The December 3, 2015 edition of Los Angeles Angels news includes an outfielder being dealt to Cleveland for cash, a LOOGY getting too expensive to roster, and more…
The Story: Collin Cowgill traded to Cleveland for cash considerations
MWAH Says: Cowgill and his twelve-pack abs were going to be non-tendered at midnight anyway, so rather than just let him go for nothing the Angels decided to pocket some cash. Hopefully cash that’ll go toward signing Jason Heyward. The fourth outfielder role will now be a battle between Rafael Ortega, Todd Cunningham, and (maybe) Chad Hinshaw.
The Story: Cesar Ramos not tendered a contract
MWAH Says: This one surprised me. Yeah, $1.7 million is a little much for a mid-innings LOOGY, but Ramos was solid in 2015. By Baseball-Reference WAR, Ramos was tied with Huston Street at 0.9 WAR for team’s most valuable reliever. Seems that either the Halos think they can bring him back for less money or they think that Jose Alvarez and friends (Chris O’Grady? Greg Mahle?) can carry the lefty reliever torch. Or maybe Tony Sipp is on the radar?
The Story: Angels checked in on Ben Zobrist
MWAH Says: Mike DiGiovanna reported last week that the Halos were NOT one of the dozen teams currently in on Zobrist, so this checking in probably happened very early on. Now that his reported price tag is up to four years, $60 million, it seems unlikely they’ll check back in anytime soon.
The Story: Angels interested in Chase Utley
MWAH Says: Johnny Giavotella was a significantly better hitter than Chase Utley last season. Utley’s got the longer track record of success, of course, but he’s also 37 and injury-prone. If Utley’s bat doesn’t bounce back, I’m not sure his defense is good enough anymore to make up the difference between him and Johnny G. Gotta think the Angels’ limited money is better spent elsewhere.
The Story: Pedro Alvarez among several interesting players non-tendered
MWAH Says: If the Angels want to grab up some potential roster depth, they’ve got plenty of options to choose from. Pedro Alvarez or Ike Davis could work as a DH platoon partner, Will Middlebrooks could be buy-low (and thus expendable) guy at third base, Yusmeiro Petit could be added as a swing man, Henderson Alvarez and Mike Minor could be nice lottery tickets for the rotation, Greg Holland could be a stowaway until 2017, etc. I expect at least one of the non-tenders to show up at Spring Training in Tempe.
The Story: Nats expected to shop Yunel Escobar at the Winter Meetings
MWAH Says: Escobar would be a solid short-term solution at third base. Any team looking to trade for him would be buying high, however, so while his $7 million salary would be easy to cover his acquisition cost would not. Think the Nats would be into Hector Santiago? Always worth a shot.
The Story: Rays acquire Hank Conger for cash
MWAH Says: Still amazed that Jerry Dipoto was able to get two MLB-caliber players in exchange for Conger just last winter. I love the Panda Crusher’s elite framing skills as much as the next person, but that doesn’t mean they’re worth that much. Hank had an OK year at the plate in 2015, but threw out just 1 (!!!) of 42 baserunners.
The Story: Phillies claim Peter Bourjos off waivers
MWAH Says: Hooray, we won the David Freese trade! Just kidding. That deal still smarts a bit, but really only because Randal Grichuk happened to hit his ceiling following several injury-plagued seasons. As for Bourjos, he’s never become the player fans expected him to be. He’s been just a smidgen better than replacement level in every season but 2011, when his bat was suddenly a weapon for a hot second. He should get ample playing time in Philly, so maybe he’ll find that swing again.
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