So Mark Teixeira goes to the Braves in a trade and the Angels have nothing in terms of Plan B.
Good, you be may thinking. And, for those people, yes, the Angels enter tonight second in the bigs in victories and have been playing better.
Awful, others might think. And, for those with this disposition, you're correct. Here's why:
It seems (and I'm sure it's not the case, thus the use of the word "seems") that GM Bill Stoneman never has a Plan B. The beat writers just interviewed Stoneman about losing out on Teixeira and he essentially said he was putting all his eggs in the Teixeira basket.
So, this Plan B scenario, at least in recent years, has failed to materialize.
In the winter of 2005, they failed to sign Paul Konerko and then had no other options.
In 2006, they failed to trade for Miguel Tejada and then missed the playoffs.
Last winter, they were hoping Aramis Ramirez would become a free agent (he did for about point-two seconds), set their sights on Alfonso Soriano and then came away with Gary Matthews Jr.
Maybe that's a Plan B. Maybe it's filling an already-present need.
I'm not pointing fingers. I'm just sayin'
Comments (4)
I can't say that I wouldn't have been excited if the Angels had landed the big bat from Texas. But on the other hand, with six guys batting at .300 or higher they look pretty good. There have to be a lot of fans around the country that would love to follow a team like that! Also, having been a fan of the Angels since their first game in Anaheim, I remember way too many years that they chased the big names and never much ever came of that strategy. (i.e. Mo Vaughn) I think the coaching staff gets the maximum out of their players and I love watching a team that cultivates new players through their minor league system. We're not the Yankees, and we don't want to be.
Posted by Dale Borgeson | July 30, 2007 10:00 PM
Posted on July 30, 2007 22:00
dateline: Anaheim, July 2008
Congratulations to Kasey Kotchman for leading the American League in hitting for the first half of the season. No doubt his .358 average was critical in gaining all those All Star ballots which placed him in his first showcase next week. In addition to his hot bat, Kasey is well on his way to winning his second gold glove following last season's excellent performance.
dateline: Atlanta, July 2008
The Braves today announced Mark Texiera is out for the rest of the season and his return for the future is in question. Texiera will have major knee surgery following a collision at first base with Jose Guillen of Seattle in interleague play last week. Texiera has only played in 20 games this seasons due to two previous stints on the DL. He finishes this year batting .184 with just 3 home runs.
Posted by Dale Borgeson | July 30, 2007 10:10 PM
Posted on July 30, 2007 22:10
Yeah, I agree with you that Matthews was a horrible signing... terrible defense...
I just find it funny that people criticize him for not making trades... when some of the trades he "could" have made would be completely ripping us off.
Yeah, Stoneman won't make it on Baseball Tonight for his blockbuster trades, but he's building a winning organization.
Why is he not sweating about the end of July? Because he's done his work in May/June (the minor leagues/drafting).
Posted by Daniel | July 30, 2007 11:18 PM
Posted on July 30, 2007 23:18
Of all the players you listed, I can't really blame Stoneman. Konerko rejected identical money to stay in Chicago. Tejada deal was nixed by Angelos - and I think they made a very good offer for him, too. Aramis Ramirez clearly had no intention of leaving, and he made a $100M+ offer to Soriano.
I, too, am frustrated that we can't get an impact type player and fear it could later hurt a playoff run. But of all the offers that have leaked out, it doesn't sound to me like Stoneman is not doing anything - there just aren't many good fits. Braves had a GLARING hole at 1st base, and wanted very badly to fill it. Angels do not, and still made a competitive offer. The Angels, more than anything, need to find that power at third base. Every other position is spoken for (by good talent, I might add), including DH (thanks to our achy-breaky corner OFs). Glaus might have fit that bill, but frankly the Jays had no real motivation to get rid of him. He has a reasonable contract so they can afford to keep him around until they get their pitching healthy. The Teixeira deal set the standard: HRs = multiple top prospects.
Ultimately, the Angels are a great club, 2nd best in the AL, and can make the playoffs. Where they go from there? Well if the Anaheim Cardinals of St. Louis proved anything, its that the playoffs are a whole new season.
Posted by Bill | July 31, 2007 2:12 PM
Posted on July 31, 2007 14:12