Let’s not fool ourselves

As the season draws to a close this month, we’ll witness a flurry of September call ups and a series of questions about who to bring back, and who the Angels need not bother. Recently, we’ve heard chatter about key members of the Angels bullpen as well as free agent to be, David Freese.

But before this talk officially hits the Hot Stove upon conclusion of the World Series, I felt it is completely necessary to get some things straight.

1) There is NO good reason to re-sign David Freese.
Freese supporters will have you know that the Angels offensive collapse coincided with David Freese’s exodus from the lineup due to an injury. If they’re smart, they’ll also bring up that if he remained healthy, David Freese would’ve been on pace to hit 29 doubles and 19 homeruns this season, which in terms of XBH would’ve been the best marks of his career. But as the title of this article indicates….

Let’s not fool ourselves.

The fact is David Freese is hitting .240/.309 on the year. He’s sacrificed the ability to hit for average and reach base in favor of power. His defense has been generally average (which is a good thing) and he’s entering his age 33 season. The Angels are already pressed for money as it is, and spending millions on a 30-something .240 hitter that isn’t anything special in the field or at the plate is insane. The Angels also have Kyle Kubitza and Kaleb Cowart, both of whom are young, inexpensive and have impressed in AAA this season. Both are better than Freese in the field, and both have the offensive upside to be an everyday player in the majors. Kubitza led AAA in doubles and has been an OBP machine while Cowart was on fire prior to his promotion.

2) This should be Chris Iannetta’s final year with the Angels.
Iannetta was a solid Dipoto pickup a few years ago, when the way he managed a staff, played defense, got on base and hit for power were all things that made him invaluable to the Angels. He’ll be entering his age 33 season next year, and likely still has a couple of decent major league seasons left in him.

But let’s not fool ourselves.

Chris Iannetta is hitting beneath the Mendoza line, isn’t reaching base often enough, doesn’t have enough power in his bat, nor enough arm to control the run-game that would ever warrant bringing him back. Down in AAA (and recently promoted), the Angels have a kid named Jett Bandy, who not only scores plus marks in defense and athleticism, he has enough upside with the bat to consider platooning him with Carlos Perez. At the very least, the Angels will have good catchers next season that not only keep the ball in front of them, but also can gun runners down at a consistent pace.

3) Taylor Featherston shouldn’t compete for a spot next season.
I like what the Angels did, bringing in a Rule 5 pick to play utility infielder. Featherston put up some numbers in AA that definitely made scouts and fans alike take notice, and his defensive ability gave him the presence of a useful player and not a liability.

But let’s not fool ourselves.

It was a fun experiment, but at the end of this season, that experiment ends. The Angels are no longer obligated to keep Featherston in the majors and quite frankly, they shouldn’t unless they have to. In 2014, the Angels used heralded clubhouse presence John McDonald as their utility infielder. Like Featherston, he didn’t hit at all, wasn’t an elite pinch runner and was a good fielder. But unlike Featherston, McDonald was a leader in the clubhouse. The value he brought to this team was largely off the field. Fans, coaches, players and media alike all liked this guy, and he was in essence, the glue that kept that team bonded and helped give them an identity. The 2015 Angels, didn’t have that. If they’re smart, the Angels will chase some established veteran utility infielder to fill that role in 2016.

4) Fernando Salas has no business on this team.
He was a fun little throw-in after the Angels regrettably traded away Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk (DOH!!!) for David Freese. Salas used to be a closer in St. Louis and was great in AAA. He even had decent surface numbers for the Angels in his first year.

But let’s not fool ourselves.

This is the guy that got torched by KC in the playoffs last year. This is the guy that posted a 4.47 ERA this year. This is the guy with no discernible “plus” pitch or quality about him on the mound. He shouldn’t have ever been used in high leverage situations and now it’s becoming increasingly clear that he shouldn’t actually be part of the Angels bullpen at all.

5) C.J. Wilson should not return to the Angels.
What can we say about C.J.? He’s a good interview, he’s left-handed, has enough “stuff” to get outs, has a proven track record of success in the past and is under contract for the Angels. Him returning to 2016 seems like a foregone conclusion.

But let’s not fool ourselves.

C.J. probably shouldn’t return. He just hasn’t been all that great for the Angels in two years now. There are flashes of brilliance, but those are dispersed among months of mediocrity and short outings. He’s owed $20 million, so it isn’t as if the Angels will be able to trade him this offseason, especially since he’s coming off season-ending surgery to once again remove spurs and “floating bodies” from his elbow.  With Richards, Heaney, Santiago, Weaver and Shoemaker all set to return, along with Tropeano knocking on the door and Newcomb, Smith and Ellis all being ready by the end of next year, it just doesn’t look like C.J. Wilson has any business on the Angels roster after this year.

The Angels roster as currently constructed (and operated) is not a winner. Let’s not bring back players that only take roster spots of better, younger players that are available, either in-house or from free agency.