Daily links for the LA Angels including Hunter talks about a humbling season, Roenicke interviewing for Toronto’s manager opening, Angels to shop the free agent market hard and much more.
The Story: Torii Hunter writes about the humbling year coming to a close.
The Monkey Says: Truer words have never been spoken. Hopefully Torii is right about the team using this as motivation to come back with a vengeance in 2011.
The Story: Ron Roenicke will interview for the manager’s job in Toronto.
The Monkey Says: And I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that he gets the job. All the other candidates Toronto has talked to thus far is a re-tread, so Roenicke has the advantage of being new blood that could intrigue a young team like the Blue Jays.
The Story: The Angels are expected to shop the free agent market this off-season.
The Monkey Says: Well, duh?!?! The real question is can they get the deals closed on their top targets, something that they don’t exactly have a great track record of under Tony Reagins.
The Story: Hank Conger has proven to be more ready for the majors than the team expected.
The Monkey Says: That being said, it doesn’t really sound like Scioscia is going to commit to Hank having a secure spot on next year’s roster. Somewhere, Jeff Mathis is smiling.
The Story: Torii Hunter might serve as a recruiter for the Angels this off-season.
The Monkey Says: Torii was already known to be making a sales pitch to Carl Crawford at the All-Star break, so I can’t imagine he’ll stop now that he has some unexpected free time on his hands.
The Story: Torii Hunter will serve as an analyst for the MLB Network this post-season.
The Monkey Says: Good for Torii. I have no doubt that he’ll do a great job, considering his gregarious personality.
The Story: Mike Scioscia is impressed with Michael Kohn’s makeup.
The Monkey Says: Ah yes, the fabled “makeup.” I think Scioscia once complimented Fernando Rodney’s makeup as well. Still, these comments certainly indicate that Kohn has the inside track on getting a crack at moving up the bullpen depth chart next year.
The Story: Mike Trout was ranked as the top prospect in the Midwest League.
The Monkey Says: He should have been, after all, he might be the best prospect in all of the minor leagues right now.
The Story: Angel prospect Reynaldo Ruiz was suspended for PEDs.
The Monkey Says: Ruiz played in the Dominican Summer League this year. He had a .438 OPS this season, so I’m going to go ahead and suggest he talk to his PED dealer and ask for his money back since they clearly didn’t work.
The Monkey Says: Gammons makes a great point, as the Halos seem to have a habit of setting a price ceiling on their free agent bids that they refuse to breach, no matter what. That is actually a very responsible way to negotiate, but it can also hinder them when chasing the real big free agent prizes who almost always get overpaid.
The Story: The Angels could be a trade destination for Mark Reynolds.
The Monkey Says: I’m sure the Angels would consider him, but I really doubt that the Halos are going to want to cough up a package of prospects for yet another low-average, high-strikeout batter. Plus, I can’t imagine the D’Backs are going to be too eager to deal with the Angels again after getting ripped off in the Haren trade.