The March 22nd, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Weaver gets a special boost from the rockpile, Arte Moreno featured in GQ, Angels send three down to the minors and much more…
The Monkey Says: This is a great find and something that I had never even heard a hint of although it definitely sounds like MLB opponents are well aware. I’m sure now that this is public knowledge, or public speculation anyway, fans of other teams will complain about it, but I don’t know what can be done about it, especially since this appears to be a phenomenon unique to Weaver.
The Story: Arte Moreno featured in an interveiw with GQ Magazine.
The Monkey Says: All you ever needed to know about Moreno and the Pujols signing is his bit about marketing to eight-year olds. Arte gets it. He knows that he can culture a whole generation of Southern California kids that root for the Angels over the Dodgers. He’s been setting the groundwork for years and his master stroke was bringing in Pujols right in the middle of the Dodgers falling into bankruptcy.
The Story: Efren Navarro, Ryan Brasier and Kole Calhoun were all reassigned to minor league camp.
The Monkey Says: Navarro and Brasier are minor league depth but Calhoun is a real prospect and he seems to have accomplished his goal of impressing the coaching staff during his brief time in big league camp. Expect to hear a lot more about him this year.
The Story: Forbes values the Angels at $656 million, the eighth highest franchise value in baseball.
The Monkey Says: It is worth noting though that the Angels were one of just three teams to actually lose money last season. That shouldn’t be the case with the new TV deal and the additional revenue Pujols should bring in. What I like to see though is that the team has almost no debt. Even if the profits don’t start rolling in for Arte, he won’t be in any financial issues since he has no debt to worry about.
The Monkey Says: This is almost assuredly going to happen. Williams will get a crack at the spot once healthy since the Angels don’t want to lose him as he is out of options. While they wait for Jerome though, they have a great opportunity to get Richards a few low-pressure starts at the big league level. Unless Richards kills it, they can then send him to Triple-A to keep working on his game and hand the spot over to Williams. It is really a no-lose situation.
The Story: Jorge Cantu hopes the Angels will trade him if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster.
The Monkey Says: Barring an injury, Cantu is not going to make the team. The Angels could do him a solid and let him out of his contract prior to his May 1st opt-out clause, but they are in no way obligated to and would only sacrificing their own depth by doing so. Sorry, Jorge.
The Story: The Chris Iannetta trade is Baseball Prospectus’ favorite move of the off-season.
The Monkey Says: Any move that involves replacing Jeff Mathis should be everyone’s favorite move of all-time.
The Story: Taylor Lindsey is amongst the most impressive prospects in the Cactus League this year.
The Monkey Says: Lindsey is blowing up and is almost certain to break into the top 100 lists next season, though it does rub me the wrong way to hear him referred to as a “hacker.”
The Monkey Says: Funny, but I really can’t wait for this whole ridiculous controversy to finally blow over.