Teixeira Traded To Angels
by bergs55 on Jul 29, 2008 5:17 PM CDT
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PrintAnaheim just got even better.
The Angels have quietly built a very strong team. I know the Cubs don't have to worry about playing them now, but once October rolls around, the Angels are going to be very tough to beat. Hopefully, we'll get our chance. Doesn't look like the Angels gave too much up either. Casey Kotchman is decent and a minor league pitcher. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3510042
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IMO this makes the Angels the team to beat in the AL
They add another legit power bat to their lineup. Combine that with solid starting pitching and a lights out bullpen they are a very good team.
Missouri Tigers 2008 Cotton Bowl Champs
They were already the team to beat before this.
The outstanding pitching has carried them this far—now they’ve got, as you said, that legit power bat. They have to be the favorites in the AL playoffs already.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
Nice move by the Angels
Kotchman is good but he’s never going to be an elite 1st baseman. Marek isn’t much at all. Anaheim didn’t even have to give up one of their better prospects.
how?
he’s in the A.l. dosent concern us, would you rather have him go to the d backs and having the possibilty of playing them in the first round
Life's a garden, dig it.
uhhh
I’d rather he not go to a team that is a WS contender.
Given our aspirations for this season, I’d say that yes, it does concern us.
though
to be fair, they aren’t as great as their record indicates according to the baseball prospectus guys:
That's because of their run differential.
However, the addition of Teixeira (in addition to Vlad Guererro and Torii Hunter) makes the Angels the team to beat in the AL.
CUBS WIN! CUE THE ORCHESTRA!
Good grief, where else would he go?
Of course he went to a contender. Where else would he have gone? KC? Baltimore?
I am glad he is in the AL. If we play him, it will be in a best of seven series.
In the middle of a good time, Truth gave me her icy kiss. Look around, you must be joking. All that way, all that way for this -Oysterband
so i guess
it’s not bad news that probably the best team in the AL just got better.
Thanks for clearing that up.
He was going to go to a contender for sure...
so given that fact, it’s better that he went to an AL contender and not an NL contender. There wasn’t going to be good news with regard to Teixeira. This was probably the best case scenario – send him to a team that we won’t face until the World Series (if both we AND the Angels are lucky). The odds of this move being bad news for us are MUCH lower now than they would have been had the D-Backs gotten him.
If you’re assuming that we are going to make the World Series AND the Angels will be our opponent then I’d say you’re jumping WAY too far ahead.
Want Angels to Visit Wrigley
The Angels are the only AL team not to visit Wrigley Field. I’d love for that to change this October in the World Series.
"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray
i wouldn't
i’d rather see the mariners, who could easily be mowed down.
but that’s never gonna happen.
I'd rather see the White Sox
My next sig line quote will also be from Lou Piniella, and the first word will be either "Look", or "Listen", followed by a comma.
Not good
They just became a very good team.
"Check the magic of a winning season and there are always reasons beyond the talent." Ned Colleti
by wrigleyrocker12 on Jul 29, 2008 6:01 PM CDT reply actions
They already were
a very good team. They’re a little better now.
BTW, they aren’t very happy about this on Halo Heaven.
Borowy . . .Sutcliffe . . .Harden?
by Josh Timmers on Jul 29, 2008 6:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Those who are unhappy about it...
are thinking long-term risk and overlooking short-term flaws. The Angels, while they have one of the best (if not the best) bullpen in baseball, have been getting somewhat lucky to be on the right side of MANY close games going into the 7/8/9 innings. Their offense is poor (19th in runs scored). Getting Teixeira is a big upgrade offensively and a wash defensively. His addition makes great strides toward addressing the holes that could haunt them in the playoffs THIS year. Kotchman, while decent, has been a below-average hitter for a 1B.
They don’t know how much longer Guerrero will be great. They don’t know how much longer Anderson will be functional. KRod could be gone after this year via free agency. The Angels have a chance to win now, and they’ve just made their chances that much stronger at the expense of a few years from a decent but certainly not great player.
3 game set got easier
Looks like when we head to Atlanta we might have a slightly easier series I’d hope!
One of my favorite...
...managers just got a nice piece of the puzzle.
They will be tough to beat, but you never know, they may get beat and not make it to the series.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Well...
.... believe it or not, there are more than a few Angel fans who aren’t all that happy about this trade. They would disagree, and frankly so would I, that Kotchman won’t be an “elite” first baseman. I’d suggest that from a fielding standpoint, there’s no one better. There are some who are as good, but none better. He’s like Lee in that he bails out his infielders on many a bad throw. As for his hitting, granted, he’s not a pure power hitter or a switch hitter, but he’s a left handed doubles hitter who hits for average and doesn’t rattle. A lot like Grace, actually.
The unhappiness comes from the fact the Angels don’t seem to be employing long-term thinking. Kotchman was theirs for a while yet, while there’s no guarantee Teixiera sticks around after this year. They were already very good before this trade and given their overall make up, don’t need to be in a “win now” mode because some players are getting old. One of the doubts people had about the Angels was their ability to handle Boston. They recently swept them in Anaheim and the last two nights have thoroughly punked them in Fenway, much like the Cubs have done to the Brewers. Lackey had that no-hitter for 8 and a 1/3. And this was BEFORE the trade.
So yeah, they got better, but they could have won it all this year without this trade. People here in Southern California were already envisioning an Angels/Cubs series as it was.
Santo Forever!
I think the Angels...
... made this deal because of their run differential—very low for a team that far over .500 (they are playing eight games over their Pythagorean record of 58-48). They’re doing this largely because their bullpen has been outstanding, especially K-Rod with his 44 saves.
This sort of thing can turn around any moment. What if K-Rod gets hurt? The addition of Teixeira addresses this problem; they may be able to win more blowouts and save K-Rod for the postseason.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
They shouldn't be employing long-term thinking in my opinion...
They are built to win now. They very well could lose KRod in free agency this winter. They have to make a decision on the additional year for Guerrero. Guerrero is getting older and he may be starting to show signs of decline (offensive numbers are way down this year). Garret Anderson is really old. Rivera is a free agent. Garland is a free agent.
And on top of that, the offense is pretty bad. Getting Teixeira is a big upgrade offensively and not a dropoff defensively.
And while some may envision Kotchman as developing power, the fact is that he’s never shown any indication of that in his career aside from a nice stretch in 2005. It’s a bit reminiscent of Matt Murton actually, only Murton has hit for MORE power than Kotchman has.
They COULD have won it without Teixeira. But with Teixeira their chances got a lot better.
Agreed
Kotchman is not likely to ever develop real power. He’s a Mark Grace type. Good average, 15-20 HR’s, lots of doubles and good fielder.
Not a bad player at all...
but he’s very replaceable. Getting a bat like Teixeira for the stretch run while not really giving anything up defensively seems like a good risk.
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