- The Story: Chone Figgins, John Lackey and Darren Oliver are all Type A free agents while Vladimir Guerrero is a Type B. The Monkey Says: The Angels will now get a first or second round pick plus a sandwich pick if they lose Figgy, Lackey or DO, which should cushion the blow. In the fact, the high draft pick price should make sure Oliver doesn’t go anywhere else. The Angels will only get a sandwich pick if Guerrero signs elsewhere.
- The Story: Buster Olney believes the Seattle Mariners will pursue John Lackey. Jon Heyman thinks that the Mets won’t go after Lackey but the Angels will. The Monkey Says: There are bound to be lots of teams interested in Big John, but the Mariners are a bit of a surprise as is the apparent lack of interest from the Mets. Then again, there could be a lot of lying going this time of year as teams try and hide their hands before free agent negotiations start.
- The Story: White Sox GM essentially bowed out of the Chone Figgins sweepstakes due to lack of funds. The Monkey Says: If true, this is great news for the Halos as the ChiSox have long been hot for Figgy and were expected to be one of the top contenders for his services.
- The Story: Trevor Reckling checks in at number five on their top Angel prospect list. The Monkey Says: Reckling made a big jump up the Angels’ prospect ladder this year and could contend for a spot in the rotation depending on how free agency shakes out.
- The Story: The Angels should be in contention for the end of season awards that start getting announced next week. The Monkey Says: Probably the only award that the Angels actually have a legit shot at winning is Manager of the Year for which Mike Scioscia should be the frontrunner.