The November 16th, 2011 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Weaver finishes second in AL Cy Young voting, former manager Lachemann rejoins the Angels in a front office capacity, DiPoto now chasing second-tier relievers and meeting with C.J. Wilson’s agent and much more…
The Story: Jered Weaver finished second to Justin Verlander in the AL Cy Young Award voting.
The Monkey Says: Verlander’s win was a slam dunk, so this isn’t a shock, though I am mildly surprised Weaver finished in second as there was some momentum late in the season for CC Sabathia, who oddly finished fourth.
The Monkey Says: A very nice move to bring in Lachemann, a lifetime baseball man and possibly a guy who can come in and be the kind of guy who will challenge DiPoto’s opinions, which I think is a good thing. The reason I think this might be the case is because Lachemann only became available after he quit a similar position with the Rockies over a difference in opinion on how the Rockies should develop their pitchers. Marcel disagreed with what Colorado was doing and decided he should leave, so he clearly can be stubborn when he thinks he’s right. Also in this post is official news of Larry Corrigan and Tim Schmidt being hired in scouting capacities. I guess the Angels really weren’t kidding about shifting the front office focus more towards scouting.
The Monkey Says: I like Dotel and could live with Capps who is a bounceback candidate while Coffey would be cheap. Clearly DiPoto is feeling like the Halos have been priced out of the market for the elite closer types. However, I am TERRIFIED that he is showing any interest in Francisco Cordero. Yes, Coco has long experience as a closer, but his strikeout rate and velocity have fallen dramatically the last few years. He has the makings of being a epic free agent disaster for any team that signs him since they are bound to overpay for his career save totals. I really hope Jerry DiPoto is smarter than that.
The Story: Jerry DiPoto confirms that he met with C.J. Wilson’s agent.
The Monkey Says: So much for the days of the covert dealings of Tony Reagins.
The Story: Is the Angels’ interest in C.J. Wilson just for show?
The Monkey Says: See, I’m not the only who is thinking this way. In fact, I think the previous story actually supports my case. The Halos are laying it on just a little too thick with their interest for Wilson, which is great for the purposes of a smokescreen, but not great for the purposes of contract negotiations.
The Monkey Says: The basic summary for each player is that DiPoto realizes everyone hates Jeff Mathis, but he isn’t going to throw him under the bus, in case he ends up non-tendering him. Walden is a guy he likes and will probably keep as closer unless an elite guy falls in their lap. He isn’t shopping Abreu, but only because he knows nobody wants him. Get used to seeing Alberto Callaspo because DiPoto seems perfectly happy with him (or is puffing him up to increase his trade value). Morales is not in their plans and he doesn’t sound very optimistic about him.
The Monkey Says: To think, a week ago I was bemoaning the lack of info coming from the new Halo front office, but now DiPoto won’t shut up… not that I’m complaining. This is another sign to me that DiPoto realizes he is kind of stuck with the same lineup in 2012, though I suspect it means he will be changing the farm system and draft philosophies to place an emphasis on plate discipline. It also probably means that he isn’t going to wait around for Mark Trumbo to suddenly learn to stop swinging at everything within seven feet of the plate.
The Story: There is a good chance that Mike Trout no longer qualifies as a rookie thanks to an obscure rule.
The Monkey Says: Read the post because it is too complicated for me to explain here. Let’s just say that MLB can probably fix this for the Angels if they want, and I imagine they will because it would make for a better story that Trout would be in the ROY race next year.
The Story: Mike Scioscia believes Mark Trumbo was the AL’s best rookie in 2011.
The Monkey Says: Of course he does, what else do you expect him to say?