I hate that Ohtani went to the Dodgers. I hate LA everything which is also why I hate that the team in OC is called LA. I think we had a shot at resigning him but if we didn't, I was really hoping he went East.
Silver lining is they could use that money on pitching instead of Ohtani. Key word there is "could". Were at a point where even though I love Trout, I wouldn't mind seeing him traded to Philly for a decent haul.
Still a lot of questions to be answered. I just hope one of the answers to the questions is "Arte sells the team".
Agreed. You can still support the team while telling Arte to go eff himself.
Ohtani wants to be in the playoffs. Winning the WBC and striking out Mike Trout to win the championship solidified the notion of being a part of a playoffs team for Ohtani. The Angels finally going all in at the last minute is not a sign of an organization that wants to win year in and year out. All of Ohtani's six years in the org have always finished under .500 and nowhere close to a sniff at the playoffs.
Is that a wakeup call to Arte to have a two-time MVP not want to return to the organization because it's priority is not to make the playoffs for all of his six years as an Angel?
I'd say no.
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Trout has a no trade clause. Also, Trout loves the anonymity of being an Angel. People will still come to watch Trout as well as purchase Trout stuff.
For several years now, Arte has often cited he's in the market for an Ace and we come out with nada. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me for a sixth consecutive year, ...
The previous GM, Eppler, has been a dud with his first round picks - being successful with only one out of five prospects, LHP Reid Detmers. GM Minisian has actually made the Angels younger in the past couple of seasons due to trades and good drafting. All three of his first round picks have already made the MLB level in RHP Bachman, SS Neto, and 1B Schanuel. A 2021, 11th round pitcher, Silseth, made it to the MLB's this past season. Via trades, there's 23-year old C O'Hoppe and 25-year old CF Moniak.
For the 2024 draft, the Angels will select 8th overall. Minisian has been selecting college players, which allows them to reach the MLB sooner like SS Neto and 1B Schanuel.
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Will Arte let his GM sign top-end pitching now that Ohtani isn't with the team? No. I won't be fooled once again.