The Future Looks Good for the Angels
Thursdays trade for Kyle Kubitza revealed the Angels front office plans for continually fielding a championship team. With the rise of revenue in baseball creating enormous contract expectations for free agents, you can’t expect to land the players you need. They also realize more than more teams, just what those giant contracts can do to handcuff your future.
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Jerry Dipoto was quoted as saying “Right now, we’re hyper-focused on being prepared for Feb. 19, the start of Spring Training, and getting ourselves prepared for the 2015 season,” Dipoto said. “But we’re always paying attention to what happens in 2016 and beyond, and trying to build in layers of depth in the system.” The Angels are continually working on building a team for each of the next six seasons.
In order to find out how the team is constructed for future success I have started with 2016 and listed the likely starters for each position until 2020. Which happen to be the same years Mike Trout will be around to carry the team. Surely things will look different as players are extended, traded and without question some are going to come in via free agency to make up for where prospects fail or immediate success is deemed lacking. Due to the possibilities in the rotation and bullpen depth players are listed as well.
2016
1B – Albert Pujols/C.J. Cron
2b – Grant Green/Josh Rutledge/Alex Yarbrough/Johnny Giavottella
SS – Erick Aybar
3B – Kyle Kubitza
LF – Josh Hamilton
CF – Mike Trout
RF – Kole Calhoun
DH — C.J. Cron/Albert Pujols
Starting Pitchers – Garrett Richards, Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Andrew Heaney, Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Hector Santiago, Nick Tropeano
Bullpen – Joe Smith, Cory Rasmus, Mike Morin, Cam Bedrosian, Vinnie Pestano, Jose Alvarez, Drew Rucinski, Trevor Gott, Jeremy Rhoades
The pitching staff still looks really deep due to the trades Dipoto has been able to pull off.
2017
C – Jett Bandy/Carlos Perez
1B – Albert Pujols/C.J. Cron
2b – Grant Green/Josh Rutledge/Alex Yarbrough
SS – Roberto Baldoquin
3B – Kyle Kubitza
LF – Josh Hamilton
CF – Mike Trout
RF – Kole Calhoun
DH — C.J. Cron/Albert Pujols
Starting Pitchers – Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Hector Santiago, Nick Tropeano, Sean Newcomb
Bullpen – Cam Bedrosian, Cory Rasmus,Mike Morin, Vinnie Pestano, Jose Alvarez, Nate Hyatt, Trevor Gott, Drew Rucinski, Jeremy Rhoades, Tyler Deloach
A lot of money comes off the books for this season. No doubt this list will look different as the extra funds are spent. Even with Weaver and Wilson gone the pitching staff looks solid and may not need much change. The bullpen loses Smith but with the pitching heavy drafts of the last couple of years reinforcements may be available within.
Aug 15, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun (56) during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
2018
C – Jett Bandy/Carlos Perez
1B – Albert Pujols/C.J. Cron
2b – Grant Green/Josh Rutledge/Alex Yarbrough
SS – Roberto Baldoquin
3B – Kyle Kubitza
LF – Colin Cowgill
CF – Mike Trout
RF – Kole Calhoun
DH — C.J. Cron/Albert Pujols
Starting Pitchers – Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano, Sean Newcomb, Christopher Ellis
Bullpen – Cam Bedrosian, Cory Rasmus, Mike Morin, Jose Alvarez, Nate Hyatt, Trevor Gott, Drew Rucinski, Jeremy Rhoades, Tyler Deloach
Hamilton is gone at this point so unless the Angels find a way to draft or develop a new left fielder free agency is a definite option at this time.
2019
C – Jett Bandy/Carlos Perez
1B – Albert Pujols/C.J. Cron
2b – Grant Green/Alex Yarbrough
SS – Roberto Baldoquin
3B – Kyle Kubitza
LF – Bo Way
CF – Mike Trout
RF – Kole Calhoun
DH — C.J. Cron/Albert Pujols
Starting Pitchers – Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano, Sean Newcomb, Christopher Ellis, Joe Gatto
Bullpen – Cam Bedrosian, Cory Rasmus,Mike Morin, Jose Alvarez, Nate Hyatt, Trevor Gott, Drew Rucinski, Jeremy Rhoades, Tyler Deloach
This will be our last year with Richards unless he can be extended. Aside from him the team still looks capable of being very solid even if the front office decided to take the next few years off. Bo Way has a lot to prove to make it to left field in the future but with a name like that I’ll be rooting for him.
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2020
C – Jett Bandy/Carlos Perez
1B – Albert Pujols/C.J. Cron
2b – Alex Yarbrough
SS – Roberto Baldoquin
3B – Kyle Kubitza
LF – Bo Way
CF – Mike Trout
RF – Chad Hinshaw
DH — C.J. Cron/Albert Pujols
Starting Pitchers – Andrew Heaney, Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano, Sean Newcomb, Joe Gatto, Hunter Green
Bullpen – Cam Bedrosian, Mike Morin, Jose Alvarez, Nate Hyatt, Trevor Gott, Drew Rucinski, Jeremy Rhoades, Tyler Deloach
Amazingly enough it takes this long before serious question marks abound. Yet somehow the starting rotation still has some current players and may be very good.
Jerry Dipoto is continually looking to improve the team and is sure to make plenty of changes going forward. But, his work appears to be successful and hopefully with the money that could be saved by building from within and via trades we can keep Mike Trout in an Angels uniform for his entire career.