Where did the Angels come from to sign Josh Hamilton? Thinking about it, this move actually lines up pretty well with what the "other" rich L.A baseball team did last year when they signed Albert Pujols and C.J Wilson in what appeared to be one fell swoop out of literally nowhere. With the Dodgers (hopefully) done spending and rumors coming out of Arlington, the Bronx, Seattle, and even Boston, the Cali lifestyle did not appear to be in Hamilton's future. However, here we are, the Angels one top-five hitter richer. With a lineup featuring A-caliber hitters 2012 AL ROY Mike Trout, Pujols, and Hamilton, they might be the only team in baseball who can casually afford to give up a true slugger.
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| Hamilton, the newest Angel |
While Hamilton's performance throughout the course of this deal is not guaranteed positive, he will surely start in either RF or LF with AL MVP candidate Trout manning CF. Now, for a team that had an absolute outfield surplus last year, the Angels suddenly have the same problem but with much better players. Last year, in a disappointing campaign, they opened the season with Peter Bourjos in center, Torii Hunter in right, and the enigmatic Vernon Wells in left. We obviously know that is not how the season ended, with Trout ascending the minors (and possibly the majors) and putting up his insane numbers. Hunter stayed in RF and the powerful Mark Trumbo, not exactly an impressive glove man in his try at third base, attempted the outfield.
However, Hunter has left Anaheim for Detroit, and Trumbo is still not an average fielder anywhere off of first base. That leaves either LF or RF open, depending on where Hamilton plays. The Angels could opt to let Trumbo make up for his glove with his bat or let Bourjos play and have a great offensive and defensive outfield. Personally, with their new, ridiculous lineup, I would take an economic approach to this situation. Let’s establish first off that Wells should keep his role as the highest-paid outfielder not on the field ever. With that in mind, the Angels have Pujols, Kendrys Morales, and Trumbo at first base. GM Jerry Dipoto should look to trade Morales, who is a great hitter but has become extraneous with Hamilton's arrival, and let Bourjos play LF, Hamilton play RF, and Trumbo DH. Morales will be a free agent in 2014 while Trumbo will not even be arbitration eligible until then. The Angels can undoubtedly get a mid-rotation starter or a high-leverage reliever in return for a starting-caliber first baseman, allowing them to shore up their pitching for 2013 and hold on to another player in Trumbo who will probably develop into another serious slugger that calls Angel Stadium of Anaheim home.
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| Two keys for the Angels in 2013 |
This deal has implications outside of L.A, though, in the American League West specifically. The Texas Rangers now must make up the offensive ground between them and the Angels by adding another hitter after losing catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli in addition to Hamilton this offseason. The chances for the 2012 Division-winning Oakland Athletics to repeat just diminished greatly, and they were not even projected to repeat their title before this deal. The Mariners will continue to try to convince a slugger to play for them to help a depleted offense line up with what will be a great pitching rotation in the coming years. They give a go at this strategy yearly, but never seem land any kind of big hitter. Although they fell completely short of expectations last year after big signings, the freedom to improve through the trade market that signing Josh Hamilton gives them should pave the way for the Angels to win the AL West in 2013, or at least come much closer than they did last year.
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