Daily links for the LA Angels including Haren cleared for his next start, Derrek Lee nixes trade to Angels, Pineiro out six to eight weeks and much more.
The Story: Dan Haren did fine in his bullpen session and will make his next scheduled start.
The Monkey Says: Phew, that’s a relief. It is always nice to start the links off with some good news, especially today when the news is generally bad for the Halos.
The Story: Derrek Lee blocked a potential deal that would have sent him to the Angels.
The Monkey Says: It sounds like Lee has some family issues to deal with, so he blocked the move. That is probably a blessing for the Angels who have no business trading for a rental player at this point. I really don’t know what Tony Reagins was thinking on that one, fortunately it didn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean Reagins won’t go out and do something even dumber to make up for this setback.
The Monkey Says: What a shame, Pineiro has having a very nice season and now it is a distinct possibility that he may not suit up again until 2011. Trevor Bell will likely take his rotation spot, but the Angels will still have a big hole in their rotation as Scott Kazmir is still out hurt and there are almost no viable options in the Angel farm system to act as a fifth starter the next time the Halos need one which should be August 9th. Hopefully Kazmir can be healthy by then (never thought I would say that) or maybe Matt Palmer can shift back to being a starter and build his stamina in time.
The Story: The Angels are being linked to Prince Fielder in trade rumors right now.
The Monkey Says: Nothing is imminent which is probably good for the Angels since they would have to gut their farm system to acquire Fielder. I’m not a huge fan of giving up anything for Fielder at this point even though he is under contract for 2011 since he is repped by Scott Boras and will thus be difficult to keep beyond next season.
The Story: John Lackey says being booed by Angel fans “won’t be forgotten.”
The Monkey Says: Benedict Lackey sounds like he is making a threat, but I don’t really see how he can exact revenge on a fan base. I doubt he’ll do anything to an Angel player, though he is not stranger to throwing a beanball, since he actually was rather complimentary of his former teammates in other interviews recently.
The Story: Torii Hunter needed a mental day off yesterday.
The Monkey Says: Torii has been in a slump the last week or so and if this helps him get going again, then so be it. Him needing a mental break only supports my notion that the pressure of carrying the offense on a nightly basis is finally starting to take a toll on Hunter.
The Story: A potential list of which prospects the Angels think have the most trade value.
The Monkey Says: As you can see from the link in the article, I also don’t get how Mark Trumbo is so far up the list, much less on it. I feel as if he should swap places with Peter Bourjos.
The Monkey Says: I normally don’t post news on minor league transactions, but given the state of the Angel rotation, Vogelsong might actually have a shot at being called up in the near future. Vogelsong actually may not be that terrible. He was once a well thought of prospect in the Pirate organization and, like most Pirate pitching prospects, just didn’t pan out. He has been in Japan the last few years where he enjoyed modest success before coming back to the States this season. He struggled a bit in a short tenure with the Phillies Triple-A team, so he may amount to nothing more than minor league depth.
The Story: Juan Rivera must go!
The Monkey Says: The Angels fans have turned on Juan Rivera quite quickly this season and the level of vitriol directed at him right now is probably a bit excessive, but not entirely unwarranted. I think we can all agree though that everyone (except Juan Rivera) would be much happier if Juan was replaced by Peter Bourjos really soon.