Angel's outfield is crowded, Oakland should throw some relief there way to help!

by Tim Armstrong on Dec 30, 2011 5:04 PM PST

Anaheim has more outfielders then they know what to do with right now, and Oakland has almost none. One of the things the Angel's are looking for is bullpen help which the A's could provide without losing any players under control long enough to fit the rebuild. I would propose a deal of Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes, for Peter Bourjos and Bobby Abreu.Balfour who was the A's best reliever last season, and has shown remarkable consistency over the last four years would be an upgrade at set up man for Anaheim. While Fuentes goes along in the trade after posting very solid numbers upon Melvin taking over managing last season, and is already familiar to the Angel's organization. In Bourjos you get an immediate starting center fielder with the range to patrol Oakland's large outfield, who is under team control thru 2017. Anaheim is then free to promote Trout to the big league club since they view him as a star in the making. Abreu provides Oakland with some options he could DH or play LF, and he brings a reputation as a mentor able to bring out career years in several of Anaheim's players in 2011 thru his clubhouse presence. Oakland could also flip Bobby at the deadline if he is having a bounce back season. I like Bourjos in Oakland, and dealing relievers that are only under short term control for a player the A's could keep thru a new stadium seems to fit well with there current plans. Abreu could bring some return value, and be very beneficial for bringing some of the Oakland prospects out of there struggles. I would be interested to see what type of influence he could have on Michael Taylor, and Chris Carter. There are a number of other relievers that Oakland could potentially package along with Balfour to get a deal done, and the benefits outweigh the cost's in my opinion. It's too bad I was disappointed with the haul for Bailey in a big way, and I think a Baily/Balfour for Trumbo/Bourjos would have been a solid deal for both teams clearing blocked players for Anaheim, and giving them a solid closer for a few season, while giving the A's some MLB ready players they could use now.

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Why would the Angels of Orange County go for this?

Abreu would be a huge financial drain in exchange for a declining skillset. Maybe they’d do it to dump payroll but why would we really want him?

And there’s no way they would give up Bourjos for one iffy bullpen arm and one decent one.

by coffee roaster on Dec 30, 2011 5:14 PM PST reply actions

logjam

They have Bourjos, Wells, Hunter, Langerhans, Trout, and Abreu in their outfield. On top of Pujols, Trumbo, Morales at first they just have too full a roster to carry all those and need bullpen help on the cheap if they add hardly anything they will break the tax. They are penny pinching to the point Alberts only making 12mm this year, but they will be on the hook for an immense 30mm in his age 42 season. On top of everything only Trout and Bourjos are able to be traded, all the others make far to much against there production to move(no one else in baseball is stupid enough to eat Wells money). So you make there salary work by picking up Abreu(which lets them DH Morales full time if they want), with both players going to the Angel’s combining for like 10.5mm next year they would need to shed salary to make it attractive to Anaheim, but you get five more seasons of a good CF for two relievers leaving next year.

by Tim Armstrong on Dec 30, 2011 8:48 PM PST up reply actions

Guess it depends on your definition of cheap

Fuentes and Balfour wouldn’t exactly be cheap. Bourjos made 414k last year and the F&B boys will make something like $9m next season. They’d be adding payroll and losing someone who actually is cheap.

by coffee roaster on Dec 31, 2011 11:49 AM PST up reply actions

Exactly

The point of Abreu beyond some usefulness on the playing field is that he is making roughly 9mm next year so they could keep a little wiggle room and solve there other issues.

by Tim Armstrong on Dec 31, 2011 9:57 PM PST up reply actions

If Dipoto did this, expect him to be fired soon after

by stranahanahan on Dec 30, 2011 5:45 PM PST reply actions

"Their" way, not "there way"

signed, Grammar Police

A Kouzmanoff for the rest of us!

by OptimistPrime on Dec 30, 2011 6:47 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Grammar?

This is a Fanpost on a site I’m not being paid for, where the most important part of the article is the baseball concept. Thanks writing Nazi’s for taking so much time to complain about that instead of the baseball related aspects.

by Tim Armstrong on Dec 30, 2011 8:52 PM PST up reply actions

This will not help your cause.

But seriously, folks....

by Bed. on Dec 30, 2011 8:55 PM PST up reply actions

Meh

Just sick of reading posts on many sites where the comments have little or nothing to do with the baseball involved in the articles. I think there is a package that would work to pull Bourjos away. The team will get less value from the type of player he is somewhere other then center field where they will have Trout in the near future. There are articles all over saying they still need relief help, and have limited funds to work with leading me to believe you could exploit the situation.

by Tim Armstrong on Dec 30, 2011 9:01 PM PST up reply actions

There is a package that could lure Bourjos away from the Angels.

The A’s can’t make it.

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by dwishinsky on Dec 31, 2011 4:54 PM PST up reply actions

You'd get more leeway if the baseball-related aspects were better...

but you’re seriously kidding yourself if you think people are going to make an effort to see past easily correctable grammar and spelling errors. Why should we? It’s basically an indication that you don’t care enough to bother with some basic editing.

"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.

by PaulThomas on Dec 31, 2011 9:22 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

+1

But seriously, folks....

by Bed. on Dec 31, 2011 3:24 PM PST up reply actions

Ay ugree compleetly,

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by dwishinsky on Dec 31, 2011 4:55 PM PST up reply actions

"Thanks, writing Nazi's, ..."

rage

by elBONESAW on Dec 31, 2011 11:04 PM PST up reply actions

Apostrophe Error's

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by dwishinsky on Jan 1, 2012 9:16 PM PST up reply actions

Pot calling kettle black?

You are using your quotation marks inconsistently. Either quote the inappropriately used word and its replacement alone or the original and replacement phrases in their entirety, but don’t mix approaches.

by Alvin Dark on Jan 2, 2012 12:32 PM PST up reply actions

.

That rug really tied the room together...

by Streams Of Whiskey on Dec 30, 2011 7:07 PM PST reply actions 4 recs

Dear Tim...

I love your work in Rancid, but lay off the posts for a little bit.

At one point in my life I liked Dave Kingman more than Rickey Henderson. I was stupid.

by the_rozeboom on Dec 30, 2011 8:44 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Tim

This is a horrid proposal for several reasons.

1) Abreu and Hunter are FA at the end of 2012. Morales might not even be healthy enough to play by Opening Day. Trout to AAA, Morales to the DL and the Angels feature an outfield of Wells, Bourjos and Hunter. Abreu is getting old and heads to the bench or Hell, gets cut! Trumbo can DH.

Translation: what logjam?

2) The Angels never needed Bailey to close. Balfour and Fuentes are decent arms but for their combined price the Angels could just go out and sign Ryan Madson.

3) If dealing a couple short term relief pitchers for a long term starter in CF if a great deal for Oakland then it stands to reason that it is a horrible deal for Anaheim. Why would Anaheim want to make a bad deal? Again, if roster space is an issue why not just cut Abreu?

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Dec 30, 2011 9:23 PM PST reply actions 3 recs

Lefty

With two lefties in Downs and Takahashi, do not see why they would want Fuentes anyway. And those two make 8+ million, so they are not likely to add a third costly lefty.

by dougald1 on Dec 31, 2011 6:19 AM PST reply actions

I noticed a really sad thing the other day.

The Phillies are considering Scott Hairston as their 5th outfielder. He would make out starting outfield.

"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."-anonymous
"i guess i just like beer"-stm

by Tutu-late on Dec 31, 2011 9:30 AM PST reply actions

Sorry, "our" starting outfield.

"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."-anonymous
"i guess i just like beer"-stm

by Tutu-late on Dec 31, 2011 9:31 AM PST up reply actions

no thanks

did that before…..no thanks

by dougald1 on Dec 31, 2011 11:05 AM PST up reply actions

Thats my point

What we(the FO) considers a starter, the Phillies consider roster filler

"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."-anonymous
"i guess i just like beer"-stm

by Tutu-late on Dec 31, 2011 11:29 AM PST up reply actions

I think the suggestion is that taking Abreu off the slegnA's hands (and payroll) would be part of the price for getting Bourjos

But I still don’t see this package being nearly enough to get LAA to part with him.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Jan 2, 2012 11:38 AM PST up reply actions

beane would never do that

He refused to sign willingham after a career year because he didn’t want to increase payroll when we’re rebuilding, I’d be surprised if he paid $9mill for a DH

by sam8235 on Jan 2, 2012 4:58 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions