The FBI Should Reclassify The Los Angeles Angels As A Terrorist Organization
This is by all means a routine and meaningless free agency signing that, in isolation, really doesn't mean much to the broader scale of Major League Baseball. At least in the knee-jerk sense...
MLB Trade Rumors - The move brings the Angels’ projected payroll to $174MM, per RosterResource. That’s above the $170MM they had to start 2024, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Owner Arte Moreno has said that the payroll will go up next year, though it’s unclear exactly how high they plan to go.
But then you remember that the Los Angeles Angels still exist. A team that had prime Trout and Ohtani for YEARS and never finished .500 while giving Anthony Rendon an unlimited amount of money. The same team that fired Joe Maddon in May and let Albert Pujols run an emotional train on the coaching staff for the better part of a decade. A place that let Jerry Dipoto alienate Mike Scoscia enough to ruin a good thing. Then to subsequently employ and empower Perry Minsaian to the surprise of quite literally every single informed outsider... you remember any/all of that and it makes you wonder what the fuck is going on with the Angels?
Why isn't their futility a bigger story? All things considered they have to be a bottom 10 team in North American professional sports. Possibly bottom 5 depending on what the hockeyheads say? Nobody gives out worse $100M+ deals and nobody's wasted more 1st ballot Hall of Fame years in my lifetime. It's actually impressive if you really think about it. Maybe it's true the 2005 White Sox really broke their franchise?
I say all this because there are enough serious baseball fans that really wanted Travis d'Arnaud. He'll give you 350 solid at bats and always catches Max Fried, who is also in free agency. So there's a bigger connect that you could sign both of them, which would then absolutely shatter the baseball world if Max Fried went home to LA/Anaheim. To the point that I would be legitimately sad to see another great career die. It would pain me. I would feel sorrow. How else do I put this? Max Fried absolutely cannot go to the Angels.
Another easier WTF consideration here - the Angels already have a good/very good young catcher in Logan O'Hoppe. So it's naturally surprising to see an objectively shitty team cut playing time for an established young player. Especially when they could use $12M to upgrade nearly every other position. But now I'm sounding preachy especially on November 12th. There's plenty of time for more bad Angels' contracts.
Not that d'Arnaud is bad or this deal blows. I think I'm just inherently salty because it's the exact signing the Cubs could and should be able to make without thinking twice. And I want Fried and better catching depth and an easier landing for our top catching prospect and a whole bunch of other things, all of which was just immediately dunked on by the Angels. There's a bunch of diehards out here just like me that see this signing and can't believe the Angels are still doing this shit. Consider this a safe space for your feelings.
In other news, I hope you enjoy this Anthony Rendon contract tracker. It's a nice interactive look at being a filthy-rich modern day Roger Dorn.