The July 23rd, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Angels scouting Cliff Lee, Richards won’t be on an innings limit and much more…
The Story: The Angels had a scout on hand for Cliff Lee’s latest start.
The Monkey Says: There is very little chance they land Lee, but I wouldn’t rule it out entirely. The Angels don’t have a lot of good prospects left, but Cliff Lee is owed a ton of money through 2016, so they could offset the lack of prospects by picking up a big chunk of the remaining contract. Also, Ruben Amaro is kind of daft so you never know which prospects he might overvalue. It is worth noting that the Angels are on Lee’s no-trade list, so that is another obstacle that needs to be cleared. I’d say this has a 0.2% chance of happening.
The Story: The Angels have no intention of limiting Garrett Richards’ innings.
The Monkey Says: I hadn’t even realized that was a question. Richards has never thrown this many innings, so I get it, but the Angels are also in “WIN NOW” mode, so benching their best starter seems pretty antithetical to that mode of operation. Also, I’m not too worried that Richards will wear down since he is a guy who doesn’t even lose velocity during a start.
The Story: Collin Cowgill is back with the Angels and thinks he could return in two weeks.
The Monkey Says: I imagine the issue is more with his thumb than with his face. It would be nice to have him back, but there is no reason for the Angels to rush him.
The Story: Ian Stewart cleared waivers and will remain with Triple-A Salt Lake.
The Monkey Says: He could’ve elected to become a free agent but maybe he figured he had a shot at a September call-up since the Halos don’t have a lot of left-handed options.
The Story: The Huston Street is a good omen for deadline sellers.
The Monkey Says: The gist of the article is that the Angels gave up a some very solid prospects to get a non-elite closer. In other words, they overpaid. Not massively, but still probably more than was necessary.
The Story: The Angels’ rotation might be their weakest link.
The Monkey Says: At this point, it is but that is only because the bullpen has been upgraded so much. The offense has always been elite and the defense is good, but the rotation is only above average. More importantly, it seems to be one impact arm shy of being what one would consider a “dangerous” post-season rotation. As far as being good enough to win the AL West, which is more the focus of the linked story, I fully agree that a lot rides on how well C.J. Wilson bounces back once he comes off the DL.
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