- The Story: Several teams are showing interest in Angel free agent Robb Quinlan. The Monkey Says: Or at least so says Quinlan’s agent. The Halos are highly unlikely to bring Q back next year as he is far better suited to be working in a bench role in the National League.
- The Story: Cuban defector and free agent Aroldis Chapman has fired his agent and hired the same agent as fellow Cuban Kendry Morales. The Monkey Says: Chapman hasn’t even met with the Halos yet, but this change in agents certainly doesn’t hurt the Angels’ chances at acquiring the services of the young fireballer.
- The Story: Earl Bloom believes the Angels should let Figgins and Lackey walk and not sign any big-name free agents. The Monkey Says: Bloom is relying an awful lot on internal growth a season after several Angels just had career years. Not would I do, but a bold choice.
- The Story: The Toronto Blue Jays officially announced they will not be signing Roy Halladay to a contract extension. The Monkey Says: That is Canadian for saying that the Halladay sweepstakes are officially open. Expect the Halos to make another run at acquiring Doc, but the competition will be fierce with the dearth of free agent starters on the market.
- The Story: Mike Napoli is rated as the worst defensive catcher in baseball. The Monkey Says: I knew Nap was bad, but that bad? Blech! Interestingly, Jeff Mathis is ranked 90th out of 114 catchers, so maybe the Angels should just embrace crappy defense and at least get a productive bat in the catcher position.
- The Story: Kendry Morales should be in the running for AL MVP. The Monkey Says: PUFF PIECE ALERT!!! Yeah, K-Mo had an excellent season but he has zero reputation to rely on for votes, so don’t go holding your breath for Morales to win the MVP, much less finish in the top 5 in voting.
