{"id":39575,"date":"2020-11-06T17:49:28","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T22:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=39575"},"modified":"2020-11-06T17:49:28","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T22:49:28","slug":"los-angeles-angels-2021-and-beyond-part-1-the-front-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2020\/11\/06\/los-angeles-angels-2021-and-beyond-part-1-the-front-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Angels 2021 and Beyond, Part 1: The Front Office"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first of a three-part series that delves into the Los Angeles Angels<\/a> organization moving forward, we focus on the Angels front office. The Angels front office remains in turmoil as ownership continues the search for a general manager<\/a>. Simply put, the Angels missed the postseason again. And, as every article about them has noted, it’s another wasted year of Mike Trout’s<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0prime. What they should be doing instead is asking where to place the blame. Manager Joe Maddon<\/strong><\/a>?<\/strong> Ex-general manager Billy Eppler? Or, does it go all the way to the top with owner Arte Moreno?<\/p>\n

Okay, it’s an easy answer: It goes to the top. This is Arte Moreno’s fault<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let’s go all the way<\/em> back to Moreno’s acquisition of the team in 2003, and track just how the Angels ended up here.<\/p>\n

Arte Moreno’s Angels<\/h2>\n

Arte Moreno bought the Anaheim Angels in April 0f 2003, for $180 million. Fans immediately speculated about what type of owner Moreno would turn out to be. The Angels had just won the World Series and the last thing the long-suffering fan base wanted was someone who might try to fix what clearly wasn’t broken. The first season went by and Moreno was content to sit back and observe. It would be the last time he would do that.<\/p>\n

It’s significant to note that Moreno made his money in marketing. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that he prefers a big name, or “marketable” acquisitions. On its own, that’s wonderful. Every fan hopes their team spends money on good players. Unfortunately, every roster decision directly affects the next one.<\/p>\n

Early on things ran smoothly, yet the team’s foundation was shifting rapidly from what led to their championship. A lack of focus on player growth and development, a constantly changing scouting department, and the need for the next “big name” left the Angels in a constant state of flux that remains today.<\/p>\n

To be fair, this isn’t 100% Arte Moreno’s fault. But he’s certainly the main culprit. Let’s say 90%.<\/p>\n

The Bill Stoneman Era (1999-2007)<\/h3>\n

After a World Series hangover in 2003 (77-85), Moreno began to insert his influence on the roster. GM Bill Stoneman<\/strong><\/a> was pushed to make a splash in free agency and he complied. Kelvim Escobar<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Bartolo Colon<\/a>,<\/strong> and the incomparable Vladimir Guerrero<\/strong><\/a> were signed. And, it worked. Sure, they lost postseason star, Scott Spiezio<\/strong><\/a> (is .327\/.424\/.600; 10 runs and 19 RBI in 16 games not good enough?) but the baseball world applauded the moves. And just like that, the Angels were back on top of the division in 2004. Angels fans were all-in on Moreno.<\/p>\n

The downside of spending big on free agents was they lost one or two players a year from the homegrown core that led them to the World Series.
\nAfter 2004, it was World Series MVP Troy Glaus<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> David Eckstein<\/a>,<\/strong> and Troy Percival<\/strong><\/a> that were let go. The next year it was Bengie Molina<\/strong><\/a> and Jarrod Washburn<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 2005 season was solid before this<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After missing the playoffs in 2006, it was time to sign somebody, anybody; Welcome to Anaheim, Gary Matthews Jr.<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 What did $26.2 million get us from Gary, during the three years he was on the team? A 0.0 bWAR and a -0.5 fWAR. So, just short of $9 million a year to help the other team win.<\/p>\n

Bill Stoneman stepped down after the 2007 season. His departure began Moreno’s string of hiring general managers with zero experience. This is important because their inexperience made it difficult to push back when Moreno decided he wanted a player. Stoneman had the past success to say no to Moreno.<\/p>\n

The Tony Reagins Era (2008-2011)<\/h3>\n

Tony Reagins took over as general manager in October of 2007. By the end of November, the Los Angeles Angels front office had made two big moves. First, he traded Orlando Cabrera<\/strong><\/a> (and his 4.1 bWAR) for Jon Garland<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> Next, he signed Torii Hunter<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> Garland was paid $12 million to produce a 4.96 ERA in 2008, the worst season of his career. Hunter was a good signing. Plus, Reagins traded Casey Kotchman<\/strong><\/a> to the Atlanta Braves<\/a> for All-Star Mark Teixeira<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> Teixeira mashed down the stretch, leading the Angels to an MLB best 100-62 record. They lost to the Boston Red Sox<\/a> in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Teixeira did not resign; in his wake, the origins of the infamous Moreno\/Scott Boras feud. But, his departure did give the Angels a compensation pick in the following MLB Draft. With it, they drafted a kid out of Vineland, New Jersey (to be fair, most Angels staffers claimed Trout was higher on their board than Randal Grichuk<\/strong><\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Angels signed Bobby Abreu<\/strong><\/a> in the offseason then once again made the postseason in 2009. A late-season trade brought them star lefty, Scott Kazmir<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> who pitched wonderfully down the stretch. Yet, Kazmir imploded in two playoff starts and was never really the same. After losing 4-2 to the New York Yankees<\/a> in the ALCS, major changes came down from the top.<\/p>\n

The Playoff Run is Over<\/h4>\n

As worrying as Moreno’s meddling was early on, the Los Angeles Angels still made the playoffs most years. After being knocked out in 2009, the playoff train came to a crashing halt. John Lackey<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Kelvim Escobar<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Vladimir Guerrero<\/a>,<\/strong> and Chone Figgins<\/strong><\/a> all left after 2009. Moreno’s “win-now” at all costs philosophy bubbled up midway through 2010 when Reagins sent Joe Saunders<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Patrick Corbin<\/a>,<\/strong> and Tyler Skaggs<\/strong><\/a> to the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> for Dan Haren<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> To his credit, Haren was excellent down the stretch and the following season. The Angels still came up short as they finished under .500. This segued into the most disastrous offseason in team history.<\/p>\n

The Vernon Wells<\/strong><\/a> debacle. They traded for him and the albatross of his contract at the behest of owner Arte Moreno.<\/p>\n

People often mention that hindsight is 20\/20, yet in this case, foresight was as well. The move was universally panned. For proof, here’s an LA Times article<\/a> where Moreno defended the move by claiming it is “no mistake.” The headline itself points to the initial (and correct) consensus that the Angels got swindled. Reagins fumed over the owner mandated acquisition which led to him quitting after the 2011 season. Even after Wells performed terribly, Moreno couldn’t admit defeat by partially eating his contract<\/a> to trade him. An epic disaster.<\/p>\n

The Jerry Dipoto Era (2012-2015)<\/h3>\n

On October 28, 2011, Jerry Dipoto<\/strong><\/a> was hired to lead the Los Angeles Angels front office. Spoiler: Dipoto resigned on July 1, 2015, due to ongoing tension with manager Mike Scioscia<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> The Angels had won 98 games in 2014, the season before Dipoto stepped down, making the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, yet the conflict was enough for Dipoto to leave midseason. Well, the conflict and Dipoto’s inability to keep Moreno away from high-priced free agents. The Angels decline became much steeper because of two Moreno signings.<\/p>\n

Albert Pujols<\/h4>\n

Ten years. $252 million. Albert Pujols<\/strong><\/a> was signed immediately following the worst season of his career. Great business move? Probably. But, an absolutely terrible baseball decision. The St. Louis Cardinals<\/a> offered five years; Florida Marlins<\/a> offered six. The Angels front office decided to up it to ten. Well, not the Los Angeles Angels front office: Arte Moreno.<\/p>\n

Dipoto did sign C.J. Wilson<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> who underperformed given his contract. Luckily, Dipoto only offered him a four-year deal. The 2012 season also saw the Angels trade for Zack Greinke<\/strong><\/a> in the hopes of making the playoffs. Still, they didn’t succeed; they finished four games out of the Wild Card. Even worse, they gave up Jean Segura<\/a> for 13 starts by Greinke, who left for the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> in free agency.<\/p>\n

Josh Hamilton<\/h4>\n

While they were unable to sign Greinke, Moreno’s obsession over “winning the offseason” became apparent. The team once again went for the big splash instead of sound baseball decisions. They signed troubled slugger, Josh Hamilton<\/strong><\/a> to a five-year, $125 million deal. It didn’t go well<\/a>. Let’s try this again: it REALLY didn’t go well<\/a>. Ever the calculated one, Dipoto would take every chance he got to distance himself from the signing<\/a>. You can’t blame him. As time went by it became clear that Moreno wouldn’t be persuaded to pass on Hamilton. In the end, Hamilton only played two seasons with the club, a grand total of 240 games. Yet, he was paid in excess of $108 million.<\/p>\n

Dipoto’s Moves<\/h4>\n

Not to say Jerry Dipoto was perfect. He made his fair share of mistakes. Yet, it’s hard to place the blame on him when the two biggest acquisitions were made against his advice. Thus, when you look at cheap signings like Raul Ibanez<\/strong><\/a> (ouch) or Joe Blanton<\/strong><\/a> (double ouch), you must do so knowing that Dipoto didn’t have money left in the budget to do much else. He acquired David Freese<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Hector Santiago<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Tyler Skaggs<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Andrew Heaney<\/a>,<\/strong> and Ernesto Frieri<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> Even Jason Vargas<\/strong><\/a> was a solid acquisition since Kendrys Morales<\/strong><\/a> hadn’t bounced back from jumping on home plate a few years earlier. Sure, Tommy Hanson<\/strong><\/a> was so bad that he retired, but no one gets every trade right. And, he traded Jeff Mathis<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Billy Eppler Era (2016-2020)<\/h3>\n

The 2015 team was about as up-and-down as you could be after a 33-33 start; a 21-7 spree that ended around the time Dipoto left the team was followed by going 12-26. A late 7-game winning streak pushed them to 83-74, and they finished at 85-77, one game behind the Houston Astros<\/a> for the Wild Card. Billy Eppler signed on as general manager in October of 2015. The newly configured Los Angeles Angels front office did not inherit a good situation.<\/p>\n