| Shane Cobb. 29th November, 2005 - 5:53 pm
 Whether it?s through trades or free agent signings, Bill Stoneman expects to be busy. The Angels lost in the ALCS because of poor, inconsistent hitting that only produced two runs a game. The Angels best hitter, Vladimir Guerrero, did not come through. Vlad only got 1 hit in 20 at bats and had he played for the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox, the media would?ve been all over him. With all of this over, Stoneman has come to realize that Vlad can?t do everything by himself and will load up on offense this offseason.
The only big name players that are not expected to comeback are Bengie Molina and Jarrod Washburn. They are both in for a big paycheck, but not from the Angels. The Angels have a lot of depth at catcher with highly touted prospect Jeff Mathis and Bengie?s brother, Jose Molina. As for the starting pitching, it looks like Paul Byrd will be resigned for another one-year stint to complete the projected rotation of Colon, Lackey, Escobar, and Santana. Angels will be looking for some middle relief pitching, but they don?t have to look far because they have tons of pitching prospects to help out from within the organization.
What types of marquee sluggers will Stoneman go after? Well, Paul Konerko has been linked with the Angels all throughout the playoffs. His bat can definitely bolster the Angels offense with his 40+ homerun power and aid Guerrero in the lineup. As the roster stands right now, the only protection Vlad has, is an inconsistent Garret Anderson.
Now with Manny threatening the Red Sox to trade him or else he won?t show up to spring training, this gives the Angels an alternative if they can?t make a deal with Konerko. The Angels farm system is stocked with young, fresh talent. Combine that with the Angels payroll and that easily makes them the front-runners for the Man-Ram sweepstakes. Another reason the Angels might make a trade for Manny is because he wants to play for them. Manny, far into his career, can now reject a trade if he doesn?t want to go there. If the Angels do make a trade, expect a blue chip prospect sent packing to Boston.
The Angels are going to invite Kendry Morales and Howie Kendrick to spring training. Morales can make a strong case for DH and Kendrick could easily be the Angels starting second baseman sometime during next season. They are both hitting machines and can definitely provide a punch in the lineup.
With all of this flexibility, this offseason is going to be very exciting to watch if you?re a halo fan. From trades, call-ups, signings, you name it, expect the Angels to be very active. The Angels future, once again, looks the brightest out there. |
