It wouldn’t be the off-season in Major League Baseball if we were not
talking about The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim flirting with the idea
of bringing in a big name free agent only to be a reluctant bridesmaid.
Players such as Mark Teixeira and Carl Crawford are two players that
come to mind recently as players that The Angels talked a big game about
getting until it was time to pay them. Teixeira signed with The New
York Yankees and helped them win The World Series in 2009 which was his
first season in The Bronx. Last year, Crawford turned down The Angels in
favor of heading to Beantown and playing with The Boston Red Sox.
If we were playing poker we would say that Angel owner Arte Moreno
loves to give the illusion of having a full house when he really
doesn’t. This time he played his hand and it may lead to a World Series
Championship. The Angels pulled of a shocker by signing free agents
Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson to lucrative contracts. We have seen what
Pujols has done as a member of The St. Louis Cardinals as he helped The
Cardinals win two World Series Championships in his tenure. Now the
future Hall of Fame first baseman will finish his career in Southern
California. Pujols has a lifetime batting average of .328 to go along
with 445 homeruns. It took $254 million over the next decade to lure
“Fat Albert” away from St. Louis as this is the most important free
agent signing for the franchise since The Angels signed Reggie Jackson
in 1982.
The Angels flirted with Wilson and some people didn’t pay attention
to it. Wilson now has $77.5 million reasons to return home to his native
Southern California. I am not impressed with Wilson as he has not
proven himself as a big-game pitcher. Last season Wilson became the
first pitcher in MLB history to be the losing pitcher in The All-Star
Game and lose in every round of the playoffs. In the postseason, Wilson
has a career record of 1-5 with an earned run average of 4.82. Luckily
for Wilson he can get lost in the shuffle of The Angels rotation. The
Angels already have All-Star pitchers in Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, and
Ervin Santana. Wilson won’t see the same pressure as if he had signed
with The New York Yankees or re-signed with The Texas Rangers as now he
only has to be one of the guys.
After winning The World Series in 2002, The Angels went on to win
five American League Western Division Titles. The Angels seemed to
cakewalk through the division because there was a lack of competition.
The Angels always found a way to fall short against The Yankees and Red
Sox as it was proven that they were not built to win once they met them
in the playoffs. Over the last few seasons, The Rangers have had a
powerful lineup that The Angels have not been able to match. Because of
this The Rangers have overtaken them for supremacy in The AL West. The
Rangers go into 2012 as the two-time defending American League Champions
and would love to make it a three-peat. Since taking over in 2010,
Rangers principal owner Nolan Ryan has shown the same passion for
winning as he did during his Hall of Fame career as a pitcher. In 2010,
Ryan traded with The Seattle Mariners to acquire pitcher Cliff Lee.
After 2010 The Rangers lost Lee to free agency the same way that they
just lost Wilson and it didn’t stop them from getting back to The World
Series. With a deep lineup led by outfielders Josh Hamilton and Nelson
Cruz, The Rangers won’t be ready to bow down to The Angels.
Bringing in Pujols will spice things up in The West as his presence
alone will make every player in The Angels lineup better. The Angels
acquired outfielder Vernon Wells from The Toronto Blue Jays last season
and the team would love to see him and his .218 batting average from
2011 improve. The Angels are also hoping that first baseman/ designated
hitter Kendry Morales can recover from his horrific injury in 2010 where
he broke his leg while celebrating a walk-off homerun. Now The Angels
have that big bat in the middle of the lineup and they don’t have to
consistently play manager Mike Scioscia’s “small ball” to win games.
Having Weaver and Haren at the top of the rotation will allow The Angels
to contend with The Rangers, Red Sox, and Yankees in a playoff series
as both were two of the top pitchers in 2011. Haren and Weaver combined
for 34 wins last season and they should enjoy more run support with
Pujols in the lineup.
For a period of time, The American League was owned by The Yankees
who won four titles from 1996-2000. The Yankees then had to share with
The Red Sox who won twice from 2004-2007. The Rangers have quickly
became a new player on the block and these three must learn to co-exist
with The Angels. The Angels have tried to sneak through the back door
for the last few seasons, but they now have the artillery to simply
knock down the front door in The American League. Those 18 games with
The Rangers and the tilts with The Red Sox and Yankees will definitely
be must-see television.
Leave A Comment