Daily Links for the LA Angels including Beltre (finally) agrees to terms with the Rangers, Jon Heyman accuses the Angels of barely trying, could Vlad Guerrero return to the Angels and much more…
The Story: Adrian Beltre is all but officially a Texas Ranger.
The Monkey Says: Beltre reportedly already took a physical, so that is really the final step before the contract becomes official. The deal is reportedly for six years and $96 million, which, ironically, would mean that the Domincan newspaper that started all of this brouhaha was actually correct. If that number is true, then the Angels may have actually dodged a bullet here, as that number is just ridiculous and Beltre isn’t nearly that good.
The Story: Michael Young is willing to move to DH to accomodate Adrian Beltre.
The Monkey Says: That is really the final piece of the puzzle. This is being viewed as a selfless act by Young, but part of me wonders how having Beltre come on board as the team’s highest paid player and kicking the team’s captain into a DH/super-utility role is going to play in that locker room and fan base, especially if Beltre struggles coming out of the gate.
The Story: Jon Heyman tweets that the Angels are “barely trying” this off-season.
The Monkey Says: Heyman has been most responsible for tossing the Angels into almost every rumor out there, so I can imagine why he is so upset. It certainly is telling though that the frustration of the Angels’ inert off-season is spreading into national reports and not just local fans.
The Story: Should the Angels have even wanted Adrian Beltre?
The Monkey Says: There are plenty of reasons given in both directions, but the ultimate reason that he isn’t an Angel is because of money. Plain and simple, nearly $100 million is far too much to give to a guy who would be the highest-paid player on the team, but probably only the second or even third-best player on the field for the Halos.
The Story: Vladimir Guerrero could return to the Angels now that Beltre is in Texas…
The Monkey Says: …or maybe not at all. Beltre is off the market, but the conflicting Angel rumors continue. Guerrero might be a good idea to bring back for nostaligic and marketing purposes, but he isn’t going to make much of a difference to the Angels’ lineup. Vlad was an All-Star in 2010, but his stats were inflated by the cozy confines of the Ballpark in Arlington, not to mention his big second-half slump, so there is little certainty that he would be a productive player at this point. I still love the guy, but I don’t want to see him return to Anaheim until the Angels retire his number.
The Story: For the Angels, it is Deja-Vu all over again.
The Monkey Says: Blaming Tony Reagins here is all wrong. I get the frustration and the need to blame, but Tony is ultimately limited by what Arte Moreno will let him do and Moreno very clearly has some specific ideas about how much he is willing to spend for a given player and he will not make any exceptions. Besides, while I think the Angels should have made an exception for Crawford, I have no problem with them refusing to break the bank for Adrian Beltre.
The Story: Arbitration will take a toll on the Angels.
The Monkey Says: Had to try and slip in something not Beltre-related, sorry. Anyway, this is definitely going to be a major point to watch for the Halos as they literally have tens of millions of dollars at stake in all of their arbitration cases. Come to think of it, this is Beltre-related because all of the financial uncertaintly of the abritration cases has to be at least partly to blame for Arte Moreno’s reluctance to spend big.