Enough ink has been spilled as to the Angels relative unwillingness to spend money of any sorts to fill glaring vacancies this winter. But what hasn’t been mentioned as much as it probably should is the masterful job new GM Billy Eppler has done at creating a great deal of depth for this team, and doing it without spending any real sort of money. He was the bargain-bin shopper of this winter and should be commended for this effort, especially given the financial constraints Arte Moreno placed him under.
While it won’t win the front office any fans, both of the public and media nature, it will hopefully give the Angels more depth than they’ve had in a while. Let’s take a look at the quiet deals Eppler pulled off this winter and how they may affect the team:
The Bullpen
The Angels bullpen was left exposed last year and relied heavily on rookie fire-baller Trevor Gott. Gott was dealt to the Nationals for Yunel Escobar, which looked (and looks) like a great deal on paper but left the relief corps short on reliable weapons. With an open competition for the final few spots of the bullpen, Eppler rounded up a bunch of cheap, mostly veteran upside arms that could figure heavily into the late-inning equation:
Al Alburquerque – The former Tigers set-up man has fallen on hard times. He still has the stuff—i.e. mid-90’s fastball and a wipeout slider—to be an impact arm, but control problems have limited his value thus far.
Cost: $1.1 million, non-guaranteed
Deolis Guerra – Guerra is a former Pirates reliever with impressive minor league numbers and the arsenal to potentially pull off similar success in the majors. Armed with a low 90’s fastball and beautifully effective change-up, Guerra is also in the mix for a roster spot.
Cost: Practically free (Rule 5 draft) so long as he isn’t sent back to Philadelphia.
Rob Rasmussen – Beyond Jose Alvarez, the competition for LOOGY is wide open. Rasmussen doesn’t have the greatest success with lefties, but he does have decent stuff and good numbers in AAA.
Cost: Nothing; picked up off waivers. May end up in AAA if he can clear waivers.
Javy Guerra – The former Dodgers closer has great numbers in the major leagues and barring an injury and suspension filled season last year, he looks primed to return to form. If he does, he can retake his spot among the better relievers in the major leagues.
Cost: Not much; he’s on a minor league deal. Doesn’t have a spot on the 40-man roster.
A.J. Achter – Achter is a long shot to make the team despite a strong track record at Triple-A (2.57 ERA in 143 IP), but he at least has a chance. If not, he can still be in AAA.
Cost: A minor league deal. Not on the 40-man roster.
Lucas Luetge – Lucas has a small measure of success in the major leagues and, of course, dazzling numbers in AAA. Most important for his chances of making the team: he’s left-handed.
Cost: A minor league deal. Not on the 40-man.
Ramon Ramirez – Ramon has extensive success in the major leagues as part of several different ball clubs. He still has a decent arm and may have just enough moxie left to compete as a middle reliever. But he’s 34 years old and spent last year playing in the Mexican League. Chances are slim.
Cost: A minor league deal. Not on the 40-man.
Position Players
The spots most in need of upgrade for Anaheim this winter were left field, second base, third base, catcher, and utility guy. Any of those spots could have been filled by spending big money on the open market, but the aforementioned Escobar trade ended up being the biggest move of the bunch. The rest of the holes were patched up with a variety of thrifty deals and minor trades:
Geovany Soto – You could make a strong argument that Jett Bandy is already better than Geo Soto and you wouldn’t be wrong necessarily. But what is undeniable is that the Angels could use some catching depth, so having Bandy man the backstop on a daily basis in AAA until he gets his call up seems like a pretty good idea. Plus there’s what Soto actually offers, which is veteran presence, solid defense, offensive upside, and some good pop. Also, the former Rookie of the Year happens to fall over every time he throws the ball back to the mound, which is funny.
Cost: $2.8 million
Ji-Man Choi – The Korean born Choi has generated some buzz early in camp with the team clearly being impressed by his ability to swing the bat from both sides of the plate. Choi could also figure into the conversation in LF at some point and is an excellent defender at 1B. It’s hard to find talent with this much upside at age 24, but the Angels found it and for practically nothing. Choi should be the main bench bat for the Angels this season, at least early on, and could spell Cron or Pujols at first as a late inning defensive replacement.
Cost: A late Rule 5 pick, so really nothing.
Jefry Marte – Marte had some strong results in AAA last year and has the ability to play both first and third, though not particularly well. His main tool is his power, and it’s the type that could result in 20+ HRs if given a full season. We aren’t sure if the 24-year-old Marte will ever find that sort of time in the Angels system, but it’s possible. More than anything, he gives the team some power depth that it didn’t have before.
Cost: Kody Eaves, a second baseman in A+ that didn’t figure into the Angels’ future plans.
Rey Navarro – Navarro is one of those players who’s simply better than what the numbers show. His performance in the minors isn’t bad at all, and he held his own across 10 games in the majors last year. The 25-year-old is technically in the competition at second and the utility role, but will likely be one of the first call-ups from Triple-A this year. More than anything, Navarro is a very solid defensive player up the middle, and that’s what the Angels need.
Cost: Claimed on waivers; nothing but a spot on the 40-man.
Cliff Pennington – Pennington is said to be in the running for the starting second base job, but will likely serve as the go-to defensive replacement. He’s an excellent defender there and is also quite gifted at SS and can hold his own at 3B. Cliff was once a very good player for the rival A’s but has since aged himself into a utility role, and he’s exactly what the Angels needed. Nothing wrong with sound, veteran presence on the bench and in the clubhouse.
Cost: 2 years, $3.75 million. Can’t beat the price.
Todd Cunningham – The soon to be 27-year-old Cunningham may not have a roster spot long, but he is a sound defender at three positions and is fast. That alone is better than anything the Angels had last year in the majors, or in AAA.
Cost: Nothing but a waiver claim. Needs to clear waivers to go to Triple-A.
Craig Gentry – Part of the much maligned Nava/Gentry platoon that most figure is the Angels’ plan this year, Gentry is a low-cost potential solution to a major problem. Consider this: His MLB 162-game average is .265/.338 with 28 stolen bases and very good defense in LF. Not bad when you look at it from a certain angle. Then again, he’s coming off a disaster of a season and is now 32 years old. Regardless, he’d make a good 4th outfielder if he can beat out the competition.
Cost: 1 year, $1 million; non-guaranteed. Pretty much nothing for a major league club.
Daniel Nava – The other half of the expected platoon in left field, Nava was VERY good with the Red Sox just two years ago, and when his career is over is set to make millions off the movie you know Disney is going to make about his life. On the diamond, Nava has his plusses and minuses. For starters, he can hit the ball and get on base. And he’s a decent defensive outfielder. All good things, especially considering what the Angels had last year. The bad part is, he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat last year, and ended up batting under .200. If he returns to form at age 33, the Angels will have themselves a very good left fielder and #2 hitter setting the table for Trout, Pujols, Calhoun and Cron. That’s a chance worth taking. After all, he’s only a year removed from prominence.
Cost: 1 year, $1.375 million.
Rafael Ortega – No one has impressed in camp more than Rafael Ortega so far. The speedster is proving to be an elite defensive outfielder with the ability to fly around the bases and lay down bunts, basically everything a fourth outfielder should be. Plucked from the Cardinals system, the Angels were aggressive in their pursuit of Ortega this offseason. Last year Rafael hit .286/.367/.378 with 17 SB in Triple-A, and he seems capable of doing even better than that in the future. He doesn’t look like he’ll ever be a starting option in the major leagues, but he’d make one of the more dynamic options as a fourth outfielder.
Cost: A 1 year, big-league deal. Probably around the MLB minimum.
And finally, the last subtle difference Eppler made this offseason was the shuffling of the coaching staff. Bringing Bud Black into the front office was a stroke of genius. Landing Charles Nagy as the pitching coach was a much-needed, refreshing move. Putting Dave Hanson in as the hitting coach after sending Don Baylor on his way has been well received. Perhaps the biggest difference maker of all was moving Gary DiSarcina away from the pivotal third base coach job over to first base, where he won’t be able to routinely advise Angels runners into comically bad base-running decisions. His replacement is Ron Roenicke, another former Angels coach that Mike Scioscia loves. The gang is back together, folks, and look poised to recreate their success from a decade ago.
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