The good, the bad and the costly

I’m not sure how to handle the Angels’ recent success of late (although I could find a way should it continue). After going an impressive 8-4 on the road; they come home to sweep the Washington Nationals and go 11-4 over their last 15 games. Boo-ya, right? On one hand, a win is a win and I’m jazzed that they’re playing so well. On the other hand, of the five teams they just won series’ from only the Mets are above .500 at the moment. Hmm.

So I guess you could say that I’m delighted that they’re winning, but I’m not going to get too excited because they really haven’t beaten any teams of significance. Again, I’m excited that they’re taking care of business; I’m just not going to get overly pumped up (just yet).

I guess you could say; that’s what the 2011 season has done to me thus far.

Every time I get a little excited, I find myself disappointed a short time later. Maybe there’s something to the way Scioscia goes about his business with that “one-game-at-a-time” attitude. Then again, I’m a fan I’m allowed to let my emotions run the gamut.

So… here we are just past the half way point of the season and the Angels are 1.5 games behind Texas with the trading deadline is getting closer. What are the Angels to do? Will they acquire a “big bat?” Will they add more pitching? What? What in the world will they do, if anything?

The good news is that the Angels are in the hunt and we can actually bring up the trading deadline for all the right reasons (buyers as opposed to sellers).

Okay, so this is the point where you’re probably expecting me to tell you what I think they should do, right?

Well, I’m not going to do that. Nah, it just seems like an exercise I’m just not prepared for and do you really want to hear the rambling of a mad man?

Instead, I’m going to focus a little bit on what the Angels have done over the past several years. I must warn you; this isn’t necessarily going to be pretty. I know, I know – why bring this up now when the team is playing well, right?

Well, I’ve been meaning to do this since Scott Kazmir was released and haven’t had the time to get to it; so now is as good a time as any.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to explore some of the downright horrendous moves this team has made. I hate to do it now, but again – I wanted to do this at some point. Perhaps you know all of this; however, I’m betting there’s a chance you haven’t seen it all laid out just the way I’m about to.

Let’s start with 2002. Yes, it was a magical year; a year that will forever represent one of if not the greatest time ever to be an Angels fan. It also happens to be the year the Angels signed Aaron Sele to a 3-year, $24 million contract. In those three seasons, Sele posted ERA’s of 4.89, 5.77 and 5.05. His signing represents one of the many bad decisions by the Angels front office since that time.

The last decade (through 2009) has been tremendous; however, as we continue down this road – you might wonder how this team ever managed to do as well as it has and also wonder what they might have done or will do if they had made better decisions. I mean we’re talking about a great many decisions that has involved spending a ton of good money on bad players.

Let’s get to it…

The 2003 team didn’t change much from the prior year personnel wise, as they seemed to have a hang-over from their wildly successful 2002 season. It was also the year that Arte Moreno took over as the owner of the Angels. As great as Moreno has been for the Angels; one can’t help but wonder how much greater the team would have been had they made better decisions under his watch.

In 2004 the Angels struck gold with the Vladimir Guerrero signing; however, it’s important to note that Bartolo Colon was also signed prior to that season and while Colon did win a CY Young – he only had two productive years out of four. In his last two years he managed to start just 29 games and had a 5.11 ERA in 2006 and a 6.34 ERA in 2007. In my opinion, the Angels didn’t get anywhere near the return on their investment of 4-years and $51 million (which was a lot of money for a pitcher at the time).

In 2005 the crap that hit the fan came in the form of Steve Finley. Finley made $6 million and for that investment, the Angels received a .222 batting average. Finley was then traded to the San Francisco Giants for Edgardo Alfonzo (prior to the 2006 season), who made $8 million in 2006 and was released on May 21 after playing in just 18 games. I should note that Finley made $7 million while playing for the Giants that same year. A total of $14 million was wasted over those two years.

In 2005 the Angels also acquired J.C. Romero from the Minnesota Twins (for the 2006 season) for Alexi Casilla, who is currently the starting shortstop for the Twins. Romero earned $2.25 million in 2006 while posting a 6.70 ERA. Casilla has basically been on the Twins major league roster for the past five years. Romero became a free agent prior to the 2007 season. Who got the better of that deal? You really don’t answer that…

2006 brought us Jeff Weaver at the cost of an $8,325,000 contract. Weaver was traded to the Cardinals on July 5 of that year after compiling a horrible 6.29 ERA in 16 starts. Weaver would go on to help the Cardinals win a World Series and the Angels went on paying his salary.

2007 was especially bad. It was the year that one Gary Matthews, Jr. signed a 5-year, and nearly $50 million contract that still haunts the Angels today. Matthews ended up being traded to the Mets after three miserable seasons with the Angels (with the Angels picking up most of his salary), where he floundered and ended up out of baseball. Matthews played his last game on June 2, 2010 while costing the Angels $22.3 million the last two years (including this one).

2007 also brought us Shea Hillenbrand. Remember that one? Did you just grimace? If you did, it’s because you probably remember that he signed for $6 million and ended up being released on July 9 after hitting .254 with 3 homeruns. More good money after bad.

Wait 2007 gets even better. That year also brought us Justin Speier and a 3-year, $12.75 million contract. Speier had one good year (his first) out of three. His final two years? Well it included a 5.03 ERA in 2008 and a 5.18 ERA in 2009 and ultimately his release on August 11, 2009.

I’m not done with 2007 yet. That year marked the season the extension of Kelvim Escobar kicked in. Escobar’s extension was for 3-years and $28.5 million. Shields also signed an extension for 3-years and $14.6 million.

Escobar had a fantastic 2007; however, he only managed to pitch in one game in the following two years while earning $19.5 million during those final two years. Shields’ extension didn’t kick in until 2008, where he had a stellar season; however, he proved to be utterly useless during the final two years of his contract with a 6.62 and 5.28 ERA in those years. Ugh.

I’m not making this stuff up folks. The numbers are fairly staggering, aren’t they?

In 2008 the Angels traded Orlando Cabrera (and his $10 million contract) to the Chicago White Sox for Jon Garland and his $12 million contract. Garland did win 14 games that year; however, he boasted a hefty 4.90 ERA that season as well. The move did pave the way for Erick Aybar to take over at shortstop; however, it is yet another example of the high cost of mediocre talent in Garland.

2009 brought us somewhat of a mixed bag in Brian Fuentes. Fuentes signed a 2-year $17.5 million deal and ended up leading the major league baseball with 48 saves, but he also blew 7 other opportunities and gave up a key homerun in the ALCS to Alex Rodriguez and the rest is as they say… “History.” Even though he led the league in saves, he was arguably the worst reliever to ever do that. In 2010 he was traded to the Minnesota Twins.

2009 also brought us the trade that sent Alex Torres, Matt Sweeney and Sean Rodriguez to the Tampa Bay Rays for Scott Kazmir (whose recent release prompted this whole post) and his mega contract that included salaries of $6 million in 2009, $8 million in 2010 and $12 million this year. His departure, while costly would have been even more costly had he stayed another year. Rather than paying him $13.5 million in 2012, the Angels will have to shell out $2.5 million in a buy-out. He will end up costing the Angels $22.5 million for the kind of production one would expect to get out of a mannequin.

The string of bad decisions continued in 2010 when the Angels signed the guy with the crooked hat. Yes, I’m talking about Fernando Rodney and his two-year, $11 million deal. Has he been worth it? I think we both know the answer to that, although I would entertain an argument either way.

Add to all of this the string of low cost, low risk signings like Andres Galarraga, Raul Mondesi, and Shane Halter (none of which panned out) and you have reason for skepticism (for what they might do next) regarding their entire decision process.

I didn’t do any calculations regarding the net loss of all the moves mentioned above, but I’m sure we can all agree that the number is substantial. I have to ask myself, what could the Angels have done with the money they spent on Kazmir and Matthews?

Think about it. Just don’t focus on it too much because your head might explode.

All of that being said, I know that the Angels have also made some very good moves via trade and free agency and that no front office is perfect. I just think that all of the decision mentioned above had to have had a negative impact on the product currently on the field and in the Angels' ability (or lack of) to continue to be major players in the free agency market. It also has hindered their ability to make any and all moves necessary to get them back to having a 2002-like season.

Did the combination of events make them gun shy on Carl Crawford? Will it hinder their ability to make a move at the deadline this year? Could the Angels have made a different move or two over the years that would have put them back in the World Series?

These are legitimate questions, don’t you think?

Look, I think Moreno is a great owner and I think Mike Scioscia is the best manager in the game. Do the math. What’s the problem? Is it Tony Reagins or even Bill Stoneman (from prior years)? I’m not going to point any fingers, but it’s a question that begs an answer in my opinion.

I know that some of the problems the Angels have had are related to injuries and are totally unpredictable, but some of them – such as the Gary Matthews, Jr. signing raised eyebrows around the country at the time.

I just think it’s foolish to ignore the history here. I have to question the analysis process that goes into some of the moves the front office has made. The Angels have the luxury of an owner with fairly deep pockets, but let’s face it – there has to be a limit to the kind of wasted money this team can lose. It might be time to pay the piper. It had to come to this eventually.

So… what’s next?

Well, for now – there are games to be played. More specifically, the Dodgers are coming to town and I’m looking forward to seeing the freeway series yet again. This never get’s old for me. The other stuff… well, it definitely does.

So let’s get after it. Anyone notice how well Vernon Wells is playing? Is he going to be a good investment after all? I sure hope so.

Go Angels!

Booing is for the birds and I don't have wings

If you boo the players on your favorite team are you passionate or just a jerk? I think that’s a fair question, don’t you?

I mean it’s one thing to boo a guy for not giving his best effort or for being a putz (let’s not forget Jose Guillen), but is it okay to boo a guy who’s simply struggling? Does booing him make him play better? Or is it just a way for fans to vent?

Brandon Wood is struggling and that’s probably an under-statement. He looks lost and doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of breaking out of his slump. Then again, you have to ask; is it a slump or is he really this bad? I don’t know the answer to that; although I’m inclined to believe he’s just off to a bad start.

Rob Neyer and Aaron Gleeman don’t see Wood projecting very well. They make a valid argument (I can’t believe I’m saying that) and it appears there is reason for concern.

Regardless of all that – my question is should Angel fans boo him? I know they boo their own in places like the Bronx or Boston, but I don’t necessarily believe they’re the gold standard for fandom. At the same time, I also don’t pretend to be the arbiter of that standard either. It just bugs me.

I don’t think any fan who boo’s Wood wouldn’t do it to his face. It’s one thing to be sitting in the stands, but when it comes to a face to face encounter; could the same fan look Wood in the eye and tell him he sucks? I’m not asking if they’d be intimidated to do so, I just wonder (and hope) if they’d find some compassion for what he’s going through.

The year Steve Finley was an Angel (sorry to bring up such a horrible memory) he was so bad; I hated to see him in the lineup. Mike Scioscia kept trotting him out there and Finley kept saying all the right things about how he appreciated Scioscia’s faith in him, etc., etc. I wanted to boo Finley. I can’t recall if I did or not, but I’m certain I voiced some displeasure never-the-less.

That same season, I saw Finley at an autograph session and on photo day. In both instances, I told him “We’re pulling for you.” He seemed to genuinely appreciate the sentiment. I’m sure Cheryl (my wife) looked at me and laughed because I had been so hard on him sitting in the stands.

Fact was I hated his statistics, but I could not hate the person. I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t have to say anything at all, but when the opportunity presented itself, I wanted to give encouragement instead of silence or worse.

By all accounts, Wood is a good guy. Personally, I think he could probably use a little support. I want him to succeed in the worst way. I have empathy for a guy who’s been waiting so long for his opportunity. He never complained once. He never showed any sense of entitlement. He just went about his business and waited for his chance.

Through his early struggles, he’s never even shown any frustration and still goes out and plays pretty good defense. He’s also had a few bad breaks on well hit balls.

Now I’m not trying to tell fans how they should act (although you might think otherwise based on what I’m writing). I just choose not to boo the players on my favorite team. Have I ever done it? I probably have, but I couldn’t tell you who or when. I would assume it was only out of pure frustration and not any actual hatred.

Baseball is such a tough game. It’s designed to make players fail far more often that they succeed.

And I keep coming back to something Torii Hunter has said many times and that’s to treat people the way you want to be treated. I know he didn’t invent that saying, but I’ve heard him say it so many times, I’ve come to associate the phrase with him.

I fail at a lot of things. Thankfully, no one is there to boo me when I do (and yes, I understand no one is paying to watch me work). Writing this has made me reflect a lot on this topic. I’ll boo the opponent at the drop of a hat (after all, the Yankees are in town), but I will make a conscious effort not to do that when the players on my favorite team struggles. I will reserve the right to boo if someone goes Jose Guillen on us though.

If I have a complaint, I’ll voice it in other ways. I hear blogging is popular.

Now before I end this post, I want to address the one thing that the anti-Wood crowd continues to bring up ad nauseum and that’s Troy Glaus.

It seems as if no one can complain about Wood without bringing up the year the Angels let Troy Glaus walk. I have three words for those people… Get Over It.

Troy Glaus played 91 games in 2003 and only 58 games in 2004. When his contract came up at the end of the 2004 season, there were serious questions about his health and whether or not he’d be able to play third base again. They were legitimate questions. At the same time – Dallas McPherson was coming off some great years in the minor leagues and appeared to be ready.

The Angels made the decision to let Glaus walk and give McPherson a shot. It didn’t work out; mostly because McPherson ended up being the bigger injury risk of the two; but never-the-less, some fans can’t let it go.

It was the right decision at the time. Hind sight tells us otherwise, but that’s baseball. Sometimes things don’t work out, but you have to try to do the best you can with the amount of information you have.

Letting Glaus walk was the right decision at the time; given the circumstances. I can’t blame the Angels for being apprehensive about giving Glaus a multi-year contract at that time.

Again, I know it didn’t work out, but to lament on that part of Angels’ history is pointless and irrelevant when talking about Brandon Wood. The Angels are right to give Wood a shot now. If it doesn’t work out; it’s still the right move. We need to see what he can do.

And let’s not forget that all of this eventually paved the way for Chone Figgins to have a few good years in Anaheim. Most fans totally leave out that tid bit during the discussion.

Moving on. Bring on the Yankees.

Let’s hope the stench from Joe Saunders’ performance last night has dissipated by game time. Yeah, I just said that. Joe stunk last night and he’s not helping my case against the sabermetric types that keep projecting a lack luster season for him.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a huge Saunders fan and I look for him to rebound next Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians.

Now about those Yankees...

Angels are red. Dodgers are blue. Whatever.

From time to time I have made a snarky comment or two about the Dodgers and their fans. That shouldn’t be misconstrued into some sort of belief that I hate the Dodgers or their fans in any way because I really don’t.

My disdain is reserved for the Oakland A’s. It’s a rivalry thing.

So, what about this Angels/Dodgers deal? Well, if you live in the Los Angeles/Orange County/Inland Empire area, chances are you’re living among one of the two. Not that they’re the only fans in the area, but they’re certainly the most prevalent.

It’s not uncommon for Angel and Dodger fans to live next to one another or even in the same household. I’d like to think that the two sides get along pretty well (for the most part).

Over the years a lot has been made of this supposed rivalry between the two and I’m certain that on some level there is a rivalry of sorts. After all, it’s only natural.

As for myself, I really don’t get caught up in that too much. Sure, I have a little fun with some co-workers who are Dodger fans, but that’s about it. Some of them even read this blog (at least those that can actually read). The others will look at the pictures and watch the videos.

I’m kidding, of course. Besides, most of them don’t even know how turn on a computer, let alone find this blog. Again, I’m just having fun.

You see, I can’t get too worked up over the Blue Crew. For one thing up until recently they hadn't been very relevant. I mean they haven’t won a World Series since Mike Scioscia was their catcher and even Scioscia will tell you that was a long time ago.

Then again, the Dodgers have actually stuck it to the Angels pretty good in recent years. They seemed to have caught lightning in a bottle a couple times with good performances out of the likes of Steve Finley and Jeff Weaver, both of whom came to the Angels after leaving the Dodgers to stink up our place pretty good.

Those types of things hurt a little bit, but I'm not bitter.

Seems like the Angels have a history of signing ex-Dodgers past their prime. There was Don Sutton, Tommy John and Fernando Valenzuela among others. Even Raul Mondesi made an ill fated attempt at playing in Anaheim. Going further back there was Bill Singer, who actually won 20 games one year for the Angels before going into the tank. I’m sure I’m forgetting other notables.

Yeah, I’m sure Dodger fans got a few good laughs from some of those moves, but again - I'm not bitter.

Now if you want to talk about coaches, that’s another story. The Angels have benefited a great deal from having ex-Dodgers on their staff. It all starts with Mike Scioscia (of course), but includes Ron Roenicke, Alfredo Griffin and Mickey Hatcher.

By the way, I believe Tommy Lasorda is a closet Angel fan. I’ve seen him sitting in the Diamond Club at Angel games from time to time. Rumor has it that his blood isn’t really blue; it’s red. I’m just saying.

The Dodgers have some good things going for them. There’s Vin Scully for one. He’s easily the best in the business at what he does. There’s also… um, well… that Vin Scully is great, isn’t’ he?

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that those of you who read this blog understand that I’m not a Dodger hater. In fact, when Mike Piazza was a Dodger, he was easily one of my favorites. I really loved to watch him swing the bat. As for his defense... meh, not so much.

I also always admired Reggie Smith, who is easily my favorite Dodger of all time and I consider the Kirk Gibson homerun in 1988 as one of the greatest moments in sports history. Even my wife Cheryl has a favorite Dodger and that would be Dusty "Homerun" Baker (her nickname for him).

There, you see? I can be quite civil when talking about the boys in blue; in fact I can be downright complimentary. Hopefully, word won’t get out about this post; otherwise, some of my Angel brothers and sisters might disown me.

Twenty seven days until opening day. A little bit longer than that before the Dodgers are out of it for the year. Go Diamondbacks! Hey, I’m just saying.

Optimistic, but concerned

I’ve become accustomed to the Angels way of doing things; to the way they fly in the face of conventional wisdom as dished out by the so-called “experts” and simply do their own thing. It’s hard to argue with the results given the overall success of the franchise since 2002.

This is without any question the golden era of Angels' baseball. There’s never been a better time to be an Angels fan and I’m thankful for their success. I’ve bought into how they do business over the past several years and believe the Angels have the best owner and a manager who is second to no one.

Never-the-less, I have hard a very hard time understanding this off season. Now mind you, this is coming from someone who can be accused at times of drinking the company kool-aid and wearing rose colored glasses.

If you listen to enough sports talk radio – you will hear a lot of Angel apologists telling anyone who has a complaint or concern to be patient and trust what the team is doing because their track record has been so good. It’s as if it’s become some sort of sin to question anything the Angels are doing. Our concerns are often labeled as being “silly” and some believe to question is to panic and we shouldn’t ever do that.

The thing is even though the Angels have been highly successful, that doesn’t mean they’ll continue to be good to great every year. Let’s face it, they’ve stumbled here and there with some of their signings of players like Shea Hillenbrand, Steve Finley, Justin Speier, Jeff Weaver, J. C. Romero, and Gary Matthews, Jr. to name a few. Granted, no team is perfect and the Angels have been able to overcome some mistakes for the most part.

That being said, you have to figure that some of these mistakes are finally catching up with them. Clearly the Angels would have more flexibility in their payroll if they didn’t have to pay Matthews $23 million over the next two years and still had to pay Speier’s contract even though he is no longer on their roster.

These mistakes become magnified when Angel fans watch players who have been cornerstones of the organization leave via free agency only to be replaced by players who seem older, slower and even in decline.

This brings me to their latest free agent acquisition in Fernando Rodney. In my last post, I outlined some of my reasons for believing he was not the best option. Granted, the Angels front office know more about baseball than I could ever possibly imagine, but that doesn’t mean I can’t question this move.

My understanding was that the Angels didn’t offer Darren Oliver arbitration because they believed he would become too costly and weren’t willing to go above the $3.655 million he made in 2009. They gambled that they’d be able to re-sign him at a good price and they lost. They then go out and sign Rodney for two years and $11 million, despite numbers that would seem to indicate he might be in decline.

On one hand I would like to trust Tony Reagins and Mike Scioscia on this matter, but quite honestly; I’m having a hard time with it.

One of my favorite sites – mlbtraderumors.com ranked Rodney 47th on their list of the top 50 free agents. They even predicted that "no one would want to pay a premium for his 37 saves."

I really can’t recall reading anything positive about Rodney and instead read many times that he wasn’t likely to land a closer job with another team. When the Phillies were reported to be interested in signing him for two years and $12 million there appeared to be some snickering going on.

So… what’s a fan like me supposed to think when the Angels come around and give the same guy $11 million?

It’s a ways away from April 5, 2010 (opening day) and I’m certain that when that day rolls around, I’ll be as gun-ho as any fan about the Angels chances because that’s what we fans do. I know games aren’t won on paper and anything can happen in baseball. I’d simply like my team’s chances a little more if they would do some things that actually made sense to me.

Don’t mock me because I have concerns and please don’t spout the mantra that we should blindly trust the Angels front office because of their success. If you do, I’ll accuse you of being complacent and over confident; two attributes that can easily lead to disaster.

At the end of the day I trust the Angels and believe they’ll compete again in 2010, but I refuse just blindly follow and not question some of the things they do.

For the record, I’m very excited about Brandon Wood, delighted that Joe Saunders is off the trade rumor circuit and I can’t wait to see what Kendry Morales will do in 2010. I’m also thrilled that Torii Hunter plays on my favorite team and that Mike Scioscia will be leading this team for many, many years.

It’s also important to note that for me, 2002 is starting to become a distant memory and I fully expected the Angels to have won another title by now. My expectations have been raised and even though I appreciate what they’ve accomplished, I expect better.

Gag me

Some guys don’t know when to quit. I guess when playing baseball is basically all you’ve ever known, it’s hard to walk away. Diamond Leung says in his column Diamond Notes that Eric Gagne is going to try and make a comeback, possibly with the Dodgers. I wonder; can Kevin Brown be far behind? What’s Gagne’s theme song going to be when he comes out of the bull pen? How about Steve Miller Band’s "Take the money and run?"

I can hear it now...

This here’s is a story about Eric Gagne and Dodger Blue
A dirty old pitcher with nothing left in the tank
He wants to come back and prove us all fools
Problem is last time he pitched, he really, really stank

He’s headed to Glendale for Spring Training
Where he’ll try to make his way back
With a little luck it’ll be raining
And some team can be suckered into a big fat contract

Go on take the money and run
Go on take the money and run
Go on take the money and run
Go on take the money and run

Speaking of comebacks, Edgardo Alfonzo wants to come back as well. So says, Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.

Alfonzo is basically quoted as wanting to still follow his dream. Truth is he was a nightmare in his last big league season of 2006, part of which he spent with the Angels. He hit a whopping .126 with an on-base percentage of .200. Dreamy numbers, don’t you think?

Alfonzo is 36 years old. He wants to retire as a Met. Perhaps the Mets can do him a favor, sign him to a one day contract and let him go out wearing blue and orange. As long as he doesn’t come back to Anaheim, I’m good.

You have to forgive me. I’m still bitter about the time Steve Finley spent in Anaheim in 2005, where he hit .222 and had an OPS of .645. So when I hear about a guy who wants another shot after a miserable season in the twilight of the careers, I get a little testy.

It’s just that the Angels give too many old warriors one too many chances and then ask me to buy tickets and sit in the stands and watch. Remember the Andres Galarraga experiment in 2004? Thankfully, he only got ten at-bats in his final go around. Even Cecil Fielder spent part of his last season in 1998 with the Angels.

This next year’s list of candidates for guys over the hill looking for a job include Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye. Please, please, please… just say no to both of these guys. The Angels already have 36 year old Bobby Abreu. He’s the exception to the rule. Let’s not apply the Abreu model to any other acquisitions this off season.

And don’t think I didn’t notice the Angels giving a minor league contract this past season to Rudy Seanez (albeit, it was during a stretch when it looked like no one in the bull pen could get an out). Thankfully, the forty year old never made it out of Salt Lake City; otherwise, my head might have exploded.

Trust me; this fan isn’t asleep at the wheel. I notice things...