- The Story: Lyle Spencer anticipates a big bounce back season for the Angel bullpen. The Monkey Says: A healthy Scot Shields and a return to form by Jose Arredondo will certainly help, but the fact of the matter is Brian Fuentes is effing shaky and will hold the bullpen back from being anything other than above average.
- The Story: The Angel players voted a full share of the playoff bonuses to go to the Nick Adenhart estate. The Monkey Says: The money is a nice gesture by the players but let’s all use this as a remember to not be a knucklehead this holiday season and get behind the wheel after drinking.
- The Story: Free agent Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman switched agents on the advice of Kendry Morales. The Monkey Says: If really true, this is great news for the Halos since it shows that K-Mo clearly has Chapman’s ear, giving the Halos the inside track on signing the young fireballer if they really want him.
- The Story: The Rangers are expected to show interest in Darren Oliver this off-season. The Monkey Says: It would cost Texas their first-round pick to sign him, but they are showing interest in other Type A free agents, so they might end up forfeiting it elsewhere anyway. Oliver was thought to be a lock to return to Anaheim, but he lives in Texas so, don’t be surprised if he winds up pitching for the Rangers in 2010.
- The Story: A petition has been started to bring back Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler as the Angel announcers. The Monkey Says: Sign it if you want, though I suspect they might have a lot more signatures if the petition was to just bring back the Wonder Dog.
- The Story: Roy Halladay reportedly will not approve a trade once Spring Training starts. The Monkey Says: This is probably posturing by Doc’s agent, but the pressure is now on Toronto to find a good deal for Halladay in the next two months.