What the Angels need this offseason

As an Angels fan, I like thinking about who my team can get in the offseason and with pitching the obvious need - it maybe Gerrit Cole or bust.

However, I'm not going to fret about Cole at all until I check my phone and see he has signed with a team - Cole might 'hold out' until the spring and as much as the Angels desperately need him, they need to move on getting other guys.

This is my crack at attempting to solve the Angels pitching problems - that almost has little to do with actually getting the guy the Angels are thirsty for the most.

Hyun-Jin Ryu - he might be the more realistic non-Cole priority as a guy who is a magician on the mound, though there might be risks in signing him to a 3 or 4 year deal at a premium rate.

Though he was relatively healthy in 2019, I wouldn't want to sign the guy and see him breaking down again where he might pitch like a Cy Young contender - but someone who may make only so many starts and pitch so many innings.

Cole Hamels - as a veteran who has pitched for Joe Maddon, can he have a little bit of late career success on a 1 or 2 year deal? I don't think of him as that old, but has all the innings and usage caught up with the lefty?

Julio Teheran - on a start-per-start basis, he seems like someone who Angels fans would have fits about on Twitter or on fan forums, though nothing 'bad' really stands out when looking at his stats.

Dylan Bundy - maybe the Angels can trade for the 27-year old and turn him into something he hasn't been as a Baltimore Orioles pitcher. Despite double digit losses and inflated ERAs during the past two seasons, the 27-year old has been relatively healthy and may have some potential to be unlocked.

Wei-Yin Chen - maybe the veteran lefty has just had the worst luck since signing a big money contract with the Miami Marlins; going dumpster diving, maybe the Angels can offer him a spring training invite to see if he can show something to make the team as starting rotation depth.

Hold-overs - Andrew Heaney, Griffin Canning, Shohei Ohtani, Jaime Barria, José Suarez and Patrick Sandoval.

Featured autograph - Cole Hamels

I was able to get Hamels to sign this 2013 Topps Archives set card - because of his accomplishments as a big league pitcher, there has been superficial interest in getting his autograph, though I've never really had a chance to see him actually sign in-person until recently.

2016 Donruss hobby pack breaks x2

Pack one

#68 Jose Altuve

#59 Carlos Correa

#136 Alex Rodriguez

#128 Cole Hamels

#170 David Wright

#166 Michael Taylor

#9 Carlos Gonzalez - Diamond Kings insert

#D82-30 Manny Machado - Base 1982

Pack two

#76 A.J. Pollock

#55 Jose Bautista

#145 Matt Duffy

#178 Kirby Puckett

#174 Justin Upton

#SGS-TJ Travis Jankowski - Signature Series auto insert serial #’d 107/199

#USA-1 Buddy Reed - USA Baseball insert

#D82-1 Mike Trout - Base 1982

Ranking the 30 MLB teams on my watch - Philadelphia Phillies #26 of 30

I feel like the Phillies have been a bloated, over indulgent team of underachievers - even though they've been perennial contenders over the past 10 years and won a World Series in 2008.

After two bad seasons however, the only thing I hear is how GM Ruben Amaro has destroyed the franchise's chances for competing in the National League East - whether it's signing a fat [and now gimpy] Ryan Howard to a long-term contract or for not having the right appreciation for baseball analytics, Amaro is sort of looked on as 'one of those' old-school neanderthal GMs.

With pitchers Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee at the top of their rotation, they still have a couple of ace quality stars - though is there a capable team playing behind those guys at the moment?

Zack Greinke - Respek

While he got a broken collarbone and missed part of the season, I thought Greinke got a free pass in his bean brawl incident against Carlos Quentin earlier in the year - however I caught a glimpse of the benching clearing brawl between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday night and thought for as distant / goofy / aloof as Greinke is, he did right in plunking Miguel Montero after Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ian Kennedy had gone 'up and in' and beaned Yasiel Puig the inning before.

After having an explosive first week as a Major Leaguer, there was no question Puig was served up a 'welcome to the big leagues kid' message pitch - that reminded me of happened last year with Cole Hamels hitting Bryce Harper.

I'm tempted to say Ian Kennedy was sort of a punk in this whole situation - but I just watch the games and I'm not actually down on the field as a player or coach, so who am I to judge his intent?

2010 National League Division Series preview

San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves
The Giants should be poised to stick around in the playoffs - a starting trio of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez looks pretty impressive while the Giants' smorgasborg of castoff hitters may just give the lineup enough offense.

It has been no surprise, but catcher Buster Posey has been pretty impressive since taking over the No. 1 catching position for the Giants - he seems like a young guy who can explode with the bat, particularly in a short series.

The Braves made the playoffs despite pretty much some smoke and mirrors - Chipper Jones is hurt, Martin Prado is hurt, Nate McLouth had a terrible year and whipping boy Melky Cabrera is still penciled in as a guy who is going to play a lot, even though admittedly his bat falls short.

Braves rookie Jason Heyward has been a phenom and may give the Braves the sort of inspiring performance to boost them to the National League Championship Series - while Heyward seemed banged up for parts of the season, the 21-year old picked up 91 walks and had a .393 on-base percentage overall in 2010.

There is a story about 2010 being Bobby Cox's last hurrah in Atlanta - not to be a buzzkill, but it wouldn't bother me either way, if his Braves get dusted by the Giants in the Division Series, just to upset the 'feel good' narrative of beloved old-timey, fuddy-duddy skipper leading his team to one last shot of glory under his helm.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds
The Phillies go one-two-three in the NLDS with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels - general manager Ruben Amaro has been derided for trading off Cliff Lee, but his Phillies are the best team in the National League, with the best pitching staff and a balanced lineup with Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino, et al.



While the Reds don't seem as good on paper as the Phillies - they have Joey Votto, Scott Rolen, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips among the cast of characters that make for a solid lineup.

Their bench strength should be great with Laynce Nix, Miguel Cairo, Chris Heisey, etc - look for one of these guys to contribute.

A key for the Reds is getting away from staying with a starting pitcher too long, finally making a move in haste to bring in a reliever and watching the reliever implode - the Reds have Aroldis Chapman, a 105 MPH throwing 'big gun' in the bullpen.

Dusty Baker and his coaching staff cannot stick with a starting pitcher who is going to be laboring into the late innings - basically they have to make deft moves and have to think outside the box, even if it means ruffling some feathers with some guys and their presumed roles i.e. Francisco Cordero.

It doesn't seem like the Reds will be able to stay with the Phillies - the Reds' chances of upsetting the Phillies in the NLDS however will depend less on talent, but whether or not Baker micromanages too much, particularly under duress.