The December 11th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Trumbo trade reactions, Dipoto not done pursuing pitching and much more…
The Monkey Says: This is the general consensus on the deal. The Angels are clear winners (for a change) while the D'Backs are big losers. I have a bunch of reaction links I could post and they all say the Angels came out looking great for getting two young pitchers for one overrated slugger.
The Story: Tyler Skaggs' prospect status has dropped but the issues with his velocity appear to be mechanical.
The Monkey Says: Again, the Angels are still winners, but this explains why some are not so high on Skaggs. It also is a pretty good reason to think that the Angels might want to have Skaggs work in the minors for a bit rather than handing him a rotation spot without even competing.
The Story: The Angels traded certainty for upside in the Trumbo-Skaggs-Santiago swap.
The Monkey Says: This is an interesting angle to consider because all offseason long the Angels had mostly been looking at pitchers that were solid and consistent performers. Skaggs and Santiago definitely aren't that. Neither should be terrible, but if Santiago continues to lose velocity and can't sharpen his command, he is purely a fifth starter. As mentioned before, Skaggs might need more time in the minors. This explains why the Angels are likely to continue pursuing pitching.
The Monkey Says: Because of the money freed up in the deal, speculation immediately began that the Angels would go after Garza. It makes a lot of sense, but the competition for Garza could be fierce. In fact, that Diamondbacks figure to prime competition to sign him. Really, it should just be Garza or Tanaka for the Angels as anyone else is not a clear upgrade over Santiago and Skaggs.
The Story: Dipoto says that it is a "safe assumption" that Howie Kendrick will not be traded.
The Monkey Says: As always, Dipoto leaves himself an out, but I believe him. The Angels took a hit to their offense in trading Trumbo, so it doesn't make much sense for them to flip Kendrick unless it is for a superior hitter. That is a very unlikely scenario.
The Story: C.J. Cron is unlikely to be an option at DH until the later part of the 2014 season.
The Monkey Says: A lot of fans want to see Cron get a shot, but the consensus is he is not ready. As of right now, the Angels are more likely to pursue cheap veteran bats like Eric Chavez, Raul Ibanez, Jason Kubel, Mike Morse and Kevin Youkilis to help fill the void left by Trumbo. They might spend more if they strike out on Garza and Tanaka, but they won't go after any hitters, like Choo, Cruz or Morales, that would cost them their first round draft pick.
The Story: The overrated and underrated Mark Trumbo.
The Monkey Says: The responses from Angels fans to Trumbo being dealt were very polarized. Some were ignorant to his many flaws and reacted as if a star was traded away. Others were overly critical of his OBP issues, but failed to recognize that he was a league average producer. The Angels are definitely going to miss Trumbo, but he isn't irreplaceable.
The Story: Phillip Wellman is the new coach of the Arkansas Travelers.
The Monkey Says: I know nothing about him, but he has been coaching in the minors for various organizations for awhile.
The Monkey Says: Yet Cardinal fans are still going to act like they knew all along that they knew Pujols was about to collapse and secretly a clubhouse cancer.
The Story: Mike Trout won the GIBBY for best Hitting Performance.
The Monkey Says: It should've gone to Trumbo for his 5-for-5 day. This really hurts the integrity of these completely meaningless awards that I care absolutely nothing about.
The Story: Ranking the MLB managers… by handsomeness.
The Monkey Says: A slap in the face to Scioscia who comes in at 26. I know he has a, um, round physique, but he has such an adorable face. Just looking at him makes me jolly. Wait, why are we even talking about this?
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