Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
The days where boos rained down upon Kosuke Fukudome seem like a distant memory.
Through nine games on the new season, the formerly-embattled center fielder is batting .375 with three homers, eight RBI, six runs and a steal for good measure. Compare that to his rookie campaign, where he only managed 10 big knocks in 501 at-bats. Should we believe in this new and improved Fukudome, or is it only a matter of time before fans are ripping him to shreds again?
Right now the Angels are focused on the 2009 season and possibly adding free agents like CC Sabathia or Mark Teixeira to the mix. Of course, signing a big name free agent often causes a team to make changes somewhere else down the line. For instance, a year after giving Gary Matthew Jr. a 5-year $50 million deal, the Angels signed Torii Hunter and now Matthews has been relegated to a fourth outfielder the team is trying to trade.
So if the Angels are going to spend what could end up being another $100 million on Teixeira or Sabathia, that probably means there's somebody else on the team that won't be getting a big payday from the Angels. And it looks like that player could end up being Vladimir Guerrero. Just because the Angels picked up his $15 million option for 2009 doesn't mean they're ready to start negotiating long term.
The Angels have tabled contract negotiations with Vladimir Guerrero, raising the possibility that the star outfielder could leave the team as a free agent next fall.
The Angels exercised their $15-million option last week but opted not to revive discussions about a long-term extension. General Manager Tony Reagins said the Angels based the decision on the results of preliminary negotiations held last winter.
The Los Angeles Angels have to be loving what's going on up in Oakland. For the first half of the season, the upstart Athletics had the Angels looking over their shoulders a bit more than they would have liked, but with the recent trades that have sent Rich Harden and Joe Blanton to the National League, the Angels have just about clinched the AL West.
They've got an eight game lead on the A's now, and a 9.5 game lead on the Rangers, and at this point it doesn't look like either of those two teams is going to pose a real threat. So the Angels GM Tony Reagins is at that point where he knows he doesn't have to make any moves, as he told ESPN's Buster Olney yesterday.
"We're comfortable with our club at this point," Reagins said. "We're confident. At this point, I don't see us making any drastic moves. ... As of today, I don't see us changing the makeup of the club in a major way."
But as Olney goes on in today's blog entry, that doesn't mean they won't be making any "minor" moves. They're not going to be looking to add a bat--even though Gary Matthews Jr.has a torn ACL--but there may be some interest in Orioles All-Star George Sherrill. According to Olney, the Orioles are quietly letting teams outside the AL East know that Sherrill is available, and George does make a lot of sense for Los Angeles.
He can be that lefty specialist they've needed for a while, and he provides some insurance should K-Rod sign elsewhere this winter.
That didn't change this morning. Kelvim Escobar, who was expected to be back in May, had a setback in his shoulder rehab on Tuesday and is going to miss even more time.
As if the Angels didn't have enough problems, there was more disturbing news Tuesday: A week into his throwing program, the second phase of his rehabilitation from a sore shoulder, Escobar has been shut down because of discomfort, a setback that probably will push the right-hander's return to June.
"When you're activating your arm, sometimes you have little glitches," Scioscia said. "He started to throw, felt a little discomfort, and now he's trying to get some of the inflammation out of there. It's nothing unusual in a rehab scenario to have to take a step back."
I don't know if I agree with Mike Scioscia's diagnosis of this being a "little glitch" in Escobar's rehab. Losing the 18-game winner for another month doesn't really qualify as "little" in my book. Kelvim stubbing his toe and having to miss a day is a little glitch. This is a bonafide problem.
If there's any good news for the Angels, it's that they didn't trade away any of their excess pitching this offseason because they need it now more than ever. Of course, it's even better news for the Mariners, as this can only help their odds of wrestling the AL West away from the Halos.
Garret Anderson sits quietly in front of his locker most days, aware that he could be going through his final spring training with the Angels after 18 years in the organization.
"It has crossed my mind," Anderson said. "I've seen so many guys leave and I'm a realist. I know one day it's going to be me. I'm not going to be here forever. I understand that.
"An organization kind of has to do that. You can't let your team get old. Seattle went through that. They waited a little too long with too many guys, and they paid for it for a couple years."
Seeing as how Anderson is entering the final year of the four-year $48 million deal he signed with the Angels back in 2004, he should probably trust his instincts. The Angels have a club option on Anderson for next season that would pay him $14 million. Or they can buy him out for $3 million.
Considering that Vladimir Guerrero isn't going anywhere, and that the team has invested $140 million in Gary Matthews Jr. and Torii Hunter the last two seasons, I just don't see the Angels bringing Garret back for another season in 2009. At least, not at that price.
As I wrote about over the weekend, Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez is about to enter the arbitration process with the Angels on a new contract for the 2008 season. As is often the case with arbitration hearings, where a player is forced to sit there and listen to all the reasons why he isn't worth the money he wants, animosity between the player and an organization rears it's ugly head.
Well, the animosity is here, and Rodriguez said on Sunday that he thinks 2008 will be his last season in an Angels uniform.
"Yeah, probably. Probably," the two-time All-Star closer said. "If they wanted me here, they would have done something a long time ago. But, in the meantime, I have to put that out of my head. I can't be thinking they don't want me here or anything like that. Just do my job."
That the Angels don't want him beyond this season is "not what I'm saying," Rodriguez said, "it's just something I can't control."
Rodriguez was a huge factor in the Angels 2002 World Series title, and has continued to be a big reason why the Angels have consistently finished atop the AL West standings since then. Still, finding a new closer isn't that hard for a team to do, especially a team with as much young pitching talent as the Angels. With all the money the team has put into free agents like Gary Matthews Jr. and Torii Hunter the last few seasons, the team would probably be better off using the money they'd have to commit to Rodriguez in other areas.
"Under The Gun" takes a look at one player from each team who will bear all the pressure for the upcoming '08 season.
I was shocked when the Los Angeles Angels signed Torii Hunter to a 5-year $90 million contract at the end of November. Mostly because as a White Sox fan I had been told repeatedly by Kenny Williams that Hunter was going to end up playing centerfield on the south side of Chicago. I was also surprised by the fact that the Angels would invest $90 million into a centerfielder only a year after they gave Gary Matthews Jr. $50 million to play the same position.
Though I think Hunter may have been more surprised by his deal than anybody else.
There are a few reasons Hunter will feel a lot of pressure in Los Angeles this season, but they don't really have anything to do with the team's success. The Angels were already the best team in the AL West before they added Hunter thanks to one of baseball's deepest starting rotations, and a very strong bullpen.
"I can't imagine how that story can be accurate," MLB vice president for labor relations Rob Manfred told the Daily News last night. "Only Senator Mitchell knows who's in the report. The union does not know who's named in that report - we have not notified any players of anything."
According to union counsel Gene Orza, agents might have misunderstood what was said at the agents meeting in New York on Wednesday. What the agents actually were told was that of all the players whom Mitchell has asked to interview through the Players Association, 11 currently are free agents.
"The maximum number of free agents who could wind up appearing is 11," said one union source. "Or there may be none."
Sounds to me like a misunderstanding and that The Globe got things wrong. How does this change things for teams looking to make a signing? It doesn't too much. You know going into things that there's a chance any player you sign used some sort of performance-enhancer. If you're cautious and wait until the Mitchell Report comes out, you could miss out on players. Seems like it would be in the interest of teams for this Report to come out sooner rather than later. Alas, the anticipation continues to grow.
A look at the first round selections in today's MLB draft by the four teams of the AL West division. For a full recap of the first round, you can always read the live-blog we kept of it.
Seattle Mariners (11) Phillipe Aaumont RHP Ecole Du Versant, Gatineau, Quebec: The Mariners roster is currently filled with players from all over the globe, but there is one nation missing. If things go as planned, Seattle fans will have a Canadian on the club to root for as well. Aumont (he's the guy holding the Mariners jersey next to Satan over there) was considered the top Canadian prospect in the draft, and rated 9th amongst all high school pitchers. He's 6'6 and still a little rough around the edges, but his velocity and sinking action on his fastball make him intriguing. Some scouts had him going in the Top 5, so this is a very good value pick for the Mariners.
Texas Rangers (17) Blake Beaven, RHP, Irving (Texas) HS: The Rangers using their first pick on a pitcher from Texas? I never thought I'd see the day. Beaven just finished playing baseball at Irving High School, a scant 15-minute drive away from the Ballpark in Arlington. He has a mid-90's fastball with a lot of sink, which is attractive for a team in a homer friendly ballpark. Some scouts are down on his delivery, but the Rangers don't seem to mind. Their first choice would have been Rick Porcello, but signability was a concern, so they passed on him.
Texas Rangers (24) Michael Main, RHP, Deland (Fla.) HS: The good thing about losing Carlos Lee, Mark DeRosa, and Gary Matthews Jr to free agency is that the Rangers got a whole bunch of draft picks. With their second pick of the first round, they took another right-handed power pitcher. This time they left the state of Texas, and went all the way to Florida to find one. Main is a lot like Beaven pitcher wise, but he's also a pretty good centerfielder with speed. With more at bats, he could develop into a dependable hitter as well.
Oakland Athletics (26) James Simmons, RHP, UC Riverside: It's no secret that Billy Beane prefers college players. After all, they're the only players smart enough to understand sabremetrics. Simmons is the 13th college player the Athletics have taken in the first round in the fourteen drafts Beane has presided over. Simmons was the ace at Riverside for three seasons, posting a 2.40 ERA in his college career. Seems to be a one-pitch pitcher though, which means that to be a starter he'll need to develop at least one more pitch. Looks like more of a late-inning, set-up type.
The Los Angeles Angels did not have a pick in the first round as a result of signing Gary Matthew Jr. in the offseason. They would have had the 24th pick Texas used on Michael Main.
Under MLB policy, there are two reasons a player would be required to submit to additional testing: The first is a failed steroid test, but failed steroid tests are made public. The second is a failed amphetamines test, which would not be made public.
Although it's not like failing a steroids test which leads to a 50-game suspension (or more), there are ramifications for failing an amphetamines test:
Because Giambi failed the test - one report estimated that more than 80 players might have last year - he is subject to six additional tests for one year from the time the positive is confirmed. The larger question is whether Yankee officials - who claimed not to have heard about the failed test - will try to use that information against Giambi as they consider terminating his contract.
Under baseball's amphetamines policy, which went into effect last season, a player who fails a test the first time is not punished, and the information is kept confidential, but he can be tested six additional times within the next year. After a second offense, the player is suspended for 25 games.
If anyone is wondering about Giambi's lack of production, maybe they need to look no further than the frequency of his drug testing. Looks like the Yankees knew what they were doing when it was said they were trying to void Giambi's contract -- this could only help them build their case. Meanwhile, reports suggested the Angels are interested in acquiring the DH. Given this new information, I'm not so sure they'd still be interested. On the bright side, having Jason Giambi and Gary Matthews Jr. on the same team could make for an interesting clubhouse dynamic.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Right now the Angels are focused on the 2009 season and possibly adding free agents like 
The Los Angeles Angels have to be loving what's going on up in Oakland. For the first half of the season, the upstart Athletics had the Angels looking over their shoulders a bit more than they would have liked, but with the recent trades that have sent 
And the hits just keep on coming for the Angels.
Last week it was 
As I wrote about over the weekend, Angels closer 
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Yesterday we passed along the news that 
A look at the first round selections in today's MLB draft by the four teams of the AL West division. For a full recap of the first round, you can always read the live-blog we kept of it.
When 
