The August 12th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Pujols PED drama continues, Vargas wants to return to the Angels and much more…
The Story: Jason Vargas wants to return to the Angels in 2014 but knows he might soon be traded.
The Monkey Says: Let's get this out of the way before diving into the Pujols-Clark-PED mess. Vargas, who will likely return to action on Tuesday, would seem like a guy the Angels should keep and the interest is mutual. While the Halos could also use some more prospects that could be netted by trading Vargas, it would also affect their ability to re-sign him, as Vargas himself admits. What this looks like to me is a perfect opportunity to work out a discounted contract with Vargas. That isn't a prospect, but it is something of value that they would get in place of the prospect. Vargas is a perfect fit for the stadium and the needs of the rotation, so I'd much prefer they go this route.
The Story: Albert Pujols issued a vehement denial and plans to sue Jack Clark for his PED accusations.
The Monkey Says: Other guilty players have issued strong denials before, but this one blows them all out of the water. If he ends up being guilty, this is going to haunt him in the worst possible way. That being said, none of the other guilty players have filed a lawsuit. Pujols hasn't yet, but it certainly sounds like it is coming and not just a threat. But wait! There's more…
The Monkey Says: If Clark is the idiot I suspect him to be, he is doubling down on the stupid here. He is starting to back off the statements slightly though as he is now claiming he never insinuated that Verlander used PEDs even though he 100% did do just that. As Clark tweeted just "Google it." The lawsuit against the station is only going to make an ugly situation even uglier. Suffice it to say that this controversy is not going away anytime soon. Terrific. Mind you, I'm not necessarily defending Pujols. If he used, I hope he gets busted. That being said, I have just as little tolerance for cheaters as I do those who make baseless accusations about cheating.
The Story: Howie Kendrick's knee injury hasn't improved, so he was placed on the DL.
The Monkey Says: It was silly that they didn't put him on the DL to begin with. There is absolutely no reason for the team to rush him back.
The Story: Buddy Boshers was added to the roster to replace Howie Kendrick.
The Monkey Says: Boshers is a lefty specialist reliever who generates a lot of whiffs but has iffy command. I know, it sounds familiar doesn't it? It is good that the Halos are giving him a look though as they try and find a second lefty for the pen next year. I am even willing to overlook the stupidity of carrying eight relievers in favor of this evaluation opportunity.
The Story: The Angels are worried about Josh Hamilton's ability to have a rebound in 2014.
The Monkey Says: Oh really, doctor? You think so? There is cause for grave concern with Hamilton. He just isn't getting better. There have been a few hot streaks, but none have lasted long and been followed by him going ice cold again. Theoretically, he just needs to be more open to making adjustments in his approach and it could all turnaround for him, but historically speaking he has not been someone willing to make those changes.
The Story: Ernesto Frieri is trying to get the life back in his two-seam fastball.
The Monkey Says: He has gone away from that pitch in favor of more command this year, which I actually kind of like. However, it all backfired when his command just went out the window and his great two-seamer wasn't working well enough to bail him out. My favorite part of all this though was Scioscia assigning some blame to Frieri getting a little screwed up because of the changeup he tried to introduce. That was EXACTLY my fear when he started messing with it in the spring. Sure enough, he screwed around too much with a lousy third pitch and let his best weapon fall into disrepair. Let that be a lesson to you all.
The Monkey Says: I understand the point of how it literally relates to the word "valuable" but it wasn't an issue in last year's race and the salary disparity was just as large.
The Story: Chris Iannetta deserves more appreciation for his on-base percentage.
The Monkey Says: There is nothing groundbreaking here, but seriously, people need to ease up on him because of his average. His .363 OBP is great and the second-highest on the team (third if you count Bourjos who has half the PAs). Now if you want to crack him for his defense, I'm not going to stop you.
The Story: Grading the best tools in majors.
The Monkey Says: I know this is going to shock you, but it turns out Mike Trout is a pretty good hitter and baserunner.
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