Latest / Halo Territory: A Los Angeles Angels Podcast / Sam Blum joins Mike DiGiovanna to size up Angels' roster and provide update on the Rio Foster situation

Transcript

Sam Blum joins Mike DiGiovanna to size up Angels' roster and provide update on the Rio Foster situation · Halo Territory: A Los Angeles Angels Podcast

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Well, hey, Angel fans, Welcome back to Halo territory. Mike
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: di Giovanna, former La Times Baseball writer and host of
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: the show. Mark Drumbo couldn't be with us today. He's
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: out dropping some knowledge on some young hitters. But we
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: do have Sam Blum of The Athletic with us. Sam,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: welcome back to the show. How you doing.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Kid, I'm just missing your better half, so we all are.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: We'll have to figure out. We're just gonna have to
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: muddle our way through this somehow. So we have a
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: few things to discuss today, one of them being Sam's
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: recent coverage of the Rio Foster situation. But I want
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: to start by taking a little temperature check on our Halos.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: We're about two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: to spring training, and I don't think it's any secret
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: that neither Sam nor I have a very high opinion
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: of this team right now. But one of us thinks
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: this might be a historically bad season. Sam, any idea
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: who that might be?
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Well, I mean, listen, I've already watched them have a
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: historically bad season two years ago when they were when
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: they lost ninety nine games. This is the Angels. You know,
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: for as bad as they've always been, at least not
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: always been. But you know, in recent history, they have
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: never lost a hundred games. I think like one of
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: maybe the only team to never lose a hundred games.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: So they that is kind of by design. I mean,
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: they've always kind of given you enough to get you excited.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: That is the and I would use this word before,
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: that's the grift. In my opinion, this time, it doesn't
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: really feel like there's they're they're keeping the grift, but
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: they're not really doing enough to put it together a
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: team that I think can can be competitive. Now I
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: always caveat that with you know, maybe some miracle happens,
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: but it's that the roster itself. I think one through
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: nine is is you know, okay in some capacity, but
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: it is the depth issue that to me is a serious,
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: serious problem. And really the bottom half of their forty
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: man rosters is kind of going through a waiver churn
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: at this point. I mean the last couple of days
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: they've dfa guys that you know, they claimed on waivers
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: earlier this offseason. So it's that's just kind of what
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: they're doing right now. They don't, you know, all while
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: keeping Anthony Rendon on the forty man roster. So I
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: just don't really think they have any depth in their organization.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: I don't think that they're in a position to win,
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: you know, seventy games. I don't. I mean, I think
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: this could be their first one hundred last season, maybe
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: worse than that. I don't know. I mean, you know,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: we're all speculating and guessing, but I don't think. I
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: don't think they've done enough to earn the benefit of
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: the doubt going into a season that they're going to
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: be winning more than sixty games.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, people who have read my coverage in the LA
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Times over the last three decades may have a hard
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: time believing this. But I was voted class optimist in
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: my senior year high school back in nineteen eighty, so
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: I do have the capacity to look at the glasses
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: being half full at times. I don't think the Angels
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: are gonna challenge the twenty twenty four White Sox for
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty one lost season. Well, they lose
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: one hundred games, possibly, But I looked at this roster,
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: and even if everybody has solid to above average seasons
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: and stays relatively healthy, I think you were looking at
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: a seventy five win team, maybe an eighty win team
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: at the most. I mean, yeah, go ahead soon.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: No, I was just gonna say. I mean, even last
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: year they won seventy two games, and that was with
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: the rotation that I don't think had a sixth starter
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: until like August. I mean, they were healthy. Look at
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: their record of one run games. I mean, they were
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: really good in one run games last year. I mean,
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: everything kind of fell apart in September, but ultimately this
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: team was overperforming in ways that I don't think are
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: sustainable on a year to year basis. And that was
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: a bad team last year, and they won seventy two
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: and ninety that's not a good record, but they did
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: that with winning games and one winning a lot of
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: one run games with the closer that's one of the
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: best all time. They don't have that closer anymore. And
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: that was, you know, with a healthy starting rotation that
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: you know, listen, Jack Jack o'hannowitz wasn't good right like
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: they were. You know, Kyle Hendricks at times was very mediocre.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: I mean, this wasn't a great rotation, but it was
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: a healthy one and they didn't have to kind of
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: go into the depths of it at any point, at
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: least not before like September, and so this is you know,
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: you're looking at a rotation that I think has some
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: upside right now, but ultimately, like one guy gets hurt
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: in that and then you're probably starting forty percent year
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: games with someone that has little to no experience and
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: probably shouldn't even be in a major league rotation. So,
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: you know, I think there's that's where this is. You know,
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: and their bullpen again, the difference between in my opinion,
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: that White Sox team that you alluded to and even
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: the Rockies team last year that was very similarly bad.
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: The difference between those teams and the Angels, I think
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: is a semi competent bullpen. I think they have some
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: pieces there that could end up being decent. You know,
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: I underd stand trading brock Burke was maybe for the
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: best in terms of getting a you know, controllable outfielder,
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: which they needed, but you're also losing one of your
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: most reliable relievers in exchange for guys who don't have
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: you know, track records last season outside of Drew pomer
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: and so, and he's gonna be like thirty nine, I
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: think so Ultimately, I think the bullpen is a is
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: a fifty to fifty kind of situation at this point,
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: but does seem to me to be a little bit
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: better on paper than maybe some of those teams that
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: really really, really really were horribly bad and were that
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: bad because they blew a lot of games late. Yeah.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: I took a deeper dive into the roster this week,
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: and I looked at what the Angels have right now,
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: and I thought, if every one of these guys had
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: like a career year, right there's maybe two guys on
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: the team who, with their career years, might garner MVP votes.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: Certainly Mike Trout he's won three of the awards already.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: Maybe Joe Adell if he you know, Bills on his
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: breakout season last year, raises his ops, lowers his strikeouts
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: a bit. And then after those two, there's a handful
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: of guys who I think could make an All Star team,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: you know, Zach Netto Kakuchi, Maybe Alex Manoa or Kirby
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Yates because they did make All Star teams a few
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: years ago. Maybe Jorge Solaire because he's only three years
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: removed from his last All Star team. But I look
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: at the track record of these guys and it just
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: doesn't warrant much optimism for me. Now that being said,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: I do see a couple of wild cards who if
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: things swing right for the Angels, you know, maybe they
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: can make the difference of five or six wins. Grayson
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: Rodriguez being the biggest one. You know, this is the
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: kid they got from the Orioles. For Taylor Ward, everyone
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: seems to think he has the stuff to be a
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: number two, maybe even a number one, but he hasn't
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: pitched in a year and a half because of his
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: oillibile problems, so he obviously has to stay healthy. Then
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: there's two big wildcards in the bullpen for me. Ben
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: Joyce clearly has the stuff to be an elite closer
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: that the kid throws one hundred to one hundred and five,
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: but he is he just cannot stay healthy. I think
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: throwing one hundred to one oh five has something to
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: do with that. And then Robert Stevenson, I think, even
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: in the few innings we saw last year, he can
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: be a pretty darn good setup man, but once again,
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: hasn't been healthy for two solid seasons. Now you just
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: can't count on these guys, what are you seeing along
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: these lines?
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: I mean, I don't I don't think Joyce will. You know,
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: it's not determined this and you know, but I don't
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: think the expectation is he's going to be on the
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: opening day roster. He's still hurt, I think, and so
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: you know, I mean again, these are injuries that you
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: don't know how long they're going to really where they're at.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: And the Angels, with their lack of transparency on these topics,
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: tend to you know, make that guessing game a little
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: more complicated. So but I don't think the feeling right
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: now is that Joyce is going to be on the
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: opening day roster because he's, you know, coming back from
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: his injury. And I think Joyce has some optimism. I
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: talked him earlier this offseason and he sounded pretty happy
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: about kind of where things were. But you know, that
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: was a few months ago and and you know it's
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: still was a process. So we'll see. But you know,
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: I mean, I agree with you, like then that is
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: the case every year with the Angels, right Like you
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: could always be like, well if this guy, this guy,
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: this guy is you know, to me, the biggest wild
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: card is going to be Mike Trout as it as
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: it just has to be at this point. I mean,
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: Mike Trout at the end of last year was playing
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: at a level that probably shouldn't even have him in
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: a major league starting lineup. He was just not good
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: at the you know, from I would say early August
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: to about the last week of September, his very last week.
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: He was very good, but I mean he was straight
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: he was just not doing any I mean, he didn't
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: in a home run for like a full month. I mean,
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: he wasn't. He was striking out way too much so
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: and he wasn't playing the outfield, so he's not he
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: wasn't contributing in that way. So to me, I don't
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: think Mike Trout was that player that we saw from
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: August to uh, you know, middle of September last year.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: But I also don't know as he where he is
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: at at all really in terms of being a superstar
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: caler player. And then you know, I think he's going
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: to be thirty four in August, right, so you know
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: what it is, right, this is the way, this is
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: what happens. You know, I'm going to be thirty three
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: in September. I understood this. It's what it is. And
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: I just to me the question is Mike Trout. Is
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: that guy going to be anywhere close to a middle
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: of the order Mike Trout type player because he's right now,
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: he's name only. I mean, that's just the reality of it.
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: And that is enough, I think at times to get
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: him on base, draw a lot of walks, you know,
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: you know, get some pitches to hit where he's gonna
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: clock him over the fence. But where where does that
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: leave you in terms of being a guy who's gonna
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: get on base, that's going to have some speed, that's
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: going to be able to play the outfield, like be
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: a real well rounded player in some capacity. And I
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: think this is an issue for them right now. So
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: and you mentioned Soilaire. It creates this other problem where
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: again he's a wildcard player. For me, he's a contract here.
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: Perry's continuously brought up. You know, he's done well in
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: contract years, but I think he's thirty five. You know,
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: he's never been thirty five in a contract year before.
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: So again he's and then you know, he can't really
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: play the outfield on a full time basis in any capacity.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: But can Mike Trout and if they both can't, can
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: they both play? How do you navigate these things are
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: big questions to me. Can you know, then you have
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: Joe A. Dell and center where he's a net negative
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: defensive player and center can will come there a net
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: positive and right field? But can you put Trout in
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: center because he's gonna be he's been your right fielder.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: They're kind of in a little bit of a conundrum
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: with that issue, and I don't think it's really talked
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: about enough how they navigate that, and then you know
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: they just like a wayde Meckler. I don't know who
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: they're going to really have in you know, center, and
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: how they're going to you know, deal with that. I
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: assume the plan now is Adele some capacity or you know,
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: Josh Lowe or Bryce Daodosio. But I you know, it's
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: it's a problem how they're going to navigate that outfield.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's uh, it's obviously been a while since Mike
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: Trout has had what we consider a Mike Trout yere
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: are we almost to the point now where I hate
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: to even think of this, but is Mike Trout Do
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: we expect Mike Trout to be the guy that he's
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: been for the last few years, and that'll never you know,
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: become even a semblance of Mike Trout again. That would
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: be a huge shame obviously stra Angel fans and for Mike.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: But man, are we resigned to to getting the Mic
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: Trout that we've had for these last few years.
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: I think the Angels need to figure I think in
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: Trout and the Angels to kind of figure out a
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: way to make the most of the situation. I mean,
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: there's there is a He's not like, he's not just
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: forgotten how to play baseball. I think that some of
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: the skill sets that he had have not aged well right,
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: like playing the field, running the bases necessarily, or even
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: being able to catch up to fastballs, which has always
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: been an issue but has become more of an issue,
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: especially those high fastballs. So you know, what do you
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: how do you navigate that? How do you how do
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: you you know, try to counteract the way teams are
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: going to approach you. I mean, that's something he needs
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: to figure out in a big way. I assuming, knowing
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: Mike as you know Mike, like, I'm sure that is
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: He's not He's not naive to these issues. I'm sure
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: he's very, very proactive in addressing them in some capacity.
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: It's just a matter of, you know, what does this
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: look like. He's got five more years on this very
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: expensive contract. They need to figure out a way. He
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: needs to figure out a way to make those valuable years.
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: Otherwise it's going to be a long and painful, drawn
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: out process that I don't think we'll ever get to,
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: like the Rendown level of kind of you know, angst,
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: but it will become. You know, it's not comfortable for
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: anybody either. I mean, this is you never want to
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: see your superstar age slowly in this way. That becomes
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: a detriment to the team. And I don't think that's
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: where we're at at any at all. But you know,
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: you look about five more years, I think that's that
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: has to be, you know, and what we saw at
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: the end of last season. I mean, I just think
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: you can't rule these things out. You have to be proactive.
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: You can't just be like he's going to show up
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: to spring training and it's all going to be good again,
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: because that has not been the case since twenty twenty
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: two really or even twenty two.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: There are two more weeks left in the winter, there
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: are there is time to make moves. John Hayman tweeted
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: just the other day a list of very fine pitchers
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: who are still available Framburg Baldez of course, Zach Gallon,
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Chris Bassett, Zach Lettel. From what I've seen though, the
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: Angels have only been mentioned with two of these guys,
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: Zach Gallon and Zach Lttel. I mean, at this point,
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: can you see this team sam making any kind of
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: moves to improve the roster.
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: I mean, listen, you get Zach Allen. That's a good gut.
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: I don't think it makes a winning team, but it
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: makes you close. It makes you a better team, right,
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: I mean, that's that's for sure. Let's say he hadn't
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: have the best year last year, a Gallon, but he's
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: he's he's yeah, he's Zac Gallen like he's he's a
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: very good major league pitcher. But I don't know, I mean,
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: you know, I think the other issue that people don't
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: I mean, there are there are two reasons in my opinion,
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: that the Angels don't really sign a lot of free agents,
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: and maybe this year it has more to do with
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: their lack of a desire to sign anyone for any
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: major money. But I think that teams, no matter who
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: they signed, they're gonna have to do They're gonna have
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: to overpay what other teams will have to pay for
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: those same players. I think that's where I think the
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: Angels are. I don't think players are like I want
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: to go play in Anaheim, outside of guys who are
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: like I'd like to go be close to home on
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: the West Coast in a low pressure environment. But anybody
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: that's like looking to win, especially good players, like good
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: free agents, they're not coming in. They're not looking to
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: go to Anaheim because the Angels are are are a
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: mess on the field, and they are a mess off
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: the field, you know, in a lot of ways. And
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: I think people are are are becoming way more aware
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: of that in recent years. And and you know, it's
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: not a it's not an attractive option for for teams.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: I just don't think I think that is playing a
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: role in some of this, you know, but it's also
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: probably you know, it's like probably plays a role in
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: why they don't get like a Nolan Arena, who they
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: probably would have been willing to trade for. You know,
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: maybe that's kind of been the line. And and you know,
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: I think what was it a couple of years ago,
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: it was like labor tourists didn't want to sign here.
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: So don't quote me on that. I question even said,
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: I can't report that independently or anything, but that's kind
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: of been the talk. And so I think that these
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: issues are going to arise, and so yes, get exact Allen,
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: be great, exactly tell also fine getting any of those
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: guys that Tyler Anderson again, anybody would be fine because
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: you know, you don't have to stick Caden Dana in
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: their rotation right now. I'm not saying he can't do it,
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: but I think that's you know, we saw him pitching
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: the big leagues. He wasn't ready for it, so he's
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: still so young. And so you know, part of the
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: issue the Angels have is a lot of these guys
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: on their forty man roster. They are prospects who are
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: probably not ready for the big leagues, but they have
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: been called up early to fill innings in the bullpen.
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: Sam Alte, Gary cad and Dana, Ryan Johnson, things like
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: guys like that, who now you know, they're on your
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: forty man so you are you are kind of working
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: with those guys, and you know, that's why they are
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: having to dfa some guys who might be some good
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: depth pieces for them, like Wade Deckler and as Waldobdo
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: the last few the last few hours. So not saying
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: they're they're program changing, franchise changing players, but these are
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: the kinds of decisions that accumulate and when you have
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: to start making them, you lose your depth, you lose
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: your ability to to really put together a competitive team.
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: And I think like the Angels, we've seen it the
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: last few days with the you know, prospect rankings. I
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: think the athletic aadem of twenty ninth in the ESPN
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: this morning, adem at twenty seventh, to lose this many
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: years in a row and to never really improve your
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: prospect situation in a substantive ways a just a poor
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: reflection on everybody involved.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I do think Arty Marino with a team owner
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: could generate some goodwill among these fans if if they
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: would just do anything, make a move or two to
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: make it look like they're trying right. But then they
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: look at it us like, is one or two players
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: you know short of show hey Otani going to turn
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: this team? You know, from a seventy win team to
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: a to an eighty win team or a playoff contender.
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: I don't think so. So you could almost argue that,
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: you know, why would already spend twenty million, thirty million,
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: you know, add that much to their payroll to a
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: team that has no chance to win when they're already
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: losing millions with this really bad TV deal they're in
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: right now.
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: So to me, it's like credit to the Angels, though,
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: I mean, this is a miss. This is a position
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: they have put themselves and so you're right, just signing
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: one or two guys do anything does nothing for them. Really,
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: they've done that. They have done that, Like I said,
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: they've done that for years where they have done enough
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: to get people a little bit excited and then let
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: them down by the time you get to August. That is,
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: you know, now, what we're seeing is they do even
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: less and now they're letting people down them by the
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: time they get to May. That's the only difference right now.
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: It's not there's no substance of change. I think the
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: problem is what would make fans happy, in my opinion,
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: is when you get to the when you get to
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: the beginning of August and you're not doing well. Trade
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: away the guys that aren't going to, you know, get
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: people excited with some of these prospects. Put a position,
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: put people in place that are going to develop those prospects.
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: Let them get to the point where they're ready to
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: get to the big leagues, and not rust them up here.
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: Watch them stink and then they never get better because
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: you've because you have failed them. And I mean that
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: is I think they're so fortunate to have had Zach
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: netto really and I don't want to. You know, whatever
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: the angel have done with Zach, if they've gotten up
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: to this point, I will give them all the credit
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: in the world because I think he is a budding
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: superstar player. I think Shanewell probably is under an underrated player.
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: I mean, he needs to improve certain areas of his game,
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: but he's a good major league player. The problem is
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: everything else. They don't make any decisions that actually get
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: you to the point where you are going to be
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: sustainably competitive. I think that's what will make fans happy.
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: It's not about acquiring Zach Allen. You know, maybe that
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: makes you better today than it did yesterday, but doesn't
• 18:17
  Speaker 2: make you good as an organization.
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: Now, yeah, well, we'll have plenty of time to analyze
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: this team moving forward. But now I want to turn
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: our attention to Real Foster, the twenty two year old
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: outfield prospect who suffered devastating brain injuries in a car
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: accident last September in Washington State, Sam for those of
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: not me, those who might not subscribe to the Athletic,
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: and I think there's still a few left out there,
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: fasted in on what exactly happened to this kid and
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: where we are.
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: So yeah, in September he had gone to a horrible
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: car accident. He was an Angel's prospect who I think
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: on the morning of September fourth was named the Northwest
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: League Player of the Year in Dry City, which is
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: the Angel's high affiliate. And then that night he was
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: out at a bar and got into a car with
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: a couple of friends, who acquaintances, who were drunk. He
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: was his at least his mom believes he was also
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: drunk and wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: the car. And you know, his whole life has kind
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: of been just upended. I mean, you know, at least
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: as of when I visited him earlier, this month, he was,
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: you know, unable to carry a conversation, unable to walk,
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: unable to eat on his own. Yeah, there's a nice
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: photo of him, and you know, I think you could
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: see maybe some optimism in that picture of you know,
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: what his life could look like, right, Like he's looking
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: at the baseball, but really, I mean that's he's looking
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: at the baseball, but he's not. And I think that's
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: you know, you don't want to decontextualize that picture too
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: much because he's he he isn't able to play baseball.
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: He's not able to do those things right, like he
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: can grip a baseball when you ask him to. But
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: this is a kid whose life is up ended, and
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: the Angels just weren't at the time the story, were
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: not really uh willing to continue insuring him through this
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: year that's been that. You know, his his family's financial
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: situation is quite dire, and so that's just it's devastating
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: and and you know, he wasn't really getting any help
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: and his mom is really his only caretaker and his
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: the hospital he was living in was going to discharge
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: him because he wasn't improving fast enough, essentially, So it
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: was just kind of entering into a place where his
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: life maybe wasn't going to turn around. Thankfully, the Angels,
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: I think the day after the story ran let let
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: the family know that they'll be ensuring him through their
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: employment through the end of the year. So that's a positive.
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: They also be paying salary. We'll see what that, you know,
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: what that does for this family. But I think it's
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: just important to to note that public pressure can work.
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: And you know, I don't Angel weren't going to do
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: the right thing here. He had to do the right thing,
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: and they finally, they finally caved on that front. So
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: you know, yeah, it's like happy and it's also kind
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: of like devastating to think that that's what it took.
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: You know, just look at the Dodgers have done the
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: same thing with Andrew Toles. The Podres have done the
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: same thing since like the nineties with one of their
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: like minor league believers who had suffered a heart issue.
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: I think, you know, so there there are. There are
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: plenty of examples of teams kind of going into these
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: situations and just doing the easiest thing imaginable. But it
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: takes teeth pulling a little bit with the Angels, but
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: thankfully they did it, and you know, credit to them
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: for that.
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, as you mentioned, as of early January, the Angels
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: had not informed the family that they were going to
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: continue to pay his health insurance. Now, to be fair
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: of the Angels, they weren't necessarily even obligated to pay
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: for his health insurance. You know, had Rio suffered this
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: injury on a baseball field, had he had a brain aneurism,
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: even walking around Walmart, I think, you know, they would
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: have felt a lot more obligated. But even Rio's mom
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: had acknowledges he got into a car with a drunk driver.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: You know, he knew, well maybe not drunk, he knew
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: the driver was drinking. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Even
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: the mom has acknowledged that. You know, he deserves some
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: some of the blame. Did that change the calculus at
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: all in this situation?
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: If it did, that would be insane to me. I
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: just am like, I get it, he's a twenty two
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: year old that made a bad decision. But I mean,
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: does that mean that no, he should never get help
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: and he should just you know live, you know, basically
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: suffer the painful consequences that destroy him and his family
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: for years. I don't those two things just don't calculate
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: for me. So I, you're right, he made bad decisions,
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: but you know who hasn't. I just I you know,
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: he's twenty two year old young man who's who went
• 22:46
  Speaker 2: out to drink and screwed up. But I don't think
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: that should mean he pays with the rest of his life.
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: And I'm happy that the Angels have at least agreed
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: with that for a year, and will continue to put
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: pressure on them to do that again. Nicept pressure. I
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: will continue to ask you about it, and public pressure
• 23:02
  Speaker 2: will will continue. I mean because I just you know,
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: don't You're never supposed to be an advocate in these articles,
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: but it's like personally quite painful to go watch this
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: person suffer and watch his family suffer and realize that
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: it's just you know, you know, you look at Joe
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: Adell donated five thousand dollars to this guy, Yusiki Kuchi
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: donated ten thousand. I don't know if the if those
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: players had really even had any real meaningful relationship with Ryo.
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: I don't even I don't think they. I think they
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: have met him in like spring training. They were the
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: ones who were taking money out of their paycheck, I mean,
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: and and helping his family out. And so I think
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: it's it's that's the right thing to do. Those guys
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: did the right thing. A lot of players across baseball,
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: a lot of minor league players chipped in one hundred
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: bucks here and there. So you get that as a
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: heartening thing. But you know, for the Angels to to
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: have to you know, beg them essentially, I mean, so
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: you know you want me an advocate, but I'm not
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: afraid to say that I think that this is a
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: pretty easy choice.
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: Do you think you know, now that we're a couple
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: of weeks removed from the story, were you able to
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: discern whether your article spurred some action on the part
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: of the Angels.
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: I mean, you just look at the days. I mean yeah,
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: I mean you know, it's like I said, Uh, they
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: had they had been I think in somewhat regular contact
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: like up until like the middle or late November with
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: his family, but then hadn't at all in December, uh,
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: and thoroughly January. And you know, the bat the people
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: at bat Baseball assistant seem with Major League Baseball were
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: you know, just not really communicating very well, I think
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: with his family kind of having looked at those emails,
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: it was a lot of you know, formulaic emails, not
• 24:47
  Speaker 2: really offering.
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: I don't I don't want to, I don't want to
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: characterize their emails, but it just wasn't It didn't feel
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: like they were really meeting her where she was at times.
• 24:55
  Speaker 2: And you know, it's after I reached out to both
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: of those entities, she got a lot more contact. She
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: would heard from the Angel shared from that she was
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: able to kind of schedule all these things. So I
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: think that that pressure realizing that there was a New
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: York Times article coming was going to was going to
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: impact it. I don't want to say for sure, I
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: don't know what was in people's hearts and minds, but
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: it seems, you know, the timing seems pretty clear cut.
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, there's nothing wrong with a little advocacy journalism
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: every now and then in the sports world. And I'm
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: sure glad it worked out the way it did.
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: Right.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: That's going to do it for Halo Territory today. Thanks
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: for joining us, please like and subscribe, And just a reminder,
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: we're going to try to put together an Angel's mail
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: bag soon. So Please drop your questions into the Halo
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: Territory X site and that's going to be all today.
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: We'll see you next time on Halo Territory