Daily links for the LA Angels including Shields still and Angel for now, why it might be time to trade Napoli, Pineiro ahead of schedule in his recovery and much more.
The Story: Scot Shields is still an Angel… for now.
The Monkey Says: He reportedly had a sit down with the coaching staff after his recent implosion, causing many to think he could be waived. Such a move might have made sense a few weeks ago, but now that the Halos are pretty much out of contention, kicking Scot to the curb accomplishes nothing other than publicly shaming a guy who was a great and reliable reliever for years.
The Story: Should anyone care that Hideki Matsui is being benched?
The Monkey Says: The only reason I care is because if he actually starts getting hot, then the Halos might be able to actually get something for him on the trade market. Again, the notion of releasing him makes no sense for the same reason it makes no sense for Shields.
The Story: The case for trading Mike Napoli.
The Monkey Says: It is a pretty convincing case at that. At the beginning of the year, I would have said no way, but one factor not mentioned in an otherwise well thought out post is that Napoli is going to be making a pretty hefty chunk of change next season (possibly north of $5 million) and it just doesn’t make sense to pay him that much when Mike Scioscia is never going to allow him to be a full-time player. Even now with the Angels desperate for offense, Naps is still only playing four or five times per week. I’m not sold that Hank Conger is ready, but they could certainly start mixing him into the catching rotation next season with Jeff Mathis and/or (preferably or) Bobby Wilson.
The Story: Joel Pineiro is among the injured Angel pitchers making progress in their recovery.
The Monkey Says: Pineiro is said to be ahead of schedule, but it sounds like he still has a long way to go. No matter where he is in the schedule, he still may not return to action if the Angels are officially out of the race by the time he is ready to be activated. Although, one can harbor a dream that the Halos will mount a miraculous comeback and get Pineiro back in the rotation just in time for the home stretch to finish chasing down the Rangers.
The Story: The Angels should play Brandon Wood.
The Monkey Says: I agree. In fact, I agree so much that I made the same suggestion last week. The only wrinkle here is that the Angels would have to trade or release Juan Rivera or Hideki Matsui to open up a logical hole in the order for Wood to fill, which I actually think might happen, but probably not until closer to the end of the month.
The Story: Should the Angels call up Mark Trumbo next?
The Monkey Says: Well, it is worth a shot and at some point the Angels need to see what he can do. Then again, there is a theory that he never got promoted because the Angels are afraid to expose him as a fraudulent prospect and thus kill his trade value. That theory makes a lot of sense to me as I really don’t see how Trumbo fits into the team’s future plans as anything other than a trade chip.
The Story: What do the Angels do well?
The Monkey Says: Hitting for power is not something often associated with the Angels who still have a small ball rep. They have gotten away from their small ball tendencies though and perhaps become to reliant on that power as a result, something the team is sure to address in the off-season.
The Story: Ten reasons you should still support the 2010 Angels.
The Monkey Says: And don’t forget secret reason number 11: hoping that some day, for even just a minute, Fernando Rodney will actually put his freaking hat on straight.
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