The December 14th, 2011 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Moreno felt compelled to pursue Pujols, Albert’s effect on the Angels defense, Wilson talks about his post-season struggles and much more…
The Story: Arte Moreno felt compelled to pursue Albert Pujols because of what it would mean to the fans.
The Monkey Says: Arte finally gets it. The money is a big risk for him, but he realized the marketing effect landing Pujols would have on a team that was developing a nasty reputation for beind too cheap and, let’s be honest, too cowardly and/or stupid to make significant moves. There is no way he gets Albert without the massive TV contract, but at least he didn’t just pocket the money like so many owners would and instead reinvested it in the on-the-field product.
The Story: A look at what Pujols taking over at first base means to the Angels defense.
The Monkey Says: Trumbo graded out well at first last season, but almost every scout insists that he is a poor fielder, so this seems like it should be an upgrade. I definitely can’t see how this could turn into a negative defensively unless Trumbo moves to third and proves to be a disaster like so many suspect.
The Monkey Says: That sounds like a BS excuse to me. It also doesn’t do anything to lead me to believe he’ll be any better when the weather gets cold again… assuming there is even any truth to his excuse.
The Story: Who is the best pitcher in the Angels rotation?
The Monkey Says: I like this piece if only because it reminds the general public that Dan Haren is a lot better than folks realize, but I still give the nod to Weaver. He’s more consistent and seems to be, and this is strictly my subjective observations, more capable of rising to the occasion under pressure. That being said, I wouldn’t exactly be broken up if Danny got the call over Weave in Game 7 of the World Series.
The Story: The Angels supposedly gave Albert Pujols a deadline to accept their $254 million offer.
The Monkey Says: The spirit of Tony Reagins lives on! Deadline offers forever!!!! Actually, a deadline makes sense in this case. Pujols was close to making a decision as it was, so the deadline was largely meaningless. If anything, it put pressure on Pujols’ agent to get a final offer from the Cardinals before the Halos got cold feet (which everyone knows is a real possibility dating back to last Winter Meetings). Dipoto shouldn’t go getting into the habit of this deadline thing like Reagins, but at least he seems to realize it does have some utility when used responsibly.