Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman will be eligible to make his season debut Monday after serving a 30-game suspension (29 because of a rainout) for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. The league disciplined Chapman for firing eight shots from a gun into his garage wall after an argument with his girlfriend last October, but the 28-year-old is adamant that he did nothing wrong. “I didn’t do anything. People are thinking that it’s something serious; I have not put my hands on anyone, didn’t put anyone in danger,” he told Billy Witz of the New York Times. Chapman shrugged off the fact that his frightened girlfriend called 911 while hiding in the bushes, saying, “It was just an argument with your partner that everyone has. I’ve even argued with my mother. When you are not in agreement with someone, we Latin people are loud when we argue.” Chapman added that he believes Latino ballplayers are targets because of their wealth and their lack of familiarity with the customs in the United States, though he didn’t specify whether he thinks they’re targets of the league, the police or both. “It’s easier to hurt someone who is not from here than someone who is. People think we don’t know what the laws are and they try to hurt you. Many people want money. We have to take care of ourselves,” he said.
Here’s more from the American League:
- With the Angels lacking talent at the major league level and possessing baseball’s worst farm system, some pundits have begun weighing whether the team should trade the best player in the game, center fielder Mike Trout. Sports On Earth’s Brian Kenny is vehemently opposed to the Angels moving Trout, arguing that no player they could realistically get in return for the 24-year-old would come close to approaching his otherworldly production. Kenny cites Bill James’ theory that talent is not distributed evenly; instead, it’s to be thought of as a pyramid, and Trout – given both his output and durability – is at the very top of it.
- Astros right-hander Lance McCullers could finally be nearing his 2016 major league debut, which has been delayed because of a shoulder injury. The flame-throwing 22-year-old logged five innings (64 pitches) in a Triple-A rehab start Saturday and struck out seven, according to Angel Verdejo Jr. of the Houston Chronicle. That might end up as McCullers’ only start at that level if his body responds well in the coming days, per Verdejo. McCullers’ return will be a significant development for the Astros, whose rotation – like the team itself – has regressed from one of the league’s best last year to among its worst this season.
- CC Sabathia’s presence on the disabled list won’t preclude the Yankees from demoting right-hander Luis Severino to the minors if his struggles continue, writes Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media. “His development isn’t going to have much to do with CC’s injury,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild told Kuty. “I think what he does is what a lot of young pitchers would do and that’s try to power their way through it instead of pitching their way through it,” he continued. Severino has followed his strong 62 1/3-inning major league debut in 2015 with 25 2/3 frames of 6.31 ERA ball this season. The 22-year-old’s strikeout rate has plummeted from 8.09 per nine innings last season to 5.61, and his BABIP has risen 98 points from .265 to .363. Both of those factors have hurt Severino’s cause, though there are some positive signs: He’s walking far few hitters (1.75 BB/9 compared to a 3.18 mark in ’15) and continuing to generate ground balls over 50 percent of the time.
Not saying the Angels should trade Trout but Terrible logic on the part of Brian Kenny if the game revolved around one player the Angels would be winning games and making the playoffs, but the reality is its a team game and multiple good players at different positions are always going to be better than one really good player.
I agree. I think a team with 3 quality outfielders would be better than an outfield with an outfield with 2 scrubs and a superstar.
I think the Angels should entertain the idea, but only if someone comes in and offers them a package of prospects and MLB talent that you just can’t say no to.
Trout for Urias, DeLeon, Seager, Pederson, Barnes, Kendrick and Holmes?
That’d be fun.
Lol, immediate hang up if I were Zaidi.
The problem is Moreno and Scoscia are two of the dumbest guys in baseball when it comes to making a team. It’s becoming glaringly obvious that Dipoto was holding that team together and I feel bad for Trout, signing to play with a contender, only to have it fall to be one of the bottom tier teams.
Dipoto was the one pulling the team apart. He made a lot of bad moves that weakened a 98 win team and the players got behind Scioscia against Dipoto when he decided it was okay to go over the coaching staff’s heads. Dipoto didn’t have the ability to get people on board, whereas Billy Eppler has successfully done so, and has actually started an analytics department that Scioscia is using. Arte and Scioscia know what they’re doing, and Scioscia is making the transition. It was just a bad decision to sign Josh Hamilton. But that’s not even why they’ve only made the playoffs once in the last six years. The main reason has been their bullpen. And that was a problem that should’ve been easily fixable and was all up to Tony Reagins and Jerry Dipoto to fix. But they just couldn’t do that. I put those two failing to address the bullpen as the top reason the Angels have missed the playoffs the last 6 years.
Lol. Arte is an idiot, it wasn’t just Hamilton it was Pujols too which made then get rid of Trumbo and Morales. Wilson was a horrible signing. Wells was a horrible signing. The extension to Street was horrible. The signing of Fuentes was horrible. Trading for Freese was horrible. Arte is a horrible owner who lucked out with Drafting Trout and Scioscia has turned into a horrible manager maybe the worst manager in baseball. DiPota was handcuffed by Artie and Mike’s stupidity. Look at what he has already done with Seattle in less then one season. Anyone defending Arte and Scoicsa is just a homer and has the blinders on.
Actually I’m pretty sure the Angels OF was the most productive in MLB last season with the vast majority of that value coming from Trout (and some from Calhoun).
Trading Trout makes 0 sense for me. You aren’t going to replace Trouts 10WAR per yr with the potential prospect package (especially not at such an affordable price).
Those that are bashing LAA are ignoring the relative youth of the team. Skaggs/Santiago/Heaney/Tropeano are all young effective arms that should be able to pitch this year. Wilson and Weaver contracts are off the books after this yr. Hamilton is off the yr after. Money is coming off the books so the future isn’t as bleak as other are making it. Plus with the current roster it’s not inevitable that they contend for the playoffs.
Lol most productive you have to be kidding me, lf hit below .200 as a group trout a stud and a so-so right fielder .
Actually when you have a productive superstar, that player often becomes the difference between a playoff appearance and being a .500 team. Take Albert off of those Cardinals teams and many of them are .500 teams, give or take. Take Kershaw off the Dodgers and they don’t win their division the last 3 years. It does come down to that top player’s production in the end.
And yet when they took Albert off those teams, they went to 4 more consecutive NLCS appearances, but don’t let facts get in the way of an argument.
No argument that Trout could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs, the Pujols comparison notwithstanding. However, that will not be the case the next few years. The Angels are going to be terrible, like 100+ loss terrible. Keeping Trout does not make a terrible team a playoff team.
Trout to that rangers for profar Gallo Ortiz dille choo brinston and 2 more
Brian Kenny? Seriously MLBTR, he is one of the worst baseball analysts ever and always wrong..
Damn racist Americans with their obscure customs about not firing guns during an argument.
haha, nice
Yeah, that’s a little much… Kind of acting like he’s the victim here, like he should be able to blaze away at his garage wall in peace because he didn’t hurt anybody. Maybe I should try that and see how much easier everyone will be on me since I’m not a Latin millionaire pro athlete.
Dodgers offer any 2 prospects and any 2 off major league roster except Kershaw
Want to include Seager as untouchable
Ha ha do you honestly think any team could start a trade conversation for Trout and say a certain player going back is untouchable?
The only other major league talent that is worth anything is Maeda. Other players have value, but probably not to the Angels (like Gonzalez) or are not valuable enough to be a simple 4-for-1 swap. Any deal for Trout to the Dodgers starts at Urias, deLeon with multiple other prospects depending on who else is included (like adding Seager would mean less prospects included while making Seager untouchable would increase the prospect haul).
1st off even if the Angels traded Trout it would never be to the Dodgers under any circumstance or return imaginable. They would be essentially looking at the best player in baseball everyday. And thry have tried so hard at removing the Other LA Team stigma.
But the thought of trading Trout should not even be a thought in their mind.
With them bein so bad they should be focusing on selling him a long term contract. Then start the rebuild from there. The Cubs proved it doesn’t take long to retool. Instead of trading the best player in baseball I think they need to fire the overrated manager and the GM that built the worst farm system in baseball and retool from there. Like the Cubs did and the Braves are doing now. Thry could literally turn it around in 1 and s half years.
It took the Cubs almost 5 years to turn it around and rebuild. How do you figure a year and half?
The Cubs actually proved how long it takes to retool. When Epstein took over after the 2011 season the Cubs had already had back-to-back losing seasons, a decent farm system and had a bunch of players (Samardzija, Garza, Castro, Cashner et al) that they’d trade for good players. They went on to have 3 more losing seasons before winning.
If the Angels have losing seasons in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 and are as smart as Epstein has been in trades, drafting, and free agent signing, they will contend again in 2021. Of course Mike Trout is only signed through 2020.
Well put. I’d also like to add, why would Trout ever sign another extension with that team?
Where are you getting 1 year and a half? With their farm system, it would take longer than a year and a half to to rebulid and start contending again. The Braves rebuild is moving quickly because they had proven MLB players that they traded. Thats something that your saying the Angels shouldn’t do. If they don’t trade their MLB talent for prospects then all they have is draft and develop and that takes longer than a year and a half and usually takes multiple drafts. Plus the GM that your suggesting be fired, is in Seattle now. Yes they have money coming off the books, but over the past few years they have made horrible free agent signings, si what makes everyone think that all of a sudden they’ll make better choices or those choices working out and the team actually contending next year. They have one huge piece in Trout and a farm system that’s oblivion. I’d use Trout to replenish the farm system and speed up the rebuilding process and start it sooner than later
I’m not knocking what the Braves have done but they’ve had back-to-back losing seasons and have the worst record in baseball this year. Optimistically they could contend in 2018, not 2017.
The Phillies dug in and kept trying to contend and it just made their rebuild longer.
It’s not gonna happen. Fans of other teams can dream. But there really isn’t an equal return out there unless it’s a franchise with so much depth they can afford to part with 11 WAR!!! Yeah, that’s what Trout is on pace for. That’s Clayton Kershaw and Adrian Gonzalez’ 2014 WAR combined. Think about that. His best years haven’t even arrived yet either. Trade Mike Trout? Figure out how to match 11 WAR… Not gonna happen.
The Angels have so much money coming off the books this offseason ($50M). Too bad no one can trust Arte on how he will spend it.
Yeah, but a lot of it goes to significant raises for Trout/Pujols over the next couple of seasons. Not as much freed up money as one would imagine.
What I don’t get is that Chapman didn’t touch anyone, he shot a gun he owned in his closed garage. It was a simple domestic dispute, while Puig actually hit his (I think) sister and the league really didn’t do anything substantial about it. is there a difference in severity if it’s against a spouse rather than a family member, if I remember correctly both are considered domestic assault.
Should probably look up the facts before making a post like this. Puig never touched his sister, he was involved in an altercation with a bouncer. Additionally, domestic violence does not spread to one’s siblings unless they are cohabitating, which I have to assume Puig and his sister are not.
Do you actually believe Chapman didn’t touch her? MLB can now suspend (as they did) without having actual criminal charges. They do their own investigation, and can act upon it how they feel appropriate regardless of what the law does. It looks to me that they weren’t buying that he didn’t touch her.
Then why didn’t they suspend him? Do you have any sort of evidence to support that he did? Or is your speculation just entirely baseless. Additionally, I’m pretty sure his sister wouldn’t even fall under domestic violence.
Stop with the WAR it is truly the most rediculous phony stat ever created.
Rediculous you say?
+1
So what Chapman is saying, because he is a latin player and he has money they put a false charge on him. Come on man! Their are plenty of ball players with money. They didn’t just pick you out of the bunch and put a charge on you. A lot of Americans and different nationalities from different sports are getting domestic violence charges it isn’t just Chapman. Just own up to it and move on! Quit acting like your being picked out of everyone because you are Latin and you have money. If it was about money, they probably would go after someone that has a lot more than Chapman.
He goes nuts with a firearm, and HE is the victim. Yeah… Aren’t in Cuba anymore, Senor Chapman.
The Angels should at least considering trading Trout. They’re going to be bad, then terribly bad for a while. 2017/2018 this team likely loses 100+ games and do not have reinforcements coming through. However, they should not trade him for nothing or fringe prospects; they should get young major league players or major league ready talent, and expect top dollar. A few clubs can make the move. Leave the Dodgers out…they have the assets, but no deal between those clubs would be made.
I think the best deal that could be struck could be between the Mets and Angels. Syndergaard (the Mets have the depth to move him), Conforto (an outfielder to replace Trout, who while not as good is young, controllable and very talented), and the Angels’ choice of any two prospects in the Mets system.
It works for the Angels because it gives them an ace, someone who’s blossoming into one of the best pitchers in the game, a very good outfielder and two more promising pieces. They’ll win more games in 2017/2018 and beyond with them than with Trout. It works for the Mets because they have the pitching depth to deal Syndergaard, and getting a player like Trout who can be the face of their franchise would be worth the huge cost.
The Mets would never trade syndergaard. Guy has already come out and said he would take pay cuts to stay a Met for life. I think they’d move Harvey plus a bunch of prospects for trout if anything. But syndergaard would never be the center piece of the package for trout.
The only knock against Harvey is that he could become a free agent before the Angels are ready to compete again. I mean when a team has a chance to acquire one of the top two hitters in the league (the other being Bryce Harper) no one is really off limits.
I don’t think the Mets will trade Syndergaard either. Nor will the Angels trade Trout. HOwever, if a deal was going to be made Syndergaard would have to be they key piece in the deal. Harvey doesn’t work because he’s a free agent sooner, already had TJ surgery and has other baggage that Syndergaard doesn’t. DeGrom is significantly older, and Matz is showing to be fragile early in his career. Syndergaard would be the key piece, along with Conforto. Do I think it would happen? Not in a million years, but if any team gets Trout it’s not going to get him without giving up elite, controllable talent.
Syndergaard, Conforto AND prospects? No way.
Cubs trade Arrieta (SP), Soler (OF), Baez (Anywhere), Almora (CF), Edwards (SP/CL), and Vogelbach (1B/DH)……… for Trout. and a couple low prospects.
Problem there is that trade doesn’t help Angels long term in pitching. Arrieta does not resign with Angels I am sure.
Why would the Cubs make that trade? They’re not trying to build for the future…they’re trying to win the world series right now? They are one of the very few teams in baseball that Trout doesn’t represent a huge upgrade for offensively or defensively over what they currently have, at least not enough to give up perhaps the best pitcher in baseball. The rest of the package…who cares?…but giving up Arrieta for Trout makes no sense for the Cubs.
I wouldn’t do Trout for Arrieta straight up if I’m Chicago, and certainly not with Soler, Baez, etc. included.
In my opinion, if the Angels even considered trading Trout, it would have to be for a combination of a proven major league player or players, and an absolute “can’t miss” every day player prospect or prospects. Pitchers are fragile and only contribute 30-32 times a season in their best years. The Angels need to match up.
The thing to remember is that Trout has proven his worth and if you would consider trading him it has got to be for proven talent, not the potential of “prospects” that could fail and if so would make the Angels the laughing stock of the league.
That makes this discussion of whether to or not the real test of the Angels brain trust.
A reboot using Trout better work or the franchise would be the butt of jokes for the next 10 years.
That is exactly my thinking when suggesting the syndergaard/Conforto + deal. It’s the best of both worlds…young, controllable elite talent. Trading Trout for prospects could blow up in their faces, and dealing him for older, established players makes no sense. There aren’t many teams/deals out there that could give the Angels what they need to trade Trout.
Trade for Trout—– from the Cardinals; Pitchers-Anthony Reyes Gonzolas 2nd Baseman Kolten Wong, 1st baseman Matt Adams, outfielder; Matt Holiday
Angles would neverrrrr do that
Yes, just your average run-of-the-mill garage shooting. We’ve all been there, right? O.o He goes nuts with a firearm, and HE is the victim. Wow.
People act like the Angels are the A’s or Rays or something. There is still time to build around trout, and they have the resources to do it when $ comes off the books.
True. People also act like nobody will want to play for the Angels even though they convinced Albert to come
It would prob take a 3 team trade to get back enough prospects to consider trading Trout. I relieve of you get back 3 top prospects and 3 very good ones… You have to .. If 3 or 4 of the six pan out , you’ve made yourself better.
In the mid 50’s, the Cardinals offered the NY Giants an unheard of sum of One million dollars for Willie Mays. Smartly, the Giants rejected the deal because you don’t let a true once in a generation player get away. Everyone remembers what happened when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth. Mike Trout is such a player. If he were a FA next year, MAYBE you consider dealing IF you know you can’t resign him—-like Seattle did with Ken Griffey. But Trout is under contract for another four years. I guess discussing deals like this are good for baseball debates—-like when people were talking about Ted Williams for Joe DiMaggio. But the Angels know how special Trout is. He’s not going anywhere this year or next.