Inside the Halo

Vladimir Guerrero and I now have something in common. We both injured our thumbs playing for secondary teams. Vlad's was in the Dominican league, mine was in the Crestwood Baptist intramural basketball league. See? We're practically brothers. Except that Vlad was playing a better sport and his primary team was actually very concerned he hurt himself. My team at least knew I was displaying my prodigious basketball skills in another league. They, uh, just didn't really care. Anyway, Vlad will be ready for Spring Training and will cease playing for the Licey Tigers. Right now he can't grip a bat though. Angels GM Bill Stoneman said he and Vlad would have a "conversation" on the "wisdom" of playing winter ball when Vlad returned. Not patronizing at all, is it?

It really all comes down to a "broke vs. fix" mentality. Vlad, K-Rod, and Kelvim Escobar all had solid seasons, so the Angels don't want them playing. K-Rod was denied flat-out, Escobar had to be talked out of it, and Vlad…well, Vlad just didn't tell the Angels because he knew they would probably call FEMA. Bartolo Colon (he of the 1st half 6.38 ERA) was encouraged to maybe throw a few innings down south. Where are the concerns about the millions of dollars still riding on BC? See, he needs a fix, thinks the Angels. But does he? His final numbers aren't impressive, but his 2nd half looked like this--12-4, 3.63 ERA, OBA .232. I think he got his fix already. Alright, enough thumbing around. Let's take a look at some of these offseason moves the new LAAofA made.

Orlando Cabrera: 4yr/32M

We've gotta start here because this one has the most moolah attached. Most pundits aren't real keen on this deal and it's easy to see why. Cabrera's career high in AVG is .297 in '03, he doesn't really have any pop, so he can't be considered one of the "New Age" SSs ('04 SLG was .383, career is just north of .400 at .409), and don't give me defense, because while Eck was worst among regular MLB SS in range factor, Cabrera is still south of the middle of that pack. I see nothing in his portfolio that makes him worth this deal, especially now that he's 30 and his speed will start dropping off during this contract. Cabrera is an excellent slap doubles hitter though--41, 43, 47, and 38 in the last four years. Does he make the Halos better? I would say yes. $32 million better? No.

Steve Finley: 2yr/14M

The Angels are worried about Garret Anderson getting older, fighting arthritis, and having to play center field. They also dealt Jose Guillen, a menace in the batter's box and the clubhouse (more on that later). So what do they do counter these two problems? Sign Steve Finley! (Pardon me while I slacken my cheeks, violently shake my head, and moan). What? GA's 32. Finley's 40. You're worried about Anderson's CF defense (Range Factor: 2.46), so you sign a quadragenarian (Rng: 2.37)? Don't get me wrong, Finley can rake, but he won't be hitting 36 HR again. 15.7% of his flyballs left the yard last year. The MLB mean is 10%. Plus, he has played in the BOB in AZ for the better part of the last five years. Angel Stadium isn't so friendly. I like him, but he's not worth the bucks.

Troy Percival: Signed with DET, 2yr/12M

Percy was with the Halos for 10 years, racking up 316 saves and stood near the top of the closer class from most of it. The question, now that he's going, is this--will the Angels even miss him? His successor is better, younger, and more than ready to assume the role of big-league closer. My take would be that, sure, he could've helped this bullpen, but at a 12 million dollar price tag? No thanks. No way. He wouldn't even be the in top 3, no, top 5 in this bullpen. I see K-Rod, Donnelly, Shields, Yan, and even Gregg having more productive seasons than the Perce. His K/9 dropped below 6 for the first time ever in '04--it had never been below 8.76 before. Add a lucky batter hit rate of 25% and he's hanging by a thread. He made the most of it, but enjoy the sunset, Troy.

Troy Glaus: Signed with ARI, 4yr/45M

Also part of the Troy Exodus from Anaheim, er, LA, was Glaus, who ended up in the desert with the D-Backs. While I've haven't cared much for many of the Halo offseason moves, the good news is this--every one of Arizona's moves has potentially been worse than any of the Angels. Glaus, who may or may not ever play 3B again, gets 10+ mil a year? Sure, his hitting should be okay (especially at the BOB), but there's no DH in the NL. He's gotta field. And there's no denying he's a huge risk. For the Angels part, they do have an infinitely cheaper slugger ready to take TG's place. Dallas McPherson could probably hit LA from Anaheim even though the Angels don't technically play there. Defense? A cardboard likeness might be almost as effective. He'll need maturing, but he's a gem.

Jose Guillen: traded to WAS

There is no denying that the Halos are going to miss this bat. I realize that the lineup still features the power of Guerrero, Anderson, Finley, and now McPherson along with the pesky sticks of Figgins, Erstad, and Cabrera, but of those who played 60 or more games, he was 2nd on the team in SLG (behind MVP Guerrero), 2nd in OPS, and 2nd in HR. When Anderson's previous long-time power in question, that's a lot to let go. I'll tell you what, unlike the Yankees with Giambi, and Colorado with Neagle, the Angels actually did make a roster move specifically on character. I hope no one's fooling you that Giambi and Neagle were/are fighting contract voids because of on-field performance that just happened to coincide with a good excuse to excuse them off the field. Guillen put up a solid year--but he didn't mix with the management at Anaheim. Now he's gone. If nothing else, I respect the Halos for sticking with their principles, and that's what this is all about. Good luck, Jose, but I think this was a positive move.

Estaban Yan: 2yr/2.25M

This move drew a chorus of "Yans" from most fans (Get it?…ey…). Anyway…although this falls in line with this year's pitching market (i.e. being priced at least a little too high for the talent acquired), I like this a lot. Yan is probably the 4th man outta the 'pen right now, but he's got good skills. A 2.16 K/BB ratio and K/9 over 7 in '04 are numbers just about anyone would like to see in their pen and the Angels have that as a 4th guy. That's solid. Though probably not as good with runners on base and not a guy you'd wanna bring in to get one hitter out in a tight spot, Yan could easily be a guy that could come in and give the Halos two solid innings here, two solid innings there. With Shields, Donnelly, K-Rod, and Gregg around him, he fills out a very good bullpen quite nicely. Too bad he's not left-handed though, huh?

Paul Byrd: 1yr/4.5M

No one--well, okay, me and pitching coach Bud Black--is talking about the Halo rotation this offseason. The troubles of Colon were well-publicized and they're what remain in most minds as a snapshot of '04 of him. Escobar was solid, but quietly solid, and John Lackey had just a forgettable enough season for everyone to gloss over it. All anyone remembers of Jarrod Washburn right now is the slider he hung (like a freakin' Christmas stocking) to David Ortiz in the playoffs that quite possibly just landed this week. It's funny--a recent poll at the Angels official website asked what the Angels' biggest strength this year would be. Interestingly enough, Offense received 45% of the vote. Even more interesting was the last-place 4% the rotation received. I voted bullpen (23%), but we'll see.

Maybe that's why, not unlike the signing of Yan, that Byrd's signing was virtually omitted by the press. Admittedly, he's a relatively soft-tossing 34-year-old, but I promise you here and now that he won't do nearly the damage that Aaron Sele or Ramon Ortiz did last year. If Jarrod Washburn doesn’t get it together, Byrd won't even end up the #5 guy. It's a decent signing--no commitment, reliable, even if not wholly impressive, skills--I think he'll do okay. Like too many in the Angel rotation, he's a flyball pitcher only he doesn't have the velocity to mow opposing batters down. When his control is there, he certainly won't hurt you. Here's hoping for a pinpoint year from Mr. Byrd.

Ramon Ortiz: traded to CIN

Check this out:

As starter: 5.47 ERA, 2.09 K/BB, 5.47 K/9, .309 OBA
As reliever: 2.76 ERA, 2.27 K/BB, 6.25 K/9, .231 OBA

So, naturally he winds up at Cincinnati--in the rotation. If only Ramon could develop a little more endurance, he could be productive as a starter. Like Pedro's magic pitch #100, Ramon starts to hit a wall at about #46--SLG jumps almost .100 at that point (using 2002-2004 statistics). There's potential there especially for a pitcher who's only 31 with a few years left before the big decline, but he won't be doing it Anaheim and I'm not sure that under different circumstances, the Angels wouldn't have been better off with him than Jarrod Washburn.

The Rest

Juan Rivera comes over from Washington nee Montreal, and I really like his potential. This is a guy who has solid hitting skills and could probably hit .290 with full-time play. He makes great contact and the only real mark against him is his just average power. He's just 26 and still developing and the Angels might be getting him at just the right time.

Maicer Izturis is the other half of the Guillen deal, and he looks like a decently solid player as well. He's only 24 and has an incredible glove but his downside is that his bat has just a little more power than mine. Even with an outstanding contact rate, that's not good.

Alfredo Amezaga has gone to Coors, where even the thinnest air won't be able to liven up his bat. He's still an Angel in spirit--or at least in the guise of Izturis.

David Eckstein signed with St. Louis. Many Angel fans were sad to see him go, but as you hear so often, this is a business, and the Angels now have a better shortstop. He's not worth the pay increase they'll be devoting to the position, but alas…good luck to Eck, by the way. I'll say this, St. Louis fans will love him.

Andres Galarraga signed with the Mets--where he'll never touch the field once the blue and orange sign Carlos Delgado (and maybe even if they don't).

The Human Butter Churn, Ben Weber, signed with the Reds. If he pitches anywhere remotely near the way he did last year, he'll be out of a job by June.

Shane Halter went non-tendered this offseason. Uh…whatever.

In a starting pitching hungry market, Aaron Sele is still a free agent. Any questions?

Okay, time for me to ice or heat my thumb--or something.