A very special edition of news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in reaction to the the Angels’ trade for Zack Greinke.
The Story: Keith Law breaks down the kind of pitcher Greinke will be and the prospects the Brewers will get.
The Monkey Says: I really like the notes about Greinke having added to his repertoire since he left the Royals. To me, that is gravy since it means he is already familiar with pitching in the American League, but the AL hitters that were around a few years ago saw a much different pitcher and will thus be behind the curve on his scouting report.
The Story: Considering how Zack Greinke will perform in his new home park.
The Monkey Says: This is important because Greinke the last year and a half was famously invincible at home but much more human on the road. I think that can continue though since Angels Stadium is more pitcher friendly than Miller Park, the Angels outfield defense is better and their infield defense is much better than that of Milwaukee. Also, this post is heavy on FIP. Get used to seeing that stat in relation to Greinke.
The Story: Analyzing the prospects the Angels traded away in the Greinke trade.
The Monkey Says: First, a shameless plug to check out the scouting reports we did on these players before the season by clicking on the Top 30 Prospect Countdown in the menu bar above. Anyway, I concur with much of this analysis. Segura is going to be at least decent it seems, but giving him up was always going to be the price of doing business for the Angels at the deadline. Hellweg though is the guy who is going to determine if this trade was a heist for the Angels or Brewers. He could very well turn into a straight up ace or he could end up going the route of similarly-statured prospect bust Ryan Anderson who was another tall flamethrower that never figured out how to get the ball over the plate (though injuries played a role with him as well).
The Story: Zack Greinke and the Angels have not had any discussions about a contract extension.
The Monkey Says: Of course they haven’t, because he has only been an Angel for one night and it would have been illegal for the Angels to broach him about it before making the trade. That being said, there have been reports for weeks that Greinke holds the Angels franchise in high regard and would be open to signing an extension with them. Or maybe his agent just said that because he wanted to make sure the big-spending Angels made a run at Greinke in free agency if they didn’t end up trading for him. Expect to here a lot more talk about a potential extension over the next few weeks as the Halos have to be very interested in such a deal, especially since locking him up would make the price they paid for him look far more reasonable.
The Monkey Says: The Angels probably made too much for a rental player with the package they gave up, but what Heyman said was my initial reaction as well since recent rumors were making it sound like a foregone conclusion that Bourjos would be dealt by the end of the month.
The Story: Jerry Dipoto says this trade will likely be all the Angels do before the deadline.
The Monkey Says: Yeah, right. This from the same guy who was leaking word 24 hours before the trade that the odds of the Angels landing a pitcher of any kind were dwindling quickly. In fact, it is probably a guarantee the Halos do something else before the deadline. They have to clear a roster spot for Greinke soon and they have a crowded roster already. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Ervin Santana or Jerome Williams (probably Santana) were designated for assignment and then dealt to accommodate Greinke’s arrival. A lesser option would be to demote Garrett Richards again, but that seems unlikely given Williams already being moved into relief and Santana remaining a major question mark.
The Story: Acquiring Greinke was the Angels biggest victory of the season over the Texas Rangers.
The Monkey Says: Things are about to get very interesting for Texas who reportedly could have had Greinke had they given up stud prospect Mike Olt, but refused. Their staff has been ravaged by injuries and the elite pitching options on the market are mostly gone unless they can find a workable offer for Josh Johnson, though the Marlins are going to want Olt from Texas as well. They are bound to do something, but it seems unlikely that they can do anything that will match the Greinke acquisition.
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