ANAHEIM, CA - JUNE 10: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looks on during the MLB game between Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 10, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images)
As great as Mike Trout is, baseball makes it nearly impossible to ride any one player to the promised land. In fact, rostering a player like Trout has perhaps caused more pain for the Angels, as his talent coupled with their poor performance has left the organization labeled as royal underachievers.
And whether that logic seems fair or not, the truth is that the game’s best player isn’t getting any younger. Five consecutive years of mediocre play can feel long and miserable and just one 90-win season in the last decade can start to make fans become just plain helpless.
But fortunately for the Halos and its fans, they have become one of the most interesting teams in the majors this offseason, both from a narrative and storyline standpoint, as well as in terms of the organization’s actual talent.
The farm has improved
In a sense, time has been both terrible and valuable for the Los Angeles Angels. As the losses and near-.500 seasons piled up, the minor league system has been refined, producing two top-100 outfielders in Joe Adell and Brandon Marsh (ranked Nos. 3 and 74 on FanGraphs THE BOARD, respectively).
Both could reach the majors in 2020, and while Adell has garnered more national attention, Marsh also turned in an impressive 2019, making it up to Double-A Mobile and slashing .300/.383/.428 with 7 home runs in 96 games.
The Halos farm system still has a ways to go, as the organization still lacks quality pitching; although, the system has certainly improved since say 2016, when the Angels ranked dead last by Minor League Ball (an SB Nation site). They certainly didn’t think too much of the organization’s prospect depth three seasons ago:
“UGHHHH: The Angels get a special category of badness all their own.”
It’s not really the prospects, though, that’s generating the excitement in LA…
Cash to spend
As part of all the league-wide commotion on Monday, the Los Angeles Angels declined its club option with outfielder Kole Calhoun ($14 million), instead of paying the $1 million buyout. With the team’s starting pitching needs and the steep price for the 32-year-old, letting Calhoun walk was generally expected.
In terms of the cost of the Angels’ arbitration-eligible players, the Halos should be set up to make a few big acquisitions this Winter. 28-year-old starting pitcher, Andrew Heaney, is projected to earn $5 million in 2020, the highest projected arbitration salary among all eligible Angels, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Additionally, the Angels will receive a nice boost to its 2020 budget, as several one-year deals are off the books: starting pitchers Matt Harvey ($11 million) and Trevor Cahill ($9 million), reliever Cody Allen ($8.5 million), catcher Jonathan Lucroy ($3.35 million) and first baseman Justin Bour ($2.5 million) should give the team roughly $34 million extra to burn this offseason.
That’s right about what free-agent starting pitcher Gerrit Cole will command as a yearly salary (perhaps 8 years, $280 million). Cole as well as 2019 World Series MVP, Stephen Strasburg (he will most likely opt out of his deal), are both California natives and have been reportedly on the Angels wish list.
It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to believe the Angels could potentially obtain either of those two superstars. However, it may serve them better to spread out their budget and perhaps acquire several second-tier arms for the rotation.
Regardless, the Angels payroll “will go up,”according to owner Arte Moreno last week. Considering how most owners enjoy talking a good game, it would be fair to remain skeptical about that statement; although, it doesn’t require too much squinting to see that Moreno may very well be telling the truth.
The team just hired highly sought after Joe Maddon as its manager, and it was reported that the organization’s “willingness to spend may have been a key benefit” in Maddon’s decision making. Not just that, Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler is entering the final year of his contract, which could very well increase the team’s urgency to get deals done.
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Fortunate for us, it won’t be too long at all before we’re able to see if any of the above actually matters. Once the hot stove of the offseason cranks up, the team will have no choice but to act. If not, they will simply be left behind… and the wasting-Trout narrative will certainly carry on.
