The December 19th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Phillies interested in Wells, part of Hamilton’s contract is a donation to charity, Scioscia discusses expectations and much more…
The Story: The Phillies are interested in trading for Vernon Wells.
The Monkey Says: Philly acquiring Michael Young and Vernon Wells in the same off-season might actually cause a mass suicide in Philadelphia. That’s not even a joke. I’m actually worried that this might happen. If it does, I’m sure it will go down December 21st and trigger the Mayans’ prediction of an apocalypse. Other than that, this seems like a good idea.
The Story: $2 million of Josh Hamilton’s contract is actually a donation to Hamilton’s charity.
The Monkey Says: That lessens the potential luxury tax bill ever so slightly, but it is still money they have to pay, so this is nothing more than a very nice thing that Hamilton is having the Angels do on his behalf.
The Story: Mike Scioscia discusses the expectations for the Angels this season.
The Monkey Says: Standard Scioscia speak here, but he is right. Adding Hamilton doesn’t really change anything. People still expected the Angels to be World Series or bust this season even before they made a single move.
The Story: Josh Hamilton is making sure his support structure remains in place in Anaheim.
The Monkey Says: Honestly, I get why people want to know about this stuff, but it skeeves me out that a majority of baseball fans know about Hamilton’s “accountability partner.” I know he is a celebrity, but I imagine some privacy would only help his support structure stay in place.
The Story: C.J. Wilson talks about his racing team, recovery from elbow surgery and Josh Hamilton.
The Monkey Says: You know the off-season news cycle is hitting a lull when a reporter resorts to a story involving Wilson’s racing team crap.
The Story: Josh Hamilton is the Angels’ new “go-to guy.”
The Monkey Says: I respectfully disagree. Hamilton is a complementary piece. The Robin to Trout’s Batman. Heck, he might be the Robin to Pujols’ Batman too, which I guess makes Trout Batman, Pujols Nightwing and Hamilton Robin. Or maybe Josh is Alfred and Albert is Robin. Either way, this move was never made with the idea of Hamilton being the new franchise player, that was the Pujols move last winter. This one was made almost as a way of doubling down on the Pujols’ signing.
The Story: Fun with rate stats for Angels prospects.
The Monkey Says: I don’t know if I really trust FIP in the minors just yet. It is still interesting and something I actively refer to when studying up on prospects pitchers, but I just don’t think it is as strong an indicator as it is in the majors. Actually, I guess that is true of most minor league stats.
The Story: A plea for the Angels to not trade Peter Bourjos.
The Monkey Says: I was carrying this flag last off-season, but I have since laid it down. My biggest issue is that I think Trout will never provide his full value if he is shifted to left field. I also think he is their best trade chip right now and they have an immediate need in the rotation, so if ever they were going to cash in that chip, now is the time.
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