MVN: Most Valuable Network

If you are an Angels fan you expect them to do nothing come trade-deadline-time. So far they have done exactly that (other than release a couple of guys and trade Jose Molina for a minor league reliever). But here comes the press whipping up our hopes that the Angels are, seriously now, going after a big 'impact' bat to protect Guerrero and ignite a stagnant offense. Even GM Bill Stoneman, whose trade methodology seems to move a glacial pace, has excited Angel fans by saying that he is seeking a player who can 'transform' the Halo line-up. Good luck Bill and thanks for setting those expectations, which you are bound to quash, so high.

Konerko Update

Ozzie Guillen all but laughed and spit in the Angels' faces when asked about the possibility of Los Angeles acquiring the White Sox first baseman.

"If the Angels want to trade for somebody, I'll be happy,'' Guillen said. ''Kenny will be asking for a lot of people, and they'll say no.''

-Mr. Optimism Jose Guillen on a potential Konerko trade with the Angels

Deals Are Bigger in Texas Too

Today's LA Times confirms Guillen's feelings saying the Angels were "rebuffed" by the Pale Hosers in their bid to acquire Paulie K. So the Angels now must go back to divisional rival Texas to inquire about Mark Teixeira who is being shopped to the Braves and Dodgers in addition to the Angels. Texas is pitting all three teams against one another to up the ante for their slugger with the Angels apparently content to send Casey Kotchman and Joe Saunders to Arlington along with a prospect. The Times says that the Rangers are busy combing the Angel farm system for the ideal prospect but should they ask for a blue-chipper like Nick Adenhart or Brandon Wood then the deal could be scuttled.

Ken Rosenthal's sources tell him the Angels submitted a "substantial two-player offer" to Texas, presumably Kotchman and "a pitcher". Rosenthal suspects it could be Santana though he concedes either Saunders or Adenhart could be the pitcher in question.

Last year Ervin Santana was regarded as an untouchable by most Angel fans (and certainly by Stoneman) but this year it is questionable if he could even be part of a package for a top-line guy. Saunders has struggled at Triple-A but has been great at the Major League level (go figure) so is his instability reason enough to let him go? The quick answer is yes. Dustin Moseley can step-in for Colon and Santana will likely rebound and be back in Anaheim before too long. In fact, should Santana pitch well tonight for Salt Lake I would expect his next start to be for the Angels next week. The only question is who will be at first? Saunders' inexplicable failure to pitch well in Salt Lake could be a sign of a chink in his mental armor. Short-term that could mean struggles ala Santana though his long-term value remains high. The Angels do not need to deal with another starting pitcher having trouble with his mechanics or mental toughness this season as they work to keep the Mariners at bay in the AL West. A trade of Saunders will rob the Halo's of some prized depth at starting pitching but even if Colon is lost for the season they still have Moseley (though like most of the team he has had a forgettable July with an ERA of 12.00) or possibly another minor league starter.

The LA Times also illustrated just how bad Colon and Santana have been. With those two starters the Angels starting staff has a record of 45-32 with a 4.17 ERA but when you take out the "contributions" of the not-so-dynamic-duo the staff record goes to 34-15 with a 3.07 ERA. When you look at Colon and Santana's numbers away from the rest of the team it looks even worse as they combined for a 11-17 record with a 6.44 ERA. Ugly indeed.  But it illustrates the point that the Angels have operated without a decent #5 starter all season and are still in first place.  They can weather the storm of losing either Saunders or Santana just fine.

If Teixeira is the spark plug that gets the Angel offense running then he would be worth the cost. He is under contract through 2008 so it would be more than a 3-month rental plus the Angels would figure to have a good chance to re-sign him. Saunders has been effective but once opposing batters see enough of him he figures to have to go through an adjustment period which means he likely will be a lot less effective the rest of this season. Kotchman is a good young player that I have been a fan of for awhile but he is not in Teixeira's league -- at least not yet. Mark Teixeira solves the first-base conundrum once-and-for-all and will allow the Angels to concentrate on filling third-base next season (and possibly adding another starter).

Reality Check

But the truth of the matter is, the Angels are highly unlikely to get anyone. Konerko is out of play and Texas has received an offer comparable to the Angels' from Atlanta. So if you are the Rangers you likely feel a lot more comfortable dealing with an NL team than a division rival. That will force the Angels not to match but outbid Atlanta and that leads back to the Times story about the team adding a third-player to the mix. My money is that Tex will be a Brave sometime over the weekend and the Rangers will be a better ball club for it. The Angels will be forced to patch together their squad as best they can and make a run for the playoffs with the team they have.