#Perry Minasian

Major League Baseball's offseason has officially crossed the halfway point. All but five of our top 50 free agents are off the board. The trade market is still open, of course, but the biggest story on that front this offseason has concerned who hasn't been moved rather than who has. Coming into the offseason, the expectation was that the Los…

The New Year, Volume 2023 is upon us, and that means a dual occasion to reflect upon our misfires of the year prior and look forward to our derelictions of the year to come. As it turns out, this grim ritual of inventory can also be applied to the clubs that play This, Our Baseball. The Royal We shall now do such a thing. Resolution: At least…

ANAHEIM - When the MLB trade deadline passed and Shohei Ohtani remained in the Angels' clubhouse, it signaled that the club has no intention of rebuilding in 2023. And one of the moves they did make - trading closer Raisel Iglesias and the $51 million remaining on his contract - left no doubt that they are creating space to reload for another run…

The Major League Baseball Draft is still seven months away and bonus pools aren't even set yet but an increase is expected to occur. The Pittsburgh Pirates landed the first pick via the inaugural draft lottery system taking place. The club had a 16.5 percent chance at landing the top selection. The Oakland Athletics came into the process with…

The perception that Corey Seager rediscovered his pre-surgery form last year isn't entirely accurate. He was actually better than he was before. Which makes sense. Seager was just entering his physical prime. When the two-time All-Star celebrates his next birthday later this month, he will turn 27. Mookie Betts may be the face of the Dodgers…

Last year's star-studded free-agent shortstop class is followed by another one, possibly even better than the previous. This one includes four of the top-10 players in fWAR among shortstops, including Dansby Swanson, who ranked second (6.4). Swanson is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, ranking second in defensive runs above average.…

Mike Trout made his big-league debut as a 19-year-old on July 8, 2011. In the years since, he has won a Rookie of the Year award and three Most Valuable Player awards and established himself as the best player of his generation, one who stacks up against the all-time greats. Since Trout's debut, however, the Los Angeles Angels have gone 721-708…

The Los Angeles Angels were bit players in a once-in-a-lifetime show last season, providing the backdrop for Shohei Ohtani's historic two-way performance. The unanimous AL MVP in 2021, Ohtani finished third in the AL with 46 home runs (many of the moon-shot variety) and second in OPS (.965), and his at-bats were must-see viewing. At the same time,…

Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo have worked together since 2017. Theirs is one of the longest current partnerships in baseball for a head of baseball operations and manager. Only the Dodgers (Andrew Friedman and Dave Roberts), Guardians (Chris Antonelli and Terry Francona), and Mariners (Jerry Dipoto and Scott…

Over at The Athletic, former MLB general manager Jim Bowden put together a list of 25 offseason predictions, some of which are serious, some silly, and some in between, although he doesn't clarify which predictions fall into which categories. A few of his predictions involved the Angels, and one didn't but should have - he predicted Tyler Anderson…

Jim Bowden used to be a big-league general manager. He lost his job as the Reds GM because he wasn't great at doing GM things, and then he lost his job as the Nationals' GM because he wasn't great at not skimming money off the top of the bonuses for Latin American teenagers. Anyway, now he writes for The Athletic, where he lets "former GM" do a lot…

The annual MLB general manager meetings were held last week in Las Vegas, and the event is traditionally the rumor-filled calm before the storm. (It's also not to be confused with the winter meetings, which will take place in San Diego from Dec. 4-7 and is when a ton of wheeling and dealing goes down.) Free agents couldn't sign with new teams until…

The timeline to opening day is filled with milestone dates, awards and a lot of money. March 30, 2023 is the scheduled start of the baseball season. According to CBS Sports who also listed all of the key dates leading to Opening Day 2023, "all 30 clubs will be in action on Opening Day, with nine of the 15 games featuring intra-division…

ST. LOUIS - It was a season where teams were either really, really good, or were really, really bad. There were four 100-victory teams this season, tying a major-league record. There were four 100-loss teams, also tying a major-league record. The expanded postseason took the drama of races, but if not for the third wild-card spot, the Philadelphia…