The Angels’ early-offseason aggressiveness continues. The Halos announced the acquisition of outfielder Hunter Renfroe from the Brewers on Tuesday night. Pitchers Janson Junk, Elvis Peguero and Adam Seminaris head to Milwaukee in return.
It’s the third early strike of the offseason for the Halos, who’ve already signed starter Tyler Anderson to a three-year free agent deal and acquired infielder Gio Urshela in a trade with the Twins. Now, they take a step towards fixing an outfield that had a major question mark alongside Mike Trout and Taylor Ward.
Renfroe should solidify the corner outfield spot opposite Ward. He’s been an above-average hitter in each of the past two seasons, with strikingly similar production for the Red Sox in 2021 and Brewers this year. The former first-rounder has combined for 60 home runs over the last two seasons, following up a 31-homer showing with the Sox with 29 more in Milwaukee. He had an identical .315 on-base percentage in each year but more than offset that modest number with big power production.
The right-handed hitter has hit between .255 and .260 in each of the last two years while slugging around .500 both seasons. He has a cumulative .257/.315/.496 line in just under 1100 plate appearances going back to the start of 2021. His 22.9% strikeout rate is right around average, while he’s walked at a slightly below-average 7.6% clip. He’s a lower-OBP slugger who has particularly decimated left-handed opposition. Renfroe carries a .269/.357/.508 line over that stretch while holding the platoon advantage. He’s had starker on-base concerns but hit for enough power to remain a decent option against right-handed pitching (.252/.292/.491).
That power production is Renfroe’s calling card, but he’s also a viable defender. Defensive Runs Saved has pegged him right around league average in right field in each of the last three seasons. Statcast’s range-based metric has Renfroe a few runs below average annually, but he compensates for his fringy athleticism with top-tier arm strength. He’s picked up double-digit assists in each of the last two years, and he leads all MLB outfielders with 27 baserunners cut down in that time.
Renfroe’s excellent arm strength has kept him primarily in right field over the past few years, although he did log a number of innings in left earlier in his career. If he steps into right field at Angel Stadium, that’d push Ward over to left field. Former top prospect Jo Adell now looks as if he’ll be relegated to fourth outfield/bench duty after beginning his career with a .215/.259/.356 showing in roughly one full season’s worth of games. Adell is still just 23 years old and coming off a solid year in Triple-A Salt Lake, but the Angels don’t appear prepared to count on him for a regular role as they look to vault their way into the playoff picture in 2023.
As with last week’s Urshela trade, the Renfroe acquisition is about deepening the lineup with a productive but not elite veteran for a season. Renfroe turns 31 in January and is in his final season of club control. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for an $11.2MM salary, and he’ll be a free agent at the end of the year. That’s a reasonable sum for a player of this caliber, but one moderately expensive season of arbitration control over a lower-OBP corner slugger isn’t teeming with trade value. Renfroe is the second player of that ilk dealt in as many weeks.
The Blue Jays sent Teoscar Hernández to the Mariners for reliever Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko. That trade came as a surprise to a number of Toronto fans, but each of Swanson and Macko are arguably more appealing players than any of the trio of pitchers Milwaukee received in this swap. Hernández is a better hitter than Renfroe is, but the gap between the former’s .282/.332/.508 line over the past two seasons and the latter’s production isn’t all that dramatic. Nevertheless, Renfroe has had a hard time sticking in any one spot as his price tag has escalated throughout his arbitration seasons. The Halos will be his fifth team in as many years, as he’s successively played for the Padres, Rays, Red Sox and Brewers going back to 2019.
Adding his projected arbitration salary pushes the Halos’ estimated 2023 payroll up to around $192MM, per Roster Resource. That’d be the highest mark in franchise history, narrowly topping their approximate $189MM figure from this past season. They’re up to roughly $206MM in luxury tax commitments, around $27MM shy of the $233MM base threshold. The franchise’s spending capacity this winter has been in question with owner Arte Moreno exploring a sale of the franchise. There’s still no indication the club is willing to approach luxury tax territory, but the acquisitions of Anderson, Urshela and Renfroe have tacked on an estimated $31.9MM in 2023 spending. The latter two players represent one-year investments, but it seems Moreno is affording general manager Perry Minasian and his group some leeway to add to the roster in advance of the club’s final season of control over defending AL MVP runner-up Shohei Ohtani.
The Brewers add a trio of pitchers, two of whom already have big league experience. Junk is a former 22nd-round pick of the Yankees. He went to the Halos in the 2021 deadline deal that sent southpaw Andrew Heaney to the Bronx. The right-hander has pitched in seven MLB games over the past two seasons, starting six. He’s allowed a 4.74 ERA through 24 2/3 innings, striking out a below-average 19.4% of opponents but posting a sterling 4.4% walk rate.
Junk, 27 in January, leans primarily on a low-80s slider which prospect evaluators suggest could be an above-average pitch. He has decent spin on his 92-93 MPH four-seam but hasn’t cemented himself on a big league staff to this point. He spent most of this year on optional assignment to Salt Lake, where he posted a 4.64 ERA through 73 2/3 innings as a starter in a hitter-friendly environment. His 22.1% strikeout percentage was a touch below average, but he only walked 5.8% of opponents. The Seattle University product still has a pair of minor league option years remaining and can bounce between Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville as rotation or middle relief depth.
Peguero, on the other hand, is a pure reliever. The righty debuted with three appearances as a COVID replacement late in the 2021 season. He earned a permanent 40-man roster spot last offseason and appeared in 13 games this year. Tasked with low-leverage innings, Peguero put up a 7.27 ERA across 17 1/3 innings. He only struck out 15.6% of opponents but got swinging strikes on a more impressive 12% of his total pitches. The Dominican Republic native induced grounders on roughly half the batted balls he surrendered in the majors.
He also had an excellent year in Salt Lake, where he tossed 44 1/3 frames of 2.84 ERA ball. Peguero fanned 27.5% of batters faced against a quality 7.1% walk rate and racked up grounders at a huge 57.5% clip. Like Junk, Peguero leaned primarily on a slider during his MLB look, although he throws much harder. Peguero’s slider checked in at 91 MPH on average while his fastball sat just north of 96. He turns 26 in March and also has two options remaining, so the Brewers can deploy him as an up-and-down middle reliever while hoping he can translate his Triple-A success against big league opponents.
Seminaris went in the fifth round in the 2020 draft out of Long Beach State. A 6’0″ southpaw, he wasn’t ranked among the top 30 prospects in the Anaheim system at Baseball America. He traversed three minor league levels this year, showing well at High-A against younger competition but struggling as he climbed the minor league ladder. Altogether, he worked 101 2/3 frames of 3.54 ERA ball with a 22.1% strikeout rate and an 8.7% walk percentage. He’s not on the 40-man roster but will have to be added by the end of the 2023 season or be exposed in the Rule 5 draft.
While Milwaukee clearly likes all three mid-20’s hurlers, they’re each flexible depth options. Surely, a key motivator in the deal was reallocating Renfroe’s hefty arbitration projection. Slashing payroll wasn’t the sole impetus for the trade — the Brewers could’ve simply non-tendered Renfroe last week if they were committed to getting his money off the books — but GM Matt Arnold and his staff elected to clear some payroll room while bringing in a few depth arms of note.
The Brewers are projected for a salary around $115MM at Roster Resource thanks largely to an arbitration class that still includes Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Willy Adames, among others. That’s about $17MM shy of this year’s Opening Day mark, and more roster shuffling figures to be on the horizon. Dealing a complementary player like Renfroe doesn’t suggest the Brewers are about to flip any of Burnes, Woodruff or Adames, but Milwaukee could consider moving second baseman Kolten Wong or a depth starter like Adrian Houser or Eric Lauer. They’ve already drawn some interest from the Mariners on Wong and are sure to contemplate a number of ways to try to balance the present and the future.
Milwaukee could now dip into the lower tiers of the free agent corner outfield market to backfill for Renfroe’s absence, with Tyrone Taylor standing as the current favorite for playing time alongside Christian Yelich and Garrett Mitchell in the outfield. Highly-touted young players like Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer could play their way into the mix midseason, but it’d be a surprise if the Brewers didn’t add at least one veteran outfielder before Opening Day.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Angels making moves! Playoff! Playoffs! 😉
Wtf
I assume this means Mitchell has the CF job.
Platoon with Ruiz I’m guessing.
thomp – Sign JBJ and call it even.
Spending the money on run prevention, maybe holding onto Woodruff and Burnes for one more year and see what shakes out by the deadline.
Funny – I was scrolling down looking for a Milwaukee sided comment. I thought that Milwaukee would retool a little this off season to make one more run (hopefully) with that starting rotation, and when they picked up Wong’s option – I thought it was a first step in that process. Moving Renfroe however makes me wonder if some type of semi tear down will ensue.
My guess on Milwaukee’s front is that they picked up Wongs option and Renfroe was tendered a contract just to see which, or both they could get a return from and get something out of it instead of just letting them walk. I still won’t be surprised if Wong is traded as well, but I’m expecting Burnes and Woodruff stay out at least until the trade deadline.
Otherwise the money from Renfroe and Wong I think is likelier to be reallocated to improve the lineup somewhere else. Although Mitchell showed promise last year, I doubt the CF job is his to lose. I’m guessing they either add another outfielder or a third basemen, plus a catcher. With Narvaez a free agent, I don’t see them going with the 2 in house options as they’re 2 main roster catchers. One of them is likely going to just be for depth.
I made some dark horse picks for Milwaukee on my free agent contest. They’re not likely going to be in the mix for the top free agents, but I can see them as a dark horse candidate for Justin Turner (who they approached last time he was a free agent) or even a team that may take a shot on Bellinger, even though they already have their own former MVP that’s still trying to get back to form.
What about Estuary Ruiz, one of the players they got in the Hader trade, playing every day at 2B (If Wong is traded.) or in CF? His 2022 minor league numbers are off the charts. Pop and speed, although I do question the validity of home run totals amassed in the PCL.
I think the FO would have to be pretty bowled over with a trade proposal to move Wong. There’s been a lot of talk about teams looking for increased athleticism at 2B with the “end” of the shift, and he’s a GG dude – even coming off a bad year defensively. I bet they wait to see if one of those kids gets off to a screaming start in spring training before they seriously consider it. See if someone wins a spot before you trade away a known commodity.
I don’t think it’ll be that drastic. They just figured that Renfroe’s production at ~ $11+M could be replaced for much cheaper (I think they were expecting a breakout that just never happened). He’s good, with a great arm, but not a game changer. They’ll use that cash to fill in the bullpen and we’ll likely hear about “keeping the powder dry” if something pops up on the trade market
Of course it was a huge breakout and he’s a game changer on both sides of the ball.
He hit those HRs in only 522 PAs (Judge had nearly 700) and only played in 3/4ths of the games (and I don’t think he started all 125, because he had to come off the DL a few times or was a PH/Defensive replacement on occasion when he didn’t start).
If the guy could ever play a full season, he might hit 40. I suspect he would have last year with 650 PAs, even if he turned in his 2nd most healthy season.
Not saying it was a bad trade. Some of these prospects are highly rated and getting ready to make the leap to MLB, and it was good to get some pitching depth since we are overloaded with better talent than people believe at both OF and SS (and if we see a trade, it will perhaps be one of our pitching prospects and maybe an OF prospect, my hope being to get Isaac Paredes and hand him the starting job at 3B, while moving Urias to 2B, trading Wong for prospects, and Turang and Brosseau become the utility guys).
Then we just need a catcher!
You clearly don’t understand revenue at all.
What a Junk return for the Brewers.
That was steal move for the Angels.
Makes me wonder about Renfroe. Well traveled for his numbers. There was something off about him in Boston. Time will tell.
Seems the brewers have had a few junk return trades recently? Josh Hader, now Renfroe
The baseball gods are punishing them for being so cheap when they have dual aces and a wide open competitive window.
You say that but I think the Pads are gonna regret letting Gasser go once he’s in the show. I’ve seen analytics-heavy prospect publications give him a lot of hype the last few months
Peguero is the type of arm the Brewers coaching staff can turn around. You’ll be asking “why did the angels trade this guy?” come June
I thought Hader return was strong. This trade definitely isn’t. There are things to like about all 3 of these relievers. They seen something they liked and went the quantity route. One man’s trash is another’s….
Trash?
No.
It’s funny Junk and Peguero were the two guys Angels got from the Yankees for Heaney.
I don’t think they were ever going to or expected to get much out of Renfroe. As is often noted, the corner outfield position isn’t necessarily he’d to fill. I think it was always about getting at least something in return, depth especially, that they even tendered him.
Not an exciting return at all, but I don’t think it ever was going to be.
Big move! Angels coming in hot watch out!
Ah-HA!
Said they get a LF….so they move the RF to LF.
Smart move. Angels have actually had the best offseason SO FAR if you think about it
The Baseball Fan;
Smart move by smart GM.
It took years to get the deadwood out and the structures set. Now he can complete the process…..and he’s not done! Closer will be found before opening day.
Ben Joyce.
Ben Joyce won’t be there this year. He has touched 105mph and he had a good start to his major league career, stiking out 20 in 13 innings, but he wear an Angel;s uniform for another couple years. . Perry has done a good job drafting bullpen pieces in his first 2 years, Luke Murphy, Eric Torres, Ben Joyce,, and even Sam Bachman can all be part of their bullpen in the next couple of years, but for now if they want bullpen help, they will need to pay for it.
Good call. Joyce went from college to AA where he struck out 20 in 13 IP and only walked 4. Scouts around the league thought that if the Angels were in a playoff run that he might have been called up to the bigs in 2022.
He most certainly will be pitching for the big league team in 2023 at some point.
TBF
I agree with you, but it is rather early to tally the score. But the Angels have the best start, followed by the Padres and Mets for keeping some existing talent, but with very slight overpays. Also, interesting is the Rockies trading for Nolan (Jones not Arenado), gutsy move for the Rockies to ever bring a player named Nolan into the fold given the memories that he will stir for their fans.
About to boycott this team rn
Was hoping the Mets got him and had Canha as the 4th OFer.
So the Brewers got a quantity of arms.. just no quality..
I remember a couple weeks ago Brewers fans were telling me how much value Renfoe had on the market.
Yeah, the return doesn’t look so hot at first glance- only 1 guy from MLB Pipeline’s top 30 Angels prospects rankings, Janson Junk all the way down at 16th of 30.
I’d be pretty ticked if I was a Brew Crew Dewd.
Peguero still has potential maybe if he plays more he’ll get better.
I’d rather the Crew had taken a flyer on Adell as part of the return instead of more pitchers like the dozens of others “with potential” acquired over the years who then become an after thought, well traveled, or disappear completely because they can’t throw strikes or keep the ball in the park.
I always wanted my RS to take a shot, but his stats are abysmal and getting worse. In his final 120 ABs, he had a 53/2 K/W. That’s almost impossibly bad.
This was a salary dump all the way. Renfroe will be making about $12 million in his last season before FA.
What are we doing
2002 All over again WooooOoooooOo!!!! Go Halos!!! Keep grabbing these players fellas I like what I’ve been seeing!
And hopefully don’t fall off a cliff again.
Hunter Renfroe stay with a team for more than one season challenge
Isn’t he a free agent after 2023?
I liked Renfrow as a Brewer, but it seemed kind of inevitable that Brewers were going to get this kind of disappointing return for a guy that’s going to be a free agent soon. They are the fourth team in four years that decided not to invest in renfroe long term so apparently they’re not the only team anticipate his long term price to not be worth it.
People in San Diego loved him, hope he does well with the Halos.
Cue 15698389 casuals rushing to claim how bad this return is for Milwaukee while yet again failing to consider the exceedingly low value of average rentals
The issue I would take with the deal if I was a Brewers fan would be the deal itself, not the middling return. They need to be adding more offense, not subtracting their best hitter (by measure of OPS+) from last year.
I agree, GMoney. I liked Renfroe as a Brewer, but it seemed kind of inevitable that Brewers were going to get this kind of disappointing return for a guy that’s going to be a free agent soon. They are the fourth team in four years that decided not to invest in renfroe long term so apparently they’re not the only team to anticipate his long term price to not be worth it.
Not me, I love this return. Junk had a really nice K/BB rate at AAA last year. All three are interesting arms with trade value.
I am not convinced Junk will ever be a major league pitcher. The one guy in the trade that has potential is Peguero. If the Brewers can develop him, He could be a good setup man or closer, but he is far from that right now.
Junk’s BB/K rate last year should tell you he’s a MLB pitcher. If youre looking at ERA at AAA in 2022….you failed.
All 3 prospects that were traded to the Brewers have struggled in the Angel’s organization. This trade is to see if a change of scenery and new set of coaches will do some good. They are long shots, but it is apparent they were not going to be successful with the Angels.
Janson is going to turn 27 is a couple months. He has struggled at AA, AAA, and the major league level. He has ok command but his stuff isnt amazing.
Seminaris is a soft tossing lefty. He was decent at A+ ball, but was lit up in AA and AAA as one can expect from a prospect with limited velocity.
Peguera is likely the best of the three to have a turn around even if Junk is rated higher. He has the stuff, but as with most tall pitchers it takes time to learn command. Not that he walk a lot but his pitches catch too much of the strike zone. If Mil can get his to repeat mechanics, he will be the most likely to stick at the major league level.
Was kind of hoping KC would add a RH bat like Renfroe, especially when the price was so low (as a salary-dump/spot-opener for MIL)
You want Marcel Ozuna? I can make a few phones calls and have him in a plane by morning.
Just make sure one or those calls is to his PO.
Halos will pay Ozuna to stay where he is if need be.
Brewers just gave away their best offensive player. Might as well trade f’ing Burnes.
Padres want Tellez.. we give Wethers lest go..feels like a Padres overpay after that package from LAA
Brewers keep trying to stay somewhat competitive over the years when they’re far from good enough. It’s time for a full rebuild… break it completely down, and build it back up from the bottom. Starting with the farm of course.
Trading your best hitter when your team needs more good hitters is an…interesting…strategy.
Missed opportunity
Bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it works out for ’em
If he’s still playing maybe he’ll play for tbe Las Vegas A’s and “has a catch with Hunter Renfrow of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Yelich and Adames are way better offensive players than Hunter Renfroe, a 2.5 WAR guy who grows on trees.
They are? So why did Renfroe have a better OPS+ and wRC+? Why was Renfroe’s OPS 70 points higher than Yelich and 50 points better than Adames? Maybe because they are not better offensive players?
Renfroe was the best hitter of the three last year. Objectively.
OPS+ says otherwise.
Yelich is far worse. He had the same WAR but 100 more ABs.
Adames had way better WAR, but also 100 more ABs and had more on D than Renfroe (solely because he had WAY more chances at a premium position versus the position with the least chances on the field, where Renfroe had the most OF assists).
If he ever had a full season, Hunter would hit 40 every year.
If you honestly think Renfroe is better than Yelich, you just dont know anything about baseball and are blinded by recency bias. Smh. Yelich hits 35 homers next year and then where will you be?
I’ll probably be lapsed into an apoplectic coma since it’s so unlikely that Yelich will ever hit 20 again (or even 15).
I always said they’d regret the last 3 years of Cain’s contract and was right. I didn’t think the Yelich contract would be worse (and even if he becomes the new Cain, a high OBP guy who scores 100 runs every year, it’s a dramatic overpay).
And what does someone in the UK know about baseball?
NOTHING.
At least I was a 3 year conference all star in HS!
I like this move. Ironically, both Junk and Peguero came from the Yankees in the Andrew Heaney trade. So, basically, the Angels traded Heaney for Renfroe.
lol!
I like this move. Now the Angels need RPs. They may have the worst pen in baseball.
Angels going all in for 1 year before Godzilla leaves!
kingsfan1968;
Actually, this’ll get him to stay (he doesn’t want to leave).
And that’s what the last 2 seasons of moves have been all about.
Perhaps, But I think he goes to the Dodgers!
If the Angels get to the ALCS or the World Series, why would Ohtani want to leave? He clearly loves the team, his teammates, and he lives in SoCal. He just wants a chance to compete and win… and he may finally get that with the Halos.
Astros/Mariners/Rangers.. seems like a lot to get through just to get in
Rangers? Seriously?
orange2001;
The area he lives in is one of the nicest places to live in America if one has lots of money. The weather’s nice. Lots to do. Mingle with other successful people.
His olympian gold medal winning GF is a SoCal native as well. He stays in Anaheim.
I think he does like it here, but the part about that being a girlfriend is just click bait stuff. She just wanted a picture with him. The Japanese media would be all over it if was anything. They have reporters over there that are just covering Ohtani stuff.
Playing for another team does not mean he has to move. He should be able to afford a second residence.
Money, of course. The sale of the team and its timing will be a big part of the negotiations. They may not be as attractive to a buyer with another major obligation on the books. The new owner may want the blame from fans placed on the current owner. Plus, if it was all about comfort, he’d still be playing in Japan.
His nick name is Showtime. Godzilla Played there too. He already left a long time ago. Hideki Matsui.
Halos have been doing their fan base proud this off-season. Keep going fellas. Grab another bat and 2 relievers and we can call it a day.
Don’t stop there!
Nooooo! We need a top of the rotation starter and three bullpen arms.
Carla, we got a solid starter in Anderson. We can’t get greedy! 2 bullpen arms not 3!
They are definitely not getting 3. Herget, Loup, Tepera, and Barria will be in the pen to start 2023.
Sign Trea to play SS and work on the BP
Don’t tease us Winslow..
With the team up for sale I don’t think we will see any deals longer than the Anderson deal. That would rule out Turner or any of the big 4 SS.
If Arte did spring for one of those 4, I would want Correa just to rub it in the Astros face for the next decade.
Junk in, junk out
DarkSide830;
MLB is not rotisserie league.
Franchises are rewarded when they bring along the players they have under contract. I’d think that a Phillies fan that followed the team in 2022 would know this.
The crew are a good org.
Don’t know that they got much more here that couldn’t have been scoured
on the waiver wire though. Brewers will work with the arms, no doubt.
There’s obviously a disconnect between public perception of Renfroe and what org.’s consider his value to be once he’s in their clubhouse.
He gets traded around like a rotisserie league player
Always the analytically inclined organizations getting in and getting out on this guy too.
TB to Boston to Milwaukee.
Junk has a pretty good slider though. I’m sure the Brewers have some kind of pitch data on this guy that makes them think they can turn him into a very effective reliever.
Wouldn’t count them out. I expect Wong to be gone next.
I do too about Wong. Urias to 2B. Trade for Paredes to play 3B.
Then all we need is a Catcher and to shore up the pen (and maybe a 6th starter, though we may have one among these guys who is already better than Alexander).
Hunter Renfroe is this generation’s Reggie Sanders. Good enough to stay in the league forever, but not good enough to stay with a team for more than a year.
Reggie seems better. Reds liked him.
Don’t look now – the Angels a re building a team!
Best build they had in years.
Fourth new team in four years eh?
Close Jim…5th in 6.
Guess we’ll finally get our Jo Adell trade.
Probably not. Might get a Fletcher trade if they add a true shortstop.
The most underrated part of this trade is that wiith Trout and Renfroe on the same team, you will be unable to physcially tell them a part. Go google their faces next to each other.
Maybe they can get Trout 8 ABs a game then.
Renfroe and Trout are lookalikes. Makes sense
Think they can get that much back when they have to trade him at the deadline?
Guess they aren’t trading Ohtani then. This trade makes no sense if they do.
Sure it does. Its only a one year commitment to Renfroe. They could trade them both at the deadline if things don’t work out.
I meant they weren’t trading Ohtani during the offseason. I see both guys going at the deadline. If they want to contend in 2023 keeping Ohtani is a must. And if they don’t then trading for Renfroe was pointless.
Does anyone think they will go get a shortstop? Or run with what they have? Trade Jo adell, Sam Bachman and Arol Vera to the royals for Scott Barlow!
I dont think another SS is in the cards. Most of the Angels infield are solid utility guys so Rengifo, Gio, Soto and if need be Fletch can all play short.
If they don’t go get a shortstop they’ll give Livan Soto a chance to win the job in spring if he continue what he started in September.
100% they’re going to get a SS
I don’t know if they will. The lineup is pretty deep. Soto might be able to play and Velazquez can field. They need a bullpen…again
Your 100% is close, only if we knew they’d bud up against the cap at spend 230m plus. If not, you might just see them get a closer and call it an off-season.
We all just don’t know what Arte’s going out with a bang spending party is, We’ll see soon.
I think the Gio move pretty much was it on that front.
I’d bet against a shortstop. Urshela, Fletcher, and Rengifo can all play multiple positions.
The sale of the team likely eliminates a mega free agent.
I’ve also heard the organization is very high on 2022 first round pick Neto and think he’ll be up as soon as 2024.
Rosario in Cleveland would fit. Option year, so a rental just like Renfroe.
The Angels have one shot at Ohtani wanting to stick around and that is competing now. To do that Minassian needs to get a shortstop and free Urshela to play 3B when Rendon gets hurt and 1B when Walsh is hurt. .
It doesn’t have to be one of the big 4, but there are a couple that would be a solid upgrade and a FA at the end of the season. Then if Soto or Neto are ready to take the job full time in 2024, no one is blocking them or eating up payroll long term.
I think they are going to trade for Amed Rosario. Not a superstar, but a really good defensive player that put up a 4.2 WAR in 2022 who is a rental. He won’t cost much, just like Renfroe.
The other thing is Rosario is a FA after 2023 so he doesn’t block Soto or Neto.
That is the one.
I don’t see them getting a SS. I envision Gio will be the 1B until Walsh returns from rehab assignment. Once Walsh returns, he will play 1B against left handed starters. Urshela will also give Rendon 1 day off per week at 3rd. He will also get a start at SS and 2nd, once or twice per week against righties. The rest of the 2nd base and SS duties will be split between Fletch, Soto, and Rengifo.
The Angels still have more glaring holes to fix like the bullpen. This should be the next step to address this offseason.
What is interesting to me is that a few days ago Minassian said that if the season started today that Rengifo was the starting 2B. Not Fletch. Rengifo.
they will score 10 and give up 12. need pitching. Anderson was a horrible move if they think that will solve it. Before the dodgers he was a number 4 or 5. They always do the same thing. Hope to turn a back end starter into a ace. Like my dbacks looking for gold in the wrong spots. But Hazen is brilliant. Just doesn’t have money to spend like the angels
The Angels need starting pitcher? Yet another poster who doesn’t follow baseball.
Brother I know a million times more than you. Your an idiot. Just cause people say it all the time shows that they haven’t gotten better. Please for the love of me tell me why every year they don’t get better? Your lineup is stacked with hitting. Sandoval Suarez is not enough. You can’t depend on One guy. Just a keyboard funny guy. I work with MLB coaches and coach baseball? What do you do?
You try insulting me and write “your an idiot.”
You’re hilarious. Not that I care, but which one of the five Angels starters do you not think is any good?
Let’s say Suarez is number 5. He had a second half ERA of 2.81. And he’s their 5th starter. Learn something.
What you do 44, is lie and not well.
The Angels starting pitching staff is solid. Last season they ranked 6th in ERA and WAR and 7th in FIP.
That staff lost only Syndergaard and added Anderson. Canning should return as well, although probably in the pen. They are better in 2023 already than they were in 2022.
Ohtani, Sandoval, Anderson, Detmers, Suarez is a very nice starting 5. They could use some depth beyond Canning and Silseth, but its only November.
Anyone who paid attention would know that they are a good starting staff and everyone that works in baseball has been saying that for a year now.
Dbacks443 hours ago
Brother I know a million times more than you. Your lineup is stacked with hitting.
==============================
Well, did you know that the Angels ranked 25th in scoring? They have two great hitters, once good hitter, two mediocre hitters and 4 hitters that don’t hit their weight,.
With a little better health, and these two new additions, they might be slightly above league average.
FWIW, my position is that they should punt on 2023, trade Ohtani for a haul, and base their mini-rebuild on their rotation.
Couldn’t give one rats ass if you both believe me or not.So explain to me why you fire a great coach and you finished 16 games under 500? The need a solid rotation and they don’t have it. You need an innings eater. There is no excuse for this many years to be this bad with the money they have and spent. Rendon was am awful move. Same for pujols. If it wasn’t for ohtani your team would be horrible. He saved their ass. There comes a time where results have to matter. Mariners have overtaken you because they can pitch!! So can the astros! learn the game before you both just start looking st stats that you Google.
44 – The goal is to outscore your opponent. Adding more SPing will not address the elephant in the room but will lead to many 3-2 defeats.
Last year only 5 teams in all of baseball scored fewer runs. And after 6 weeks they were a top 3 team in run differential and one of the best records in MLB. Only 8 teams had a better era at seasons end.
So what would you do to improve?
Fyi- Last year the Angels were undefeated when they outscored the opponent by at least 1 run.
The hitting was an issue. I have to feel the additions of Hunter, Rendon, Walsh, Fletcher and O’Hoppe will help that. Not to mention Urshela and the possibility of Trout not missing over 40 games.
I can see the lineup being pretty good. I can see the starting pitching being pretty good. What I can’t see is the bullpen being any good… but March is a long ways off.
2019 called, they want their tired narratives back
The angels were 9th in team ERA last year in mlb
And their starting five were great in the second half. Every team need more pitching, but if the Angels need more starting pitching, then so do 27 other teams.
Starting pitching was better than that. They were 6th best. Anderson certainly doesn’t make the rotation worse.
This is Renfroe’s 5th team in 5 years!!! Yet his stats look respectable. I wonder what’s up. The trade on paper looks lopsided in favor of the Angels if it weren’t for the frequent movement of this guy.
Rays wanted him. Were disappointed and didn’t want to pay him. Boston fans are still asking why they got rid of him. Milwaukee wants to trade expiring players and all 3 of these relievers are what they like to add and work with.
Good return for the Angels, but I think they are focusing more on offense then pitching, they should focus more on their bullpen.
They likely aren’t finished, but they aren’t in terrible shape as it is. They are at least middle of the pack if not above average in their bulpen. Rodriguez should be back, Canning could move to the pen, Barria was solid, Herget was fantastic last year, Wantz is showing a lot of promise, Loup, Tepera and Quijada are all serviceable. Angels had one of the best pitching staffs in Aug 2022. They definitely could use another lights out guy, but to think of them as subpar would be false.
25th in runs scored. Ninth in team ERA. They can add a closer yet. Hopefully find a team to take Stassi, for anything.
Don’t throw Stassi away. He was hurt let’s see after an offseason to recover from his head injuries. He was one of the better catchers going into 22.
Cardinals will give you Paul DeJong for him.
Taking a look at how dominant the AA bullpen was last year, that should change soon.
For now we need to take a chance in a guy like Rogers preferably with a Boxger or Phelps level guy to supplement him.
Really, what this team needs is someone that takes a lot of the chance out of it. we really need a closer that can be counted on to close. Those are hard to come by so they might need more options that can increase the odds. The 2 back of the bullpen veteran guys might bounce back but I don’t think they should be used as a closer after what they showed last year and have not been really used like that before. They lost last year because they could not close out games otherwise the pitching was good enough to win. Even with the injuries lack of depth and so on, they probably could have had a winning record if the bottom of the order move runners and get guys in from 3rd with less than 2 outs. They were the opposite of the Mariners. One had an amazing record in close games and the other an amazingly bad record. The funny thing is even with those records the Angels won the season series including some close games.
Tim, Stassi is going to be 32 at the start of next season. You want to keep a 32 year old catcher, with a bad hip. Who as soon as he got that 3 year deal, he went back to not being able to hit. His defense has always been overrated. In two years, the Angels will DFA him, because he won’t be able to play anymore.
I understand his age and hip. I just think he may improve a lot with some rest and recovery. He could or not . He was a pretty good catcher, something that is hard to find right now. Also it is always good to keep some continuity at catcher especially when the pitching has improved when he was catching. The Angels have been changing catchers’ a lot lately. Why do you say his defense is overrated?
Stassi is Ohtani’s guy. Stassi isn’t going anywhere as long as Ohtani is there.
We have a couple guys coming back that will help in the pen. Rodriguez and Canning. Yes, I know canning was a starter, but with all his injuries I think he needs to take the path that former starters like Brand Hand and Kirby Yates did when they went to the Padres.
There is also this guy named Ben Joyce. Remember his name. He throws 105 mph. He was drafted and went straight to AA and dominated. Just bring him up and let him throw 105 for 1 inning 3-4 times a week.
Poor Fro. Always producing, always getting traded.
And funny too with this being his last year of arb and able to move again next year.
Maybe a trade with the Tigers for Joe Jimenez for the pen!
I’m not judging this until after spring training. We made the trade early enough in the off-season so these pitchers can get into Milwaukees pitching lab for work to be done.Brewers do a great job in getting the most out of pitchers.
Brewers fans should trust these moves by now. Seems they win more trades than lose.
Halos are looking solid!
Now for Senga!
(and if your reading this Perry, trade for Maeda! :D)
Why a solid bat along with above average defense keeps bouncing from team to team baffles me. From the Padres to the Rays, to the Red Sox, the Brewers, and now the Angels. What am I missing?
His skillset is both desirable and replaceable.
All those teams are active traders and 2 of them are extremely thrifty.
Urshela now Renfroe. Two very solid additions to a team that could use the help. Keep adding Angels! Ohtani is gonna wanna leave if you don’t contend. Keep making smart moves, smart additions, it’s nice to see.
5th team in 5 years by 30. What’s the deal. Junk.
Does this cue ridiculous Jo Adell and prospects for Pablo Lopez from the Fish comments??
To say I’m stoked right now would be an understatement.
I understand cost cutting but the Brewers have just acquired -1 war. Something about Renfroe must make GMs want to trade him for horrible value.
Maybe they think they can make something out of one or a couple of those arms. Who knows. But yeah, brewers dove into the dumpster hoping to find treasure.
I should specify that’s career bWar of all three combined
This is what they need– league average or better players at every position. No more triple-A talent posing as big leaguers.
The Angels are also starting to build some depth.
3B Rendon backed up by Urshela
SS Urshela backed up by Soto
2B Rengifo backed up by Fletcher
1B Walsh backed up by Urshela and Thaiss
Now they need to shore up catcher by signing Vazquez and trade for a SS like Rosario.
Then they can trade Fletcher and Stassi.
Fletch stays.
Why? Outside of 2020 he has never been good enough to be a starter. The Angels have the depth now to move on from him as their utility guy.
More like Rengifo is Fletcher’s backup at 2B.
Rengifo had a 103 OPS+ last year and played above average defense. Fletcher had a 77 OPS+ and played above average defense but was hurt much of the season.
Rengifo is 25 and improving. Fletcher is 28 and declining.
I don’t think this is a difficult call and that Minassian referred to Rengifo as the starting 2B in the intro press conference for Urshela says he is of the same mind.
This move does not make any sense for MIL. Not sure what they were thinking. Angels are really improving. They are a couple moves away from being a solid 2nd place in that division and probably a WC team.
They are thinking about being extremely cheap. They are a team that was built to win until they decided to throw in the towel for being unwilling to spend money.
Junk projects as a future 4th starter, so he will be decent for the Brewers. Besides, gotta love the name.
Lots of players available. They can still contend if they choose.
If I’m a Brewers fan, I’m super pissed about this trade for 15 minutes, until I realize, wait a second, that means we don’t have to trade Burnes, Woodruff or Adames to save the money!!
And the choice came down to Wong or Renfroe…
I’ll bet that Wong is available too.
Exactly! It’s a salary dump while hoping the triple A kids can replace him.
Renfroe is a good defender. The metrics don’t properly account for his rocket arm. He’s kept a lot of runners from taking extra bases. Too bad the Brewers couldn’t afford his projected salary.
Very consistent bat. Hopefully we get his free agent, career walk year
He’s a good bat but tends to be streaky with production.
Joe Adell seems sooooooo old now. But he’s just 23. I wonder if he just needs a change of scenery. He was such a highly coveted prospect. a
Angels would be selling low on him.
Every team needs depth and Adell provides it. He can come off the bench, still get in about 400 AB, and work on bringing out that talent.
No way you get 400 ABs from a bench player, unless a starting position player goes down for a couple of months.
113 players got 300+ AB while playing in the OF in 2022. There are 90 starting spots. That means at least 23 bench players got more than 300 AB.
On the Angels you have 3 OF that did not play more than 135 games because of injuries, so the 4th OF is going to get more AB than most bench players.
In 2022 the Angels got 541 AB from guys not named Trout, Ward, Marsh or Adell in the OF.
Definitely a way that a bench player gets 400 AB on the Angels.
Angels will probably hold on to Adell. He will probably start in AAA this year and maybe get himself right next year. The Angels aren’t exactly deep in their organization when it comes to the OF position. They got 2 prospects in DeJesus and Rada, but they are 17 yo and years away from the major leagues. Renfroe is only here for one year before he becomes a free agent.
As a Brewers fan I am definitely ok with this deal. Not much in return but Renfroe wasn’t a fit this year for our financial outlook. We traded a strength to backfill with our only area of multiple talented prospects. I suspect that at least two of Ruiz/Frelick/Mitchell/Weimer can fill with Yelich/Taylor. Not ideal but I understand our financial spot and how 1 year of Renfroe at 11 Million isn’t quite a match for what we need to address in the offseason (especially with our OF prospects). Lack of quality arms in the upper minors makes this trade make sense. By no means are the 3 guys we are getting great arms but they should fill the 40 man to fill the shuttle approach we take with our relievers.
Some of these owners keep crying “poverty” and woes me. Yet, still keep their team. There’s a difference between being a “small market” and being CHEAP! Stop making excuses for some of these team owners.
Elvis has left Anaheim
A little less conversation and more action.
I like the move. Only 2 people have hit the ball on top of the western metal building FT Jr and Renfroe, Renfroe did it twice. Lots of power and a great arm.
FREE Mickey Moniak
Knowing the Phillies luck, he’ll come out and hit 30 bombs at like a tick under .300.
Really fits well on the A’s actually, lets hope Beane comes calling.
Moniak for Pache challenge trade?
I hope the Angels give him a chance. He seems to have natural baseball talent and just needs that spark to ignite it. Maybe playing alongside Trout and Ohtani will give him a boost. Also, he doesn’t seem to be under nearly as much pressure at the moment compared to his time in Philly. Setting is right for him to start shining.
Good luck Micky!
Trout, Ward and Renfroe are all guys that spend time on the IL every year. Either Moniak or Adell is going to get some serious at bats.
Between not getting a real chance, getting yanked around by Girardi and getting hurt…..Moniak has not been given a shot..
He had a ton of pressure to produce in Philly as they have been in a constant “playoff type” push since 2018…
I was stoked about the Angels trade…He got there, hit in @10g then got hurt…
In no way am I saying he’s Griffey, would love to see him get a legit shot as a Phillies fan.
Even free, he is still overpriced.
Now that he’s an Angel, he’ll regress and hit .210.
Depth is always good…..I suppose.
But Gio Urshela is?
Rengifo is kinda already your Swiss Army knife.
Trout, Renfroe, Ward are your OF’s.
Depth is good but Urshela hasn’t actually been a versatile major leaguer. I don’t know about that one. I would’ve liked to see them get a real SS instead. Maybe there’s more to come.
When Angels made the Urshela trade he said in the press conference he said they were far from done. He said they were looking for a OF and a SS and BP pieces. He also said they weren’t to happy with who they had to throw out there in INF when the regulars went down. I think Management. Has given Perry Carte Blanche.
I’d rather trade for an Urshela during the season and pay a fraction of that /that salary when there’s other more pressing holes. If that is even a need at that point.
Hopefully you’re right. I don’t know. You’re sort of trying to turn Urshela into a super utility type I guess. But at 10MM he isn’t a bargain and there’s already Rengifo.
Call Gio what u want, but he’ll be playing every day somewhere. Rengifo is the utility guy.
Depth was one of the team’s biggest issues last season. When guys went down with injuries, AAAA after AAAA player had to pick up the slack and it wasn’t pretty.
Minassian also said that Rengifo was the starting 2B if the season started today. Showing no faith in Fletch.
Hey, the Brewers pulled a Red Sox! Trading Renfroe for absolutely nothing.
The Hunter Renfroe MLB tour continues thru Anaheim as the Angels will be his 5th team in the last 5 seasons.
hunter Renfrow 60 bombs in 2 years
Brewers found 3 Relief pitchers to shuttle this season. They also opened up playing time for whichever Rookie OF wins it next season. That salary saved can be used elswhere needed. Remember where this started, JBJ. Super trade from that perspective.
Just as long as they reinvest what they saved. 120 mil is more or less break even point before selling one ticket so they have plenty of room to spend.
Gio and Hunter lengthen the lineup having outhit every Angels position player except Mike, Shohei and Ward. Anderson lengthens the rotation. None of them broke the bank or preclude further deals. More work to be done, but outstanding start to the off-season for Perry.
Let’s hope for better health in ’23 and contributions from some minor league arms – Silseth, Bachman, Rodriguez, Canning, Bush, Costeiu, Torres and Murphy.
3-4 more moves to come for the Angels.
Sign deGrom to 3/135 deal. Arte does not mind spending big money on short term deals for pitchers and he doesn’t mind injury risks as long as the player is an impact player on the field and at the ticket office.
Sign Christian Vazquez. Another 3 year deal. Just 105-108 million less than deGrom.
Trade Stassi. Doesn’t need to be for much. A relief pitcher in AA is fine.
Trade for Amed Rosario. He is a big upgrade, makes Fletcher expendable, and is a one year rental like Gio, so he doesn’t clog up the payroll long term.
deGrom’s not signing a 3 year deal lmao
Everyone, and I mean everyone, is predicting a 3 year deal for deGrom. The only question is who will he sign that 3 year deal with?
Scroll down to #7 – mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/mlb-trade-rumors-top-50…
One team we know he won’t sign with is the A’s. The Angels are a different story.
Not a single one of those people knows deGrom personally. Could definitely see him and his agent shooting for 4 or even 5 years.
Oops, forgot sign a relief pitcher or two.
The Brew Crew are obviously clearing Right Field for Judge.
Or are acquiring all these pitchers so they can trade for Arozarena.
I like this return for the Brewers here, but am not as high on Renfroe being a beast in the AL West like many are. Not sure he moves the needle for the Angels, they’re still miles behind the Astros and Mariners.
Miles behind? Lol, we’ll just see about that when all’s said and done.
Yeah, the Angels are garbage outside of Trout/Ohtani and their record always proves my point.
“Miles” behind Seattle who hadn’t been to the playoffs in 22 years. That’s laughable. The Angels were better than Seattle going into July—but it’s hard to remain competitive without Trout, Rendon, and Fletcher. A healthy Angels roster plus the new offseason additions will make things very interesting in the AL West.
Make the playoffs ONE TIME with Trout and Ohtani, and then we might take you seriously. My A’s have been in the final dance more times more recently than your Angels, with much less talent.
Was really hoping this was who Atl would go after to sure up LF. Oh well, the Angels made a heck of a deal here and have gotten much better this off-season without spending much in the way of money or prospects.
This is a good trade for both teams.
It’s obvious why Hunter Renfro improves the Angels but for the Brewers it’s not so obvious until you look at their MiLB. First, Christian Yelich must be moved to DH. I have no doubt that Sal Frelick will take over an OF spot. Joey Wermer may audition but i predict Tristan Peters will be in the OF by season’s end.
Garrett Michell is a mystery to me much like Jo Adell in LAA is. It doesn’t mean I think he’s a bad player bit I don’t see what the hype is about.
Peters was traded to the Giants in August for Trevor Rosenthal, then flipped again to the Rays last week (not that the Brewers couldn’t get him back somehow if they really wanted to, I suppose).
Thanks for the update. I guess im not following as closely as I thought I was.
There was a lot of talk about the brewers non tendering renfroe so the fact that they got anything in return at least means they made the right decision. Does it help the brewers this year prob not.
Angels should be a little better with renfroe on the team.
Seems like both teams accomplished what they wanted from this. I’d rather this return for renfroe then what the red Sox got for him.
This isn’t much of a needle mover for either team.
If I was the brewers or a fan anyways I would want the team to pick a direction. They have enough talent that adding to the team could make them a legit playoff team. If they aren’t going to add then they should trade burnes and woody for a huge ransom so they can rebuild quickly.
Trying to ride the middle and not completely rebuild but not completely compete seems like a rockies move here.
So far the brewers moves just aren’t making a lot of sense.
“Trying to ride the middle and not completely rebuild, but not completely compete” is the Brewer way. Been that way for 50+ years while crying “small market.” Which is garbage.
Frelick will not be a star. Weimer is a complete crapshoot. Peters will be a bust. Ruiz is a 4 or 5 at best.
Mitchell is the second coming of Kris Bryant. Taylor will hit 35 if he ever gets more than 250 ABs.
I agree about Yeli sharing a DH platoon with the 1B guys, if people can stand having an OBP machine at the position rather than a power hitter, but being convinced Frelick will be great or Peters will EVER play in MLB is ludicrous in light of what Mitchell has shown already. Elite defender. Good bat. HR power. What more could you want in CF?
Means they should trade Frelick. His value has never been better. Package him with Wong and get a real 3B.
I worry about an aging guy who hits .250 and strikes out a lot. Given recent history of similarly profiled hitters the Halos have brought on, that is sure to be exacerbated. He’s also bounced around frequently, so none of his teams were all that enthralled by his services apparently.
Look at the price each team paid for him though. It’s not that noone liked his services it’s just that they gave up nothing for him and he becomes a flip piece. The Red Sox got him from the Rays off waivers and the Brewers got him for JBJ.
I’m sure the Brewers loved him they just don’t want to pay any $$$. He is a great fit for the Angels because of their pending sale. One year of Arb left and the new owner can keep him or move on.
Well they’re trying. Renfroe is not a bad player but I feel he is limited.
Fifth team in five years.
That says something?
Brewers will likely make a big FA signing at 1B or catcher (or both). They have the payroll flexibility and an owner who is likely to spend more, not less, after missing the playoffs. They also have a bunch of majors-ready outfielders ready to be promoted.
3B. And I pick Paredes.
1B is set with Rowdy, Hiura and Singleton (which also fills the DH spot, though I think the majority of Yeli’s starts should be there as well).
As a Brewer fan, once you realize the goal is to NOT win a World Series, but instead maintain a “competitive” team to get 2+ million fans into he park year in, year out, this all becomes a lot easier.
@pmollan Hit the nail on the head!
It’s a shame more Brewer fans don’t realize that. Then again, they don’t care as long as the team doesn’t look too urban.
Brewers doing they best Rays impression and their fans are freaking out. Rightfully so. Hopefully their management proves us all wrong. If not, a clear debacle tearing down a winning team like this !
Brewers doing their best to make the central division even easier to win. Thanks!!!!!
The Brewers have enough young OF’s ready to fill the opening day lineup.
Mitchell showed he is ready.
Ruiz posted a .447 OBP and 85 SB’s last year, needs to be in the lineup.
Frelick’s OBP at every level has shown he can make great contact to get on base.
Both have great range in the OF to help the pitching staff.
The next move will be trading Wong, in order to let Turang play 2B.
Defensively this lineup will be much better than last year’s team. With the hope that these guys will be on base more when Tellez, and Adames pop their HR’s.
I do hope that they take the money that Wong, Renfroe, Hader, and McCutheon were getting and lock up Adames and Woodruff to 5 year deals, so that we have that core of players that fans are comfortable buying a jersey of, Yet won’t hinder the team from making moves in the future.
-I really didn’t expect any more in return for Renfroe. Look at what it cost to get him last year. This is not a guy that GM’s value. He’s now more expensive, and has only one year of control remaining. Making his value this off season the same as last.
Perfect example. See my earlier comment regarding Brewers’ “fans.”
Close. Urias to 2B and Turang takes Peterson’s super sub role.
4 teams in 7 years would lead me to believe Renfroe was a problem in the Clubhouse.
The Crew cutting payroll to pay the Yelich boat anchor tax.
They’ll be a better team once they trade Ohtani. If they really wanted to go for it, they trade him this offseason and make themselves contenders for years with the return. Let some other team deal with the novelty and injury risk that he brings.
Renfroe is one of the sneakiest, under the radar, really good baseball players out there. I loved him with the Red Sox and could not understand their trading him for washed up Jackie Bradley Jr. et al. He has a cannon for an arm and is worth the price of admission just in hopes you can see him gun someone down at 3rd or home.
Halos got a good deal. Good player.
Sad to see him go. That’s going to be a tough piece to replace for the Brewers.
Meh. Gets on base about 31% of the time. Obviously solid power though. Angels making some noise. I believe once a big piece comes off the board – Judge or one of the 4 shortstops – then the market will pick up. But it’s going to be painfully slow from a FA standpoint until then, so trades are all we got. Let’s go!
Aahhh, just yesterday I posted that the Angels should publicly commit to Adell to be their starting LF, and not mess around with him anymore (although a full-season trip to AAA might work).
Just like with Urshela, Renfroe is a solid piece. But at a combined $19M, I’m not sure how much they move the needle. They now have $33M left to spend before breaking the cap, and I am not impressed with their catcher, 1B, SS, or closer.
Ref roe is a good pickup, but I think this is the Angels panicking since Texas is willing to spend this off-season.
As for Renfroe, I have to wonder why he gets traded seemingly every offseason.
i doubt the Rangers spend as much as they spent last year, Corey Seagar and Semien were like a half a billion.by themselves.
What matters most about all of this is that AAAA player Renfroe generated over 300 comments, and the Angels gave up 3 players for him. LOL! You might have thought this was actually a big legit trade
Wow, the Angels are actually filling in some of those complementary pieces behind Ohtani and Trout like their fans have been begging for. Not that Renfroe is amazing, but they don’t need that – they need solid, and he’ll give you lots of power and decent fielding. I thought they’d be a good landing spot for Conforto and a bounceback, but this probably puts that to bed. Or even haniger. And Anderson was a solid signing, especially for the price.
For Angels fans, would you want the team to go for a FA like Bogaerts or Swanson, or just keep filling in these stronger depth pieces?
The team is up for sale so I think Anderson type deals are the longest Arte is going to let Minassian make. Still some great trades and signings that can be made. Trade for a 1 year rental at SS. Rosario would fit that bill perfectly. Sign Vazquez at catcher. Sign a former closer like Hand, Rogers, or Knebel.
Just say no to Swanson. Too inconsistent. If I had a choice and Arte was going to pony up the cash, I would want Correa. I think he is better than the others and it would be nice to rub that in the Astros face for a decade.
I don’t know if this move means MKE will actually commit to the young guys, or pick up some other reclamation project (jbj available this winter..?).
Either way, they got rid of a decent chunk of offense, even if he was rather streaky particularly with the HR. I’m not all that excited about the idea of Tyrone Taylor being the regular RF’er either.
I’m curious how close they came to non-tendering him..so I’m trying to convince myself that getting something via trade is better than nothing. Just would have liked 1 guy coming back who isn’t a pitcher.
would have liked 1 guy coming back who isn’t a pitcher.
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I give them a pass on that only because they managed to flip two RPs for Adames.
Taylor projected to 35 HRs with a full season of ABs. Better range and fielding than Renfroe.
That’s great and all, but if he was really that good he’d have locked up CF last year after they finally, officially moved on from Cain. Between injuries and that week+ against the Padres and Cubs he didn’t do that great IMO.
Nah. The only reason some see him as underperforming is that they fail to take into account just how sporadic his playing time was. He had the bad luck to go into a little bit of a slump when Cain was gone and some injuries occurred. He was stronger as the season went on.
I believe that he will be that 35 HR guy if given regular playing time (he’s more of a sure thing than our obviously talented minor league guys). Half of his career ABs came last year and he still barely has a total that would constitute a full season.
He has a fairly impressive 4 WAR in less than 700 ABs, along with an above average OPS plus.
He deserves it more than a Weimer or a Frelick (and Ruiz is a one trick pony to me, won’t be able to hit MLB pitching, which devalues his base running and D).
Happy Thanksgiving!
I like these moves so far. I believe Moreno is allowing Minasian to be more aggressive because he’s trying to convince Ohtani to stay long term. Urshela and Renfroe are one year deals so my concern is if Ohtani stays, they leave, and Moreno is back to his old ways. I believe Ohtani sees that possibility too. Or conversely, if Ohtani leaves, Moreno can let them go at the end of 2023 and go back to his old ways.
The best move we can hope for now is a sale of the team. and some BP pieces. We still only see the phrase “exploring a sale”. With Moreno’s history of pulling the plug on deals at the last minute, I won’t be confident the team is for sale until there is a change in that wording and a buyer is at least reportedly in place.. It leaves Moreno too much wiggle room. Either way, I believe Moreno will own the team through the 2023 season considering how long $3b deals take. My last one took 2 years. (just kidding)
Renfroe is the type of guy you LOVE hitting 7th in your lineup.
I’ve thought the Brewers have been the ‘smartest’ team in the NL Central for quite a while, flipping often marginal prospects for guys like Yelich, Adames, Urias, Lauer, Tellez, Renfroe, etc. and putting a competitive team on the field despite playing in what I believe is the smallest market (which matters from a TV revenue perspective more than it does attendance)..
They milked a solid year out of Avisail Garcia, replaced him with Renfroe, and I expect they’ll make another underrated move for a guy (Winker, for example) who will again have a nice year for them.
As for those Brewers fans who are advocating filling all their vacancies with prospects, if you want to compete within the Burnes/Woodruff window, you can’t afford to endure growing pains at multiple positions. One, maybe two if you have a solid enough core but relying on Mitchell, Turang, Frelick, Ruiz, etc. to provide adequate offense from the get go isn’t the best route IMO. Your window in the Central extends for another year or two and you can’t risk wasting it.
Wow, still surprised the Angels are making good moves! Arty is smart if nothing else, the team is easier to sell if they start the season well instead of their usual crap.
Lineup is looking much better with actual proven ML talent. All assuming health and some reasonable bounce backs to average….big if of course.
Urshela SS
Ohtani DH
Trout CF
Rendon 3B
Renfroe RF
Ward lF
Walsh 1B
Stassii/O’Hoppe C
Fletcher/Renigfo 2B
Enough depth to cover Walsh or the inevitable Rendon injury. Could be a top end lineup if it all comes together.
Fairly capable SP group, Now need a couple of BP upgrades and this is a hugely upgraded team over last year.
Angels may have just sealed the award for the most RH hitting heavy lineup in baseball..
Is willy Adames or Urias available? I would love to have any one of them as a shortstop.
It’s the Brewers, everyone is probably available..except Yelich of course.
That sounds sad, this is a competitive team. I wonder how much Urias would cost.
The Brewers are crying poor, that’s why everyone (in my opinion) could be had if it means saving a few dollars. As for the availability of Urias specifically..probably depends what shakes out with Wong and Turang (or if they bring in another journeyman to at least fill a utility role). But I don’t think it’d cost a ton in prospects or anything like that.
this is such an angels move
As some others have pointed out, Renfroe is a dead pull hitter, so it’s possible his numbers can improve outlawing the shift.
How much will that help. I very seldom see a 2B shifted to the left of the 2B bag, which is still where they can play.
@Devlsh “(which matters from a TV revenue perspective more than it does attendance)”
Is that why numerous MLB people, owners, etc. complain about empty seats and “outdated” stadiums in certain markets? Yes, TV revenue matters and you’re right, Milwaukee is in the bottom third of the MLB TV market size wise. Along with Tampa, KC, San Diego, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Seattle. Now, look at the baseball playoff history of those teams over the past 50 years. Only San Diego, Seattle, and Milwaukee haven’t won a WS.
As I’ve said many times, Milwaukee is routinely in the top half (typically #10-15) in MLB home attendance along with the top half in the average fan’s cost while attending a game. The Brewers are also a “taker” annually when it comes to MLB revenue sharing. Those three factors shouldn’t be discounted or ignored due to TV market size or lack thereof in Milwaukee.
Stop defending owners similar to Selig and Attanasio with excuses for being inept, cheap, or greedy. There’s been a certain mindset in Milwaukee that hasn’t been or isn’t working. As a long-time fan, I’m tired of it and the entertainment dollars I spend on the Brewers continue to decrease each year because of the product on the field. The stadium, concessions, and occasional atmosphere are the saving graces for this team.
As someone recently posted- “As a Brewer fan, once you realize the goal is to NOT win a World Series, but instead maintain a “competitive” team to get 2+ million fans into the park year in, year out, this all becomes a lot easier.”
That pretty much sums it up. Although I would add “competitive” means .500 each season. Give or take
5 games either way.
I’m not ignoring those factors, I’m just saying being routinely in the top half of attendance doesn’t mean the Brewers ought be spending more than they are..
I think the Brewers spending has been VERY fair given their market size. Compared to teams like the Royals, Guardians, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, Oakland, Pittsburgh, etc., there’s no room for complaint, and it’s unrealistic (and unfair) to expect ownership to go toe to toe in terms of spending with the large markets.
Almost ALL small market teams, regardless of revenue sharing, need to do a lot of things right to consistently compete, and the Brewers do it very well. While the Rays are the gold standard, and the Guardians and Cardinals rank up there, you’d be hard pressed to say the Brewers aren’t in the top five small market teams in terms of success/spending. I hear your frustration but I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the Brewers have been in the playoffs four of the last five years, and have had a winning record five of the last six. There are a LOT of small AND large market fans who’d love to have that level of success.
#17 in revenue.per Forbes.
#20 in payroll per Spotrac.
Not that much different.
And I think they averaged 90.2 wins over the past 5 years, excluding the short season.
TV is the end all be all in terms of revenue. By the time they open the gates, every team has over $100 million from MLB’s national TV and streaming deals. Then add their local TV deals on top of that.
A team like the Angels is over $200 million in revenue before selling a seat or a hot dog or selling any sponsorships. A team like the Brewers are closer to $150 million from TV. Add in the tens of millions in revenue sharing they receive from the big market clubs and their local sponsorships and the Brewers are at or above $200 million before one ticket is sold.
At an average ticket price of $32, 2 million tickets sold is only $65 million.
If I repeat anyone sorry! Looks like a salary dump for a bunch of average, at best, prospects. I they might make it in the bullpen. I am excited at our minor league prospects in OF.
They need pitching!
Holy Frijole! I take a day off and the Angels step up with a big trade. I love it. Starters are set in the OF.
Renfroe was actually near the top of my wish list in the OF. I was hoping for Brantley, but next was Renfroe. He has a good bat and plays passable defense with a strong arm. Best of all he is a FA after 2023 so the new owners are not locked into long term deals like Rendon.
Urshela is also a good player that will be a FA after the season. He gives the infield some depth by being better than average everywhere.
Arte, let Minassian go get a few more players. Another starter. I want one of the top 2. DeGrom would be a 3 year deal and Verlander would be a 2 year deal. Both over $40 million AAV so signing either would mean going over the luxury tax. Do it anyway. You won’t be here for the end of their deals and Ohtani and either of those two at the top of the rotation would be insane. Follow those two with Anderson, Sandoval, Suarez, and Detmers in 6 man rotation. Still have Canning as depth.
Then get us a SS. Minassian can trade for this instead of going long term on the big 4. Best one that might be available is Rosario, IMNSHO.
Then a setup man for the pen. Rogers? He will be cheap, short term, and he has closing experience. Knebel or Hand would work too, but I think they will be much more expensive. Trying to save you some dimes since you are dropping $40+ million AAV on a starter. Oh, and let Ben Joyce start the season in Anaheim. They don’t make many arms that can throw a ball 105. Don’t let him break that thing in the minors. The pen would be set with Rogers, Herget, Rodriguez, Joyce, Tepera, Loup, Barria and Quijada with Chris Rodriguez and Canning returning at some point. Yes, I know Canning was a starter, but I think he is better suited to the pen. He might actually stick most of the season with the team.
Last but not least is get a real catcher. O’Hoppe is going to be good, but he is young. Stassi has taken a few too many blows to the head. He will never be good again. Trade him and sign Vazquez. I think Contreras is going to want 5 years, so go with Vazquez who will probably take 2 or 3.
THAT is a playoff team and might give the Angels as shot at keeping Ohtani
I like it, but your wish list is a big ask, and around a 250m payroll. Screw it, it’s not my mone. Let’s do it…haha
Off to a great start. We haven’t even hit the winter meetings yet. Plenty of time to round out the roster.
What the Angels need is a couple high OBP guys to bat in front of Trout and Shohei. I do not see that in the signings of Urshela and Renfroe.
@ignorant Son-of-a-b I remembered it was bad, but not as bad as it was. Angels had FIVE regulars with OBPs under .300, and the five probably combined for an OBP around .270, knocking the OBP of a team with Trout and Ohtani all the way down to .297.
Horrific. At least Renfroe and his .300 career OBP will feel right at home. They might want to look at 1/15m for Jean Segura at short. ,340 OBP of late, defense is still okay, runs the bases adequately, won’t require a long deal.. Swap him for Velazquez and the team OBP goes up by 10 points.