Daily links for the LA Angels including Derrek Lee vetoed an Angels trade but accepts a Braves trade, Scioscia cancels batting practice, Bourjos’ offense is a work in progress and much more.
The Story: The Cubs traded Derrek Lee to the Atlanta Braves.
The Monkey Says: Why is this Angels news? Because Lee vetoed a trade to the Halos just a few weeks ago. So why the change of heart? An interesting question. Lee made it sound as if he had personal reasons for wanting to stay in Chicago and not go to Anaheim. However, his comments about going to Atlanta very much sound like he accepted because they are likely playoff bound, with the assumption being that he didn’t think the Angels were. That is a fair assumption on his part, I just wish he had been man enough to come straight out and say it at the time. Ultimately, I’m not that upset though because I feel like the Angels trading anything of value for Lee would have been a poor investment.
The Story: Mike Scioscia canceled batting practice yesterday.
The Monkey Says: There is an obvious joke here, but I’m not going to make it. Giving the guys a day off can’t possibly make their offense any worse. If they really want to fix their bats, I still like the idea I posted yesterday: fire Mickey Hatcher.
The Story: Peter Bourjos’ offense is a work in progress.
The Monkey Says: Uh oh, Sosh dropped the dreaded “confidence” bomb. Hopefully that won’t become an issue and the Halos will be able to protect Peter. We don’t want him to end up like the last top Angel prospect who had confidence problems… Brandon Wood.
The Story: Trevor Bell will start for the Angels this Saturday.
The Monkey Says: The Halos haven’t needed a fifth starter for awhile, but they need one this weekend. Trevor hasn’t been all that impressive, but he is still young enough to try and bring along slowly like this, instead of turning to an older player like Matt Palmer, even if he is deserving.
The Story: Joel Pineiro predicts he’ll pitch again this year.
The Monkey Says: I’m sure he wants to and might even be able to since he is supposedly ahead of schedule in his rehab, but the Angels will probably be mathematically eliminated by the time he is ready to come off the DL, so there is no real reason for him to return to action and risk further injury.
The Story: Could Hunter head back to center field?
The Monkey Says: The theory posed there make little sense. Why does Torii have to flip positions with Bourjos if Carl Crawford is signed? Bourjos is a better CF than him right now and is likely a better CF than Mike Trout will be too. The Halos aren’t going to kick Hunter out of center just to end up moving him back; he is a right fielder for good (barring an injury t0 Peter Bourjos), that’s why Reggie Willits plays center instead of Torii when Bourjos gets days off.
The Story: The Rockies are on the verge of releasing Brad Hawpe.
The Monkey Says: OK, idle speculation on my part, but the Angels should at least kick the tires on Hawpe. He should still have some good years left in him at 31, and he might just be worth keeping around as a first baseman this year and then a potential DH in 2011. I’m just saying he is a patient hitter with good pop, even when you factor in the Coors Field effect, so he could be a low-risk audition for the rest of this season.