The December 8th, 2011 Winter Meetings edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Angels still in Pujols bidding, still waiting on Wilson, Dipoto plays coy on everything and much more…
The Story: The Angels are still said to be bidding strongly on Albert Pujols.
The Monkey Says: First, the disclaimer that these links are compiled late at night and posted in the morning, so news might have changed while I slept. Anyways, here goes. The Angels interest in Pujols seemed nebulous on Tuesday, but given that they are still linked to him on Wednesday night, it is pretty safe to say their interest is legitimate. Some have speculated that the Halos are just trying to pressure C.J. Wilson into a decision while others still say Pujols’ agent is using the Angels to drive up the price on the Cardinals. This process just seems to be dragging out forever and I can only assume that the longer Pujols doesn’t sign, the more likely it is the Cards aren’t giving him what he wants and he will actually jump ship. My gut tells me he ends up back in St. Louis, but who knows at this point.
The Story: C.J. Wilson is expected to decide between the Angels, Marlins and maybe Rangers soon.
The Monkey Says: The Rangers have all but withdrawn from the bidding, but I wouldn’t rule them out just yet. Also, the Marlins signed Mark Buehrle already so one would think they aren’t really in on Wilson, but rumors persist that they are. In fact, rumors are they are willing to go six years on Wilson. The export rumor reporters have been taking turns alternately naming the Angels and Marlins as the favorites to land Wilson, so it is looking like a 50/50 shot for the Halos.
The Story: Jerry Dipoto refuses to confirm or deny any “speculation” on the Angels off-season plans.
The Monkey Says: Reagins used to not say anything, but Dipoto seems to have a penchant for messing with the media. He may be new to the job, but he has already mastered the art of issuing partial denials that leave just enough wiggle room for him to not be lying if the move actually comes to pass. He even had the gall yesterday to tell folks he was focusing on the bullpen when the team was in the middle of a swarm of Wilson and Pujols speculation. That seemed like a lark at the time, but then it turned out he signed LaTroy Hawkins. So it was not only a cheeky diversion, but also a true statement.
That’s it. That’s all the news I am giving you for today. I could actually post about 20 more links, but they all center around Pujols and Wilson. Almost all of them would have an 80% chance of being obsolete by the time this posts. Heck, 30% of them have a chance of being obsolete 5 minutes from me writing this. All I know is that the Winter Meetings has been a hell of a ride so far. However, the meetings end today and Angels fans are chomping at the bit for something to happen. If they leave with nothing more than LaTroy Hawkins to show for all their trouble, Jerry Dipoto is going to have a very angry fanbase to answer to and some very unflattering comparisons to Tony Reagins to fend off.