Mike Napoli and Vernon Wells swap teams.....

[captgus]

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/player ... ?sport=MLB

I guess this is a serious hit to JP's role with the Blue Jays. I would also imagine the Napoli owner's of the world will be happy to see him get out from under Mike Scioscia's thumb. Did the market for Vlad the Impaler just get a little smaller?

[Todd Zola]

Word is Rivera may be heading to the Jays, so it all depends on if Bourjos or Abreu plays OF. If Bourjos, Abreu is the DH (duh). They could also carry 3 catchers and give Conger some DH at bats, and, if he shows anything, Brandon Wood.

[Captain Hook]

Not finalized but current report is Napoli and Rivera for Wells

Napoli could split time behind Lind at first and Arencibia at catcher

Not good news for Bourjos but maybe they move him to LF, Wells in CF and Hunter stay in RF (could reverse those two) That would set Abreu at DH

If that is the lineup Bourjos better get off to a good start or watch Mike Trout come up and take over.

This may well signal the arrival of Hank Conger at catcher or at least to split with Mathis

[captgus]

Hank Conger is a good call. I find it hard to believe the Angels go with a catching tandem of Mathis and Wilson. I know Scioscia puts a premium on defense at the catcher position but that would be a gaping hole in that lineup.

[Captain Hook]

Hank Conger is a good call. I find it hard to believe the Angels go with a catching tandem of Mathis and Wilson. I know Scioscia puts a premium on defense at the catcher position but that would be a gaping hole in that lineup.

captgus - from one captain to another, I love the Chimay Red cap.....are you friends with one of my WW boys?

[Milnertime]

What a crazy awful trade for the Angels.

5MM in return is a joke. They should have asked for a whole year's salary back. Anthopoulos is a f-ing genius.

[special k]

What does this mean for OF PT in Toronto? Does Rajai Davis take over in CF?

[Captain Hook]

What does this mean for OF PT in Toronto? Does Rajai Davis take over in CF?

We need to see a little more but likely

Yes Davis to CF
Snider in RF
Lind being moved to 1B
Bautista to 3B
Rivera to battle for LF job
Napoli to split catcher AB with Arencibia and 1B AB with Lind
as of now Encarnacion to start as the DH

[Todd Zola]

What a crazy awful trade for the Angels.

5MM in return is a joke. They should have asked for a whole year's salary back. Anthopoulos is a f-ing genius.

I usually refrain from discussions such as this and focus on fantasy implications, but some teams are more worried about bang for the buck and some teams are only concerned about the quality of team they put out.

At the end of the day, ignoring contracts, the Angels are a better team with Wells than they were with Rivera and Napoli. And if they sign Vlad, they will be a MUCH better team.

I know this opens me up for the "why didn't they just sign Crawford" argument, which is one reason I don't get involved, because it distracts me from fantasy stuff

Speaking of which, I have a HUGE update to get ready to post for the Platimum subscribers

[aburt19]

Speaking of which, I have a HUGE update to get ready to post for the Platimum subscribers

Good luck figuring out the Toronto playing time. They've got about three or four players who should be playing DH
(Lind, Napoli, Rivera and maybe Encarnacion). Dividing up playing time there is nothing but a guess at this point.

[Todd Zola]

Speaking of which, I have a HUGE update to get ready to post for the Platimum subscribers

Good luck figuring out the Toronto playing time. They've got about three or four players who should be playing DH
(Lind, Napoli, Rivera and maybe Encarnacion). Dividing up playing time there is nothing but a guess at this point.

Actually, getting the playing time close, while not "easy", is "easier" than getting it right in terms of also getting the percentage of positions correct.

This is an instance of working backwards, deciding how much each will play in general, then back-filling the positions grid to make it work out.

Of course, this sort of defeats the purpose of using the grid, but if the grid works for the 29 other teams, I'll take it

[Milnertime]

What a crazy awful trade for the Angels.

5MM in return is a joke. They should have asked for a whole year's salary back. Anthopoulos is a f-ing genius.

I usually refrain from discussions such as this and focus on fantasy implications, but some teams are more worried about bang for the buck and some teams are only concerned about the quality of team they put out.

At the end of the day, ignoring contracts, the Angels are a better team with Wells than they were with Rivera and Napoli. And if they sign Vlad, they will be a MUCH better team.

I'll agree it makes them a better team in the short term, but ignoring the contract is a big deal considering...well...the amount of money Wells is making is a big deal. Even with the 5MM the Jays kicked in, he's going to average just over 20MM a year through 2014. I realize this forum is usually reserved for fantasy discussions, so I'm sorry for derailing it. I was just blown away with how this trade went down.

[Todd Zola]

What a crazy awful trade for the Angels.

5MM in return is a joke. They should have asked for a whole year's salary back. Anthopoulos is a f-ing genius.

I usually refrain from discussions such as this and focus on fantasy implications, but some teams are more worried about bang for the buck and some teams are only concerned about the quality of team they put out.

At the end of the day, ignoring contracts, the Angels are a better team with Wells than they were with Rivera and Napoli. And if they sign Vlad, they will be a MUCH better team.

I'll agree it makes them a better team in the short term, but ignoring the contract is a big deal considering...well...the amount of money Wells is making is a big deal. Even with the 5MM the Jays kicked in, he's going to average just over 20MM a year through 2014. I realize this forum is usually reserved for fantasy discussions, so I'm sorry for derailing it. I was just blown away with how this trade went down.

FWIW, this forum is for all things baseball. Just saying I personally prefer to focus on fantasy is all.

So, derail to your heart's content. We also welcome comments on the articles posted on the main page.

But to continue doing what I don't usually do....

The contract is only a handcuff if it prevents the Angels from making their team better still, short and long term.

They are relatively cost-efficient at many other positions, so they can afford to focus on what Wells brings to the team and not just bang for the buck, which is something becoming a popular means of looking at players with all the means of converting production to WAR, then to $$$, etc. Not every GM has www.fangraphs.com bookmarked

[Captain Hook]

.....and there IS a buyout for Wells' contract - it is a player option but that can be something he could be convinced to do if the Angels felt it necessary - of course if he puts up 2010 numbers they will be happy to let it go

[whammer]

There is Zero shot he opts out of that contract....it's like someone holding a 80 mil lottery ticket and not cashing it in.

[Captain Hook]

There is Zero shot he opts out of that contract....it's like someone holding a 80 mil lottery ticket and not cashing it in.

Sorry but I don't think you know much about Vernon Wells - check story on the front page