Daily Links for the LA Angels including Weaver has no hard feelings, Butcher has minor procedure to remove cancerous nodule, Aybar discloses he had knee surgery and much more…
The Monkey Says: I totally called this in my post on Friday. Weaver, as expected, is saying all the right things about the arbitration loss, so there is no immediate cause for concern. However, the fact that he has already declared long-term deal talks dead until after the season certainly suggests that it isn’t going to be easy for the Halos to keep their ace in red once he hits free agency.
The Story: Pitching coach Mike Butcher had a cancerous nodule removed last week.
The Monkey Says: There is no truth to the rumor that the cancerous nodule was actually Scott Kazmir. OK, I am officially going to hell. For what it is worth, Butcher is going to be fine and expected to return to work this week.
The Story: Erick Aybar disclosed that he had arthroscopic knee surgery during the off-season.
The Monkey Says: He is going to be fine for spring training, but the revelation that this surgery was in response to an injury first suffered back in June at least gives us a ray of hope that Aybar’s subpar 2010 season was at least partially due to health problems.
The Story: Bobby Wilson lost 33 pounds this off-season.
The Monkey Says: At the very least, this shows that Wilson is serious about competing for playing time this year. If his weight loss can lead to him being more nimble behind the plate, when he is already a good defensive catcher, then Jeff Mathis might have more than Hank Conger to worry about.
The Story: Catcher and closer are positions to watch at Angel training camp.
The Monkey Says: So, we are just going to completely ignore the giant vacancy sign hanging over third base for the Angels? Well, maybe it isn’t worth watching that competition since none of the entrants at the hot corner are worth getting excited about?
The Story: One writer’s projected Opening Day roster for the Halos.
The Monkey Says: I agree with all but one player. I think the Angels are going to send Michael Kohn down to Triple-A to start the season since he has options left and Jason Bulger and Rich Thompson do not. The only other spot I think might change is Conger and Wilson both being on the bench. If Mark Trumbo has a good spring, I think the Angels might be inclined to either send down Conger or, in a less likely scenario, trade/waive Bobby Wilson.
The Monkey Says: Good for you, Jim, way to go against the grain just for the sake of being different. Aren’t you just a special and unique snowflake. I hate to sound like a bitter homer here, but this is literally the ONLY prospect list I have seen where Trout wasn’t the top prospect, so you tell me who’s in the wrong here. Me, or the disgraced GM who got fired for his involvement in a money-skimming scam that stole signing bonus money from Latin American prospects? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
The Story: Arbitration losses almost always lead to a player leaving their team.
The Monkey Says: So I guess we should either start to accept Jered Weaver’s eventual departure, or have Wandy Rodriguez call him and talk some sense into him. I still think the Angels have a decent shot at keeping Weaver; look at the list in the article, almost every single player (with the unsettling exception of K-Rod) either played for a cash-strapped team, wasn’t good enough to worry about or had injury concerns that led to their departure. Weaver doesn’t fall into any of those categories, so I don’t fully buy into the idea that this arbitration defeat essentially signed the death warrant on Weaver’s Angel career. That being said, if the Halos aren’t in contention at the trade deadline, don’t be surprised if Weaver’s name starts to pop up in trade rumors.
The Story: Can the Angels spring back with Kendry Morales?
The Monkey Says: This is a stark reminder that there is absolutely no guarantee that Morales is going to be anywhere close to 100% this season, something I think too many people are taking for granted.