There’s a reason the Los Angeles Angels are considered one of the smoothest running franchises in the major leagues. Owner Arte Moreno provides resources and the baseball executives wisely spread them around.
Consider this winter’s trade for Jon Garland.
Pitching depth was a key to Mike Scioscia’s teams averaging 91 victories over the last six seasons. It was a surprise then when rookie general manager Tony Reagins contacted White Sox GM Ken Williams offering a proven shortstop, coming off a good season, for another starting pitcher.
Already having invested heavily in Mark Buehrle, Javier Vazquez and Jose Contreras, the White Sox considered it likely they would lose Garland to free agency after the season. So Williams reluctantly sent him to Los Angeles for Orlando Cabrera, thinking it more likely he could sign Cabrera to a long-term deal.
The Angels figured they could replace Cabrera with either Maicer Izturis or Erick Aybar. And Reagins, most likely taking his cues from Scioscia, knew his pitching wasn’t as solid as it appeared.
Garland went from being a luxury item to a necessity when 18-game winner Kelvim Escobar reported to Arizona continuing to feel pain in his shoulder. He had pitched through pain in 2007 and it quickly became clear the problem had not gone away with rest.
Escobar, it appears, will need surgery that will sideline him all season and could threaten his career.
The Angels also must worry about their ace, John Lackey, who is opening the season on the disabled list because of a strained triceps muscle.
Take Garland out of the mix and their Opening Day rotation would consist of Jered Weaver, Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana, Dustin Moseley and 21-year-old Nick Adenhart.
Even with Garland buying time for Adenhart to develop at Triple-A, the Angels’ run of pitching injuries (including relievers Scot Shields and Chris Bootcheck) has caused some experts to consider Seattle — with its 1-2 combination of Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard — as the American League West favorite.
But while the Mariners cross their fingers about first baseman Richie Sexson, left fielder Brad Wilkerson and designated hitter Jose Vidro, the Angels have added Torii Hunter to an already-deep lineup since last season. That should give them staying power over 162 games, barring a further run of pitching injuries.
Hunter replaces 2007 addition Gary Matthews Jr. as the regular center fielder, leaving three regulars (Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson and Matthews) for the two corner outfield spots.
Matthews is out of the mix for the moment, as he’s doubtful for the season opener because of a sprained ankle. When he is available, Scioscia will be able to implement the plan he brought to spring training, using Guerrero, Anderson and Matthews in the DH spot on a rotating basis.
Guerrero is not thrilled with the idea.
“I don’t feel I should address that,” said Guerrero, the 2004 AL Most Valuable Player. “I played seven years in the National League without a DH and I feel if I’m good enough to play in the outfield, that’s where I want to play. I understand there’s a guy in that office who has to make a lineup and I’m not going to fight it.”
Scioscia believes the time-sharing situation at DH will help his big hitters in September and, hopefully, October. Guerrero hasn’t been himself at the plate during the Angels’ last two trips to the postseason.
“These guys know the situation,” Scioscia said. “There’s no one in that group who wants to DH. But there are players in there who will need to DH — not DH because we don’t have confidence in you in the outfield; you’re DH-ing so we can keep your bat in the lineup. Guys know they’re going to need days off and that’s going to help them.”
BOLD PREDICTIONS
ROGERS FORECASTS THE DIVISION’S BEST
AL West MVP
Torii Hunter, Angels
Something has been missing from the Angels’ talented team since the 2002 World Series, and it has more to do with fun than talent. Hunter was a tremendous leader while in Minnesota and brings his infectious personality into a new clubhouse. He won’t have the biggest pile of stats at the end of the season but will have done a lot to make a good team even better.
AL West Cy Young Award
Felix Hernandez, Mariners
With John Lackey sidelined all spring with a strained triceps, the choice of the division’s best starter was a coin flip between two Seattle starters. Newcomer Erik Bedard is just as good of a choice, but we’ll go with tails, it’s Hernandez. He slightly outpitched Bedard in 2007 and seems to have a little more room to grow than Bedard. But with that said, the shift to Safeco Field from Camden Yards will be a good thing for Bedard.
AL West Rookie of the Year
Daric Barton, A’s
Dan Haren wasn’t all that Oakland got from St. Louis in the Mark Mulder trade. Barton was one of St. Louis’ best prospects and has overcome a major elbow injury to reach the big leagues at age 22. He hit .347 in an 18-game audition as Oakland’s first baseman in September and figures to be one of the league leaders in on-base percentage. Even as a rookie he could have more walks than strikeouts. That’s impressive.
AL West Manager of the Year
Mike Scioscia, Angels
As solid as they come, Scioscia enters his ninth season. He’s in a division where all three of the other managers are entering their second years in that role. Players win a lot more games than managers, but this is still a significant edge for the Angels.
TELLING NUMBER
4/14 vs. 6/16
One of baseball’s remaining quirks is that MLB aligns its teams in a way that teams from the American League West have a much greater opportunity to reach the playoffs than those from the National League Central. The need for schedules that have an even number of teams in each league leaves the AL with 14 teams, two less than the NL. The three-division format means one AL division with four teams and one NL division with six teams. Amazingly, this is rarely a topic of discussion.
X-FACTOR
Carlos Silva, Mariners
A lot of people thought Kansas City would regret giving Gil Meche a five-year contract a year ago, and Meche responded by compiling a 3.67 ERA over 34 starts. The Mariners hope Carlos Silva also will answer the doubts expressed after he got his four-year deal last winter. If his strike-throwing approach works as well at Safeco as GM Bill Bavasi anticipates, the Mariners could win the division.
IN THE WINGS
Nick Adenhart, Angels
The season-ending shoulder injury to Kelvim Escobar makes it hard for the Angels to be patient with Adenhart, who was a Double-A All-Star as a 20-year-old last season. He’s a classic three-pitch starter and appears to have been groomed for big-league success. The Angels risk stunting his development by bringing him to Anaheim too soon but could be forced to give him a shot.
PREDICTED FINISH
ANGELS
Pick: 1st: 94-68.
Plus-minus: Even.*
Pro: Even with John Lackey behind schedule and Kelvim Escobar out, the talent on this roster is formidable. Torii Hunter’s signing gives the Angels the best outfield in the majors, with Gary Matthews Jr. as a fourth outfielder and frequent DH. Boston might be the only team in the majors with as much balance, as the Angels can win with starting pitching, relief pitching and run scoring.
Con: Shortstop Orlando Cabrera, traded for right-hander Jon Garland, will be missed. Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis don’t command the respect Cabrera did. The addition of Garland kept Mike Scioscia from getting too worried about the absence of 18-game winner Escobar, but then 19-game winner Lackey strained a triceps muscle, which could kept him out until mid-May.
Lingering doubt: Closer Francisco Rodriguez is headed toward free agency after the season and appears capable of allowing the situation to turn into a distraction. He’s believed to be looking for Mariano Rivera/Francisco Cordero money — $15 million a year for 4-5 years.
MARINERS
Pick: 2nd, 88-74.
Plus-minus: Even.
Pro: The addition of Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva gives the Mariners almost as much pitching depth as the Angels. Felix Hernandez should top 200 innings and could make a run at the Cy Young Award. J.J. Putz might be the best closer in baseball, and Brandon Morrow has the tools to become a top set-up man while serving an apprenticeship before claiming his spot in the rotation.
Con: Ichiro Suzuki is a great player, but the cast around him is not championship-caliber. Even with good years from Adrian Beltre and the since-departed Jose Guillen, the Mariners were only seventh in the AL in scoring last season. They easily could slip into the bottom half this year, putting too much pressure on the pitching staff.
Lingering doubt: Silva’s arrival meant a release for left-hander Horacio Ramirez, closing the book on the Mariners’ horrible Rafael Soriano trade with the Braves. But other than a four-year contract, the strike-throwing Silva brings no guarantees. He got pounded in Arizona and needs a quick turnaround for the Mariners to avoid buyer’s remorse.
RANGERS
Pick: 3rd, 69-93.
Plus-minus: – 6.
Pro: In shortstop Michael Young and second baseman Ian Kinsler, the Rangers have one of the best middle infield combinations in baseball. The Rangers added a potential star in Josh Hamilton, who will benefit from working with hitting instructor Rudy Jaramillo and through the continued supervision of Sam and Jerry Narron, both of whom were hired by Texas after Hamilton, seemingly clean after years of substance abuse, was acquired from Cincinnati.
Con: While not as transparently rebuilding as Oakland, Texas is looking two or three years down the road. That’s a good thing as the Rangers never have the pitching to contend for a playoff spot. As good as Hamilton could be, it’s stunning that they traded their best pitching prospect, Edinson Volquez, to get him. If he had a mulligan, GM Jon Daniels would take back his signing of Vicente Padilla, and probably Kevin Millwood too.
Lingering doubt: Ron Washington didn’t have much impact in his first season as manager. His future, and that of Daniels, could depend on the evaluation of president Nolan Ryan, who won’t be a figurehead.
ATHLETICS
Pick: 4th, 67-95.
Plus-minus: -9.
Pro: Billy Beane historically has restocked as well as any general manager in baseball. He acquired an impressive collection of talent with the trades that sent Dan Haren to Arizona, Nick Swisher to the White Sox and Mark Kotsay to Atlanta, including outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and pitchers Joey Devine, Gio Gonzalez and Fautino de los Santos.
Con: Beane’s reputation was cemented when he operated with the best trio of pitchers in the game (Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito), and he hasn’t been able to replicate that success since financial issues led to Hudson and Mulder being traded. It’s a very thin roster, and the hard-throwing Rich Harden and shortstop Bobby Crosby have terrible histories of injury.
Lingering doubt: With little chance to compete, the A’s still could trade more veterans. Eric Chavez, Huston Street and Joe Blanton could be moved at the trade deadline, if not sooner. Street’s immediate future could depend on the result of an ongoing negotiation for a multiyear contract.
*Predicted gains or losses from 2007.
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progers@tribune.com
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