Halo Headlines: Brennan Boesch called up, Dipoto won’t pursue high-end free agent pitchers

The August 13th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Brennan Boesch called up, Dipoto won’t pursue high-end free agent pitchers and much more…

The Story: The Angels called up Brennan Boesch and optioned Caleb Clay to Triple-A.
The Monkey Says: Clay never got into a game, but at least he got to hang out in the bullpen for a game. The real story here is that the Angels finally realized that Efren Navarro hasn’t hit in two weeks, so they are going to give Boesch a shot at taking over the DH role. It is worth a shot since Boesch has been murdering the ball at Salt Lake. The key phrase their though is “at Salt Lake,” so temper your expectations. Ideally Boesch will hit well and can then platoon with Grant Green once he gets healthy or with C.J. Cron whenever the Angels decide he is fit to return. If Boesch doesn’t, the fact that they are even trying him out makes me wonder if they might not try to make a late-August acquisition of a veteran bat.

The Story: Jerry Dipoto says the Halos won’t pursue high-end free agent pitching.
The Monkey Says: What isn’t clear from the article is if that means via trade in August or via actual  free agency this winter. I am assuming the latter, which makes sense because it does not appear that the Angels quite have the money to land a Lester, Scherzer or Shields. However, a lot of things can change between now and November, including how much Arte Moreno demands Dipoto sign a high-end free agent pitcher.

The Story: The Angels are testing metal detectors at the stadium this week.
The Monkey Says: Should I assume the timing of this has something to do with the reputation of Phillies fans?

The Story: The AL MVP award is Mike Trout’s to lose.
The Monkey Says: It should be, but I can actually see scenarios in which that doesn’t happen. They all involve the Halos tanking the rest of the way and missing the post-season. That is a narrative writers will frantically try to blame on Trout. They’ll then gift the award to the best player on whichever team overtakes the Angels, like Bautista in Toronto or Felix in Seattle. None of that is likely to happen, but, admit it, you can see how it could happen.

The Story: Appreciating Kole Calhoun.
The Monkey Says: I didn’t read this because it started with a video that involved J.B. Shuck. I’m sure it is a good post, but I have my principles. Also, Calhoun is a soulless ginger, so I don’t know how much we can fully appreciate him.