The January 3rd, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including handicapping the Tanaka sweepstakes, Angels minor league suspended 100 games for drugs and much more…
The Story: Handicapping the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes.
The Monkey Says: The Angels rank as the 10th best odds of landing Tanaka under the assumption that they won't be able to pay top dollar. That sounds about right to me, but I wouldn't put it past Arte Moreno to make his annual mindless splurge of wealth in an effor to bring in Tanaka. He just needs to do it before the Mariners, Cubs, Yankees and Dodgers get the same idea.
The Monkey Says: This was his third failed test. He did garner some attention as a prospect a few years ago, but his production fell off and then he started getting suspended for drug use. I'll allow you to draw your own conclusions.
The Story: Mark Mulder is the most intriguing comeback story of 2014.
The Monkey Says: Intriguing, yes, but I maintain that a lot of bad things need to happen to the Angels for him to get a real shot at the Opening Day rotation.
The Story: Robert Carson is an intriguing change of scenery project for the Angels.
The Monkey Says: The Angels have had some success in fixing hard-throwing relievers with command issues (see Frieri and De La Rosa), so Carson could be the next guy to benefit. He is probably behind Brian Moran right now on the lefty reliever depth chart, but it looks as if the Halos will carry a second lefty reliever this season, so he will be an interesting guy to monitor this spring.
The Story: Can the Angels score runs in 2014?
The Monkey Says: I don't see why not. They were a good offense last year despite Hamilton and Pujols taking a dump in the middle of the order and J.B. Shuck playing almost everyday. Now they should get a full season of Kole Calhoun and, hopefully, better years from Hamilton and Pujols. Sure, they lost Trumbo, but they brough in David Freese to serve as a big offensive upgrade at third base.
The Story: Mike Trout on the verge of riches in 2014.
The Monkey Says: At this point, Trout just needs to sign the extension if only because the anticipation is killing the rest of us.
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