The August 30th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Downs debating if the Angels should pick up Haren't contract option, Angels unlikely to trade for a reliever, prospect Cron undergoes season-ending surgery and much more…
The Story: Should the Angels pick up Dan Haren's 2013 contract option?
The Monkey Says: I say yes because there really is no such thing as a bad one-year deal. Plus, the free agent pitching market stinks this off-season. This is a gamble the Angels can afford to make, assuming they don't know something ugly about how Haren's back condition that nobody outside the organization knows.
The Story: With just two days left, don't expect the Angels to make a last-ditch trade for a reliever.
The Monkey Says: No worries, pretty sure we all gave up on that weeks ago. Still, the team realizes they are in desperate straights, which is why there is an unofficial report that they are going to promote heralded prospect Nick Maronde all the way from Double-A (where he only spent part of the season) once rosters expand. The Angels definitely need another lefty and Maronde could be lethal, plus he was a reliever in college so he is familiar with the role. If this does happen, expect nothing from Maronde, but hope for K-Rod version 2.0 because that is what the Angels need.
The Monkey Says: He's been putting it off since his final year of college, which is fine since it clearly wasn't affecting him at the plate. He might miss the very start of next season, but he was not in the Angels' plans at the major league level in 2013 anyway.
The Story: Nick Maronde, Kaleb Cowart and Randal Grichuk will represent the Angels in the Arizona Fall League.
The Monkey Says: Those are big names in the Angels' system right now, so they will be worth watching. Ryan Chaffee, Buddy Boshers, Kevin Johnson and Travis Witherspoon will also be joining them on the Scottsdale Scorpions.
The Story: Mark Trumbo dismisses slump talk.
The Monkey Says: Not talking about it doesn't mean it isn't happening (just ask Joe Paterno… sorry). Trumbo was due for some regression after his torrid first half, but this slump is lasting longer than anyone could possibly be comfortable with and he doesn't look like he is snapping out of it anytime soon.
The Story: Garrett Richards could provide the Angels' bullpen with a spark.
The Monkey Says: We've written about this many times at MWAH recently, so I totally agree. However, what I would really like is to see Richards used for multi-inning appearances since he has that endurance in his arm to pull it off. The problem right now is he still seems to be finding his sea legs as a reliever, so maybe going one inning at a time is sufficient until he gets into a groove.
The Story: Are the Angels in must-win territory?
The Monkey Says: Of course not, that's stupid. But they are at a point where they need to win AT LEAST two-thirds of their remaining games, so any losses they suffer are going to be particularly painful.
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