The April 19th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Aybar agrees to four-year, $35 million extension, Bobby Cassevah close to a return, Trumbo knows defense is his ticket back into the lineup and much more…
The Story: Erick Aybar has agreed to a four-year, $35 million contract extension.
The Monkey Says: Not to toot my own horn, but I pretty much nailed the predicted value earlier this week. That being said, I’m not a huge fan of this deal. The value is perfectly reasonable, but part of me wonders if the Angels aren’t hurting themselves by having so many guys locked into expensive long-term deals now. With this bit of business wrapped up, expect Jerry Dipoto to turn his attention to other matters, like maybe signing Dan Haren or Chris Iannetta to an extension. Oh, and he might want to do something about the bullpen. I’m just saying.
The Story: Bobby Cassevah could return to the big league roster within a week.
The Monkey Says: I’m reading between the lines here, but that looks like it is the timeframe they are shooting for. What scares me is that Cassevah is being seen as something of a savior right now. He was decent last season, but he is far from a lockdown guy like they need. I would also beg to differ with the notion Carpenter would get sent down to make room for Bobby. Carpenter hasn’t been great, but he hasn’t been awful either. More likely is that Kevin Jepsen will be given a week to prove he deserves to stay and then Scioscia and Dipoto will choose between the two.
The Story: Mark Trumbo knows improved defense will be the key to him getting more regular playing time.
The Monkey Says: Trumbo has not played in three games, though he allegedly was supposed to start last night but was too sick to play. Mike Scioscia is also saying that he intends to let Mark start three of the next four games, so maybe this #FreeTrumbo movement will calm down for a few days.
The Story: Assessing the value of Erick Aybar’s new extension.
The Monkey Says: Aybar is getting paid a bit more than comparable shortstops, but I do think the impending free agency boosted his value as did the fact that the upcoming free agent market is horribly thin. The most salient point here though is that Aybar generates a lot of value based on his defensive reputation, which may be a mirage since most advanced fielding stats rate him as merely average, rather than the elite defender the Angels treat him as.
The Story: What can the Angels do with Mark Trumbo?
The Monkey Says: A lot of people think that Trumbo is already a failed experiment at third base, but I still think it is worth trying for a few more weeks. What I very much agree with is that the Angels should have dealt Trumbo this last off-season, though I fully understand that they were reluctant to do so given that they had no idea whether or not Kendrys Morales was going to be able to return to action, in which case they needed Trumbo to be their DH. The question now is whether or not they would consider trading him in-season, which may not be totally out of the question.
The Story: Jordan Walden led the league in leverage index last season.
The Monkey Says: The point the author is making here is that Walden was used most effectively last season, seldom being wasted on meaningless innings. However, I think the real takeaway here is that Walden so often pitched with no margin for error that he was made to look worse by way of those infamous 10 blown saves. This is probably why I have more faith in Walden than others. Granted, he was awful last night, but that is what happens when a reliever with high maintenance mechanics only pitches three times in 12 games.
The Story: Pujols and the Angels are slumping with no cure in sight but waiting it out.
The Monkey Says: I’m a bit worried about Haren’s quote saying, “You can only say it’s early for so long.” The team is clearly starting to press and it is now coming out publicly. When FSW said the only key to the game last night was “Relax” I normally would’ve mocked it for being so dumb and simplistic, yet all I could do was no along in agreement.
The Story: A profile of Kole Calhoun with a projection that he could start for the Angels next season.
The Monkey Says: That is definitely optimistic, but not implausible. Of course, Calhoun could fall victim to the outfield logjam even though Torii Hunter is going to be a free agent. Vernon Wells will still be in play (maybe) and Mark Trumbo might even be considered an option in the corner outfield too, leaving no room for Calhoun.
The Story: Peter Bourjos is having an autograph session this Saturday.
The Monkey Says: Feel free to attend, assuming you have the will to get out of bed and do anything Angel-related by that point.