MVN - Most Valuable Network

Will current success translate into October glory?

Another sweep of the Red Sox. That’s fantastic; Boston is always a favorite in the vaunted AL East, and to scuttle them like this is a feather in the cap for any team — especially one with lofty post-season plans.

However, the Angels — and the Red Sox — know all too well what October can bring. Teams can have their luck change just like the autumn leaves.

With a couple of months left to the season, there are still a great deal left to solve, mostly what is going to happen with the AL East? Can Tampa Bay hold on to a playoff spot, and if so, which one? Will the Red Sox or Yankees take over — and if not, which one will be the Wild Card? Or will either?

The road to the World Series will probably have to go through Boston in some way, whether it’s in the Division Series or the American League Championship Series.

Of course, the road to the World Series will also have to go through Anaheim.

It’s not too much of a stretch to say that the Angels’ past experience with Boston in the playoffs (heck, going back to 1986!) influenced the trade for Mark Teixeira. The Angels have had no pop in their lineup the entire season — or last season, or the one before that — and bats tend to grow colder in October.

There has to be added pressure to win this year for the Angels. Vladimir Guerrero is nearing the end of his contract (with a team option); Garret Anderson is signed through this season; Gary Matthews, Jr. is struggling; there is no power in the infield save for Teixeira; and who knows if the stellar play of the starting rotation will hold another year?

Bill Stoneman most likely would not have made the trade for Teixeira. Putting aside his revulsion for pulling the trigger, he would have likely cited the fact that Tex is represented by Scott Boras, is a free agent after this season, and had already turned down a contract in Spring Training that would have paid him a ton. But, Tony Reagins has already proved that he is not Stoneman. No one really knows what kind of general manager he will be, but it is already apparent that change has come to the Angels’ view of player movement.

Now, an aside on Teixeira: In my haste to get a post up on his trade to Anaheim, I mentioned that Casey Kotchman was a tad better defensively. Of course, this was before my other brain cell woke up and told me that Teixeira is a Gold Glove-winning first baseman, and that while Kotchman’s play is worthy of that, he has yet to win the hardware. This is in addition to Teixeira’s two Silver Slugger awards, an honor Kotchman was unlikely to see for some time. I like the trade from the standpoint that it will help the offense and possibly add that one piece to get the Angels over the postseason hump. I don’t like it from a financial situation, since the Angels will either have to cough up more cash than they’re prepare for in order to keep Teixeira, or they will have to count on someone like Kendry Morales, who is untested for a full season at the Major League level.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 11:23 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.