, but at least Drew can operate as a sort of veteran security blanket.
The Story: Brock Holt is a utility infielder the Angels have shown interest in.
The Monkey Says: Angels reporters have confirmed the same. He’d be a great fit, but he is stretched at shortstop, so that might not fit what they are looking for as they currently don’t have an in-house solution should they lose Aybar to injury for an extended period of time.
The Story: Josh Hamilton needs to have a bounceback season.
The Monkey Says: Well, duh. Actually, that’s hyperbole, he doesn’t “need” to have a bounceback season. Or perhaps more accurately, the Angels don’t need him to. They had the best record in baseball despite Hamilton being hurt or terrible most of the year. They can survive him being lousy again, they just won’t like it very much.
The Story: Mark Mulder is still deciding whether or not to try another comeback in 2015.
The Monkey Says: If he does, it is doubtful it will be with the Angels who have enough depth so as not to need Mulder anymore.
The Story: The only real need left for the Angels is an “optionable” middle infielder.
The Monkey Says: This is what I was referring to earlier. They might bring back Beckham or sign a veteran, but also acquire a young infielder they can stash in the minors and only call up if Aybar misses extended time. It wouldn’t surprise me if they used the Rule 5 draft or maybe trigger a trade around that draft to get their hands on someone.
The Story: Roberto Baldoquin has arrived in the US and will go through his physical next week.
The Monkey Says: At that point, his signing will become official. The more important news is that they intend to use him only at shortstop.
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