Writing that it is time for “…complete surrender. Flying the white flag. Capitulation to the moment, the season and, yes, Stoneman.”, the LA Daily News’ Steve Dilbeck would prefer to see the Angels take a low profile as the trade deadline approaches.
Alfonso Soriano, Bobby Abreu, Carlos Lee, Miguel Tejada and the like are all very tempting. Would surely make an impact on this season.
But if the cost is an Ervin Santana or Jered Weaver or Mike Napoli (above), forget it. If renting a star means relinquishing a significant chunk of the future, take a pass.
The Angels need help on the corners. Maybe they pursue a Jeff Conine or a Joe Randa, or if the cost is not too high, aim higher for a Sean Casey or a Shea Hillenbrand. Even a Craig Wilson would help.
Then when the season is over, and their contract expired, you can let them go knowing you did not mortgage your future. Maybe even re-sign them on the cheap.
The division is not only winnable the way the Angels are currently constructed, they’re probably favored to take it now.
Though the spectre of a healthier, second-half tested A’s team and resurgent (possibly) Mark Teixeria don’t seem to scare Dilbeck, I also can’t recall any prior suggestion that Wevie Stonder II would be trade bait.
As a die hard Angels fan, I agree with Dilbeck. This was supposed to be kind a down year as they wait for the kids to get ready. They could instantly improve the offfense by dealing Adam Kennedy for just about anything and moving Kendrick to second. And their pitching should be a fair amount better in the second half than the first. I say ride it out and see what happens, and if they fall short, oh well. They’re still set up pretty darn well for the next few years.