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On today’s episode of “Things That Were Meant to Be,” we have the Los Angeles Angels and Tim Lincecum.

A deal between the Angels and the two-time Cy Young Award winner had been in the air for a few days and is now complete. As reported by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Lincecum is heading to Anaheim on a modest contract:

That’s the prorated calculation of Lincecum’s salary. With the 2016 season about a quarter of the way done, his real pay is more like $2 million plus whatever incentives he makes.

At any rate, the attraction is obvious. For Lincecum, this deal is a lifeline to an extended major league career. For the Angels, it’s a roll of the dice they had every reason to make.

When the 31-year-old right-hander held a showcase for teams in early May, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reported there were representatives for more than 20 teams in attendance. Any one of them could have signed the former San Francisco Giant, who’s coming off season-ending hip surgery. That includes the Giants themselves, whose starting rotation has been weighed down by Jake Peavy and Matt Cain.

But nobody really needed to take a flier on Lincecum like the Angels did. As Jeff Sullivan put it at FanGraphs: “The Angels are obvious because they’re out west, because their rotation sucks, and because they’re somewhere around the fringes of the race.”

Pretty much. The Angels’ 18-22 record puts them in fourth place in the AL West, but only five games out of first and four games away from a wild-card spot. Their rotation has a 4.61 ERA that’s not good, but which almost manages to sound pleasant in light of other circumstances.

Namely, injuries. Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney might be done for the year. C.J. Wilson is still working his way back from a bad shoulder. Tyler Skaggs is on the comeback trail from Tommy John surgery, but it’s turned into a bumpy ride.

If the Angels are really lucky, Lincecum will step in and regain the form that made him one of baseball’s top pitchers between 2008 and 2011. Their best hope, though, is not getting the Lincecum who was one of baseball’s worst pitchers between 2012 and 2015.

All the Angels have to go off of for now is what Lincecum demonstrated in his showcase. And from that, there’s only so much to take away.

It’s no secret that velocity was at the heart of Lincecum’s downfall. After sitting in the low to mid-90s in his four-year stretch of dominance, his fastball velocity tumbled like so:

• 2012: 90.4 mph
• 2013: 90.2 mph
• 2014: 89.6 mph
• 2015: 87.2 mph

The effectiveness of Lincecum’s fastball suffered accordingly. According to Baseball Savant, hitters hit .262 with a .379 slugging percentage against his heat between 2008 and 2011. They hit .284 with a .442 slugging percentage against it between 2012 and 2015.

Knowing this, it would have been great to see him light up the radar gun at his showcase. Instead, Sanchez reported that Lincecum sat 90-91 in his first throwing session and 89-90 in the second.

Either velocity range is an improvement over where Lincecum was last season, but that would be more encouraging if 2015 were the only bad year he was trying to put behind him. The Angels must therefore hope against hope that the velocity he showcased was only a starting point. With more reps, perhaps it can climb to where it was in his heyday.

What’s more likely is that Lincecum will once again be forced to try to downplay his diminished velocity with good command. It so happens that’s where the man himself was really encouraged by his showcase.

“I’m happy. I was able to throw strikes on my pitches, stay within myself. I commanded all of my pitches,” Lincecum said. “I only had a couple misses, and they weren’t [over the] middle of the plate, so that’s encouraging for me.”

Good command could cure as many of Lincecum’s ills as good fastball velocity. At worst, it could prevent him from walking nearly four batters per nine innings like he did between 2012 and 2015. At best, it could erase the many mistake pitches that contributed to him averaging a home run per game in that span.

But for now, this is not something to be taken for granted. Lincecum didn’t specialize in pounding the strike zone between 2012 and 2015. He specialized even less in hitting spots. It’ll take more than a showcase for him to prove that he’s ready to change these ways.

To make a long story short, “Who knows?” is the best answer for what Lincecum might do for the Angels. There’s a chance they’ll get a veteran pitcher who’s found some velocity and learned to throw strikes. It’s more likely, though, that they’ll get something similar to his 2012-2015 self. 

What’s true regardless, however, is that the man himself could have chosen much worse teams and much worse places to silence all of the smarmy skeptics [winks] out there. Breaking into the Angels rotation will not require a long, uphill climb. And once Lincecum gets there, he’ll have two distinct advantages.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim is one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in the American League, if not the friendliest. Though it’s still somewhat early to be looking at such things, the Angels defense began Thursday ranked fourth in defensive runs saved. And as scary as it may sound that Lincecum is about to take on American League lineups, AL offenses aren’t actually performing better than NL offenses.

If Lincecum can make the most of his comeback attempt, he’ll be a wanted man on the winter free-agent market. Considering that said market is perilously short on talented arms, he could even be a very wanted man.

He has a lot to prove before he gets to that point. But for now, he’s at least taken care of the first step of getting a chance to do so.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Los Angeles Angels catcher Geovany Soto will miss the next four to six weeks after suffering a torn right meniscus.

Continue for updates.

Soto to DL, Will Have Surgery

Wednesday, May 18 

Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reported Soto will undergo surgery to correct the tear. It’s unclear whether doctors will remove the torn part of Soto’s meniscus or attempt to repair it.

Soto, 33, previously tore the same meniscus in 2014 while playing with the Texas Rangers. He later suffered an ankle injury during that season and was limited to just 24 games.

The 11-year veteran played all nine innings of Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He struck out twice in his three at-bats and grounded out to the pitcher in his other plate appearance, so he showed no sign of injury. Carlos Perez being slotted into the starting lineup for Wednesday was initially seen as a regular day off for Soto in the Angels platoon.

Soto is hitting .283/.338/.483 with three home runs and seven RBI through 20 games. He was on pace for his best hitting season since 2010 when he was with the Chicago Cubs.

Perez will likely take over everyday duties with Soto out. The 25-year-old is hitting just .176/.238/.230 in his second full MLB season, but he’s a solid defensive player. The Angels should look to call up another catcher to replace Perez on the days when he needs rest. 

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Los Angeles Angels pitcher Garrett Richards will receive treatment on his injured right elbow in an attempt to avoid Tommy John surgery.

General manager Billy Eppler announced the news Monday, adding that Richards is receiving injections to help rehab the elbow, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register:

Fletcher also reported that Richards will be re-evaluated in six weeks.

Tommy John surgery would end Richards’ season and put him in jeopardy for the 2017 campaign. The Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Shaikin is skeptical that Richards will be back in the rotation before late in the summer:

Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan noted that even if Richards is forced to get surgery, he would still have a chance to prove his worth before his contract expires:

Richards was off to a solid start this season. Although he was 1-3 after six starts, he was sporting a 2.34 ERA while averaging 8.83 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Angels are already bringing in help to try to make up for Richards’ production.

The team agreed to a deal with Tim Lincecum on Monday, according to ESPN’s Jim Bowden. Though Lincecum has struggled in his last few seasons, he represents a low-risk option for a team that has a large hole in its pitching staff.

The team sits at 16-21, and if it fails to get into playoff contention by the All-Star break, it may be wise to shut down Richards for the season to avoid any further damage to his elbow.

All statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.

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Needing to fill multiple holes in their injury-depleted starting rotation, the Los Angeles Angels acquired right-hander Jhoulys Chacin from the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported the trade, later adding the Braves will receive a minor league pitcher from the Angels in return for Chacin. 

Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reported the Braves are receiving left-hander Adam McCreery from the Angels. The Braves announced the trade on their official Twitter account. 

This season, while still early, has been a disaster so far for the Angels. They own the third-worst record in the American League at 13-19 entering play Wednesday. 

Pitching has been a big part of the problems in Los Angeles. The Angels rank 23rd in starters’ ERA (4.67), 25th in innings pitched (171.2) and 29th in opponents’ OPS (.828). 

Those issues have been compounded due to significant injuries in the starting rotation. Garrett Richards, who is the Angels’ No. 1 starter, will likely need Tommy John surgery that would keep him out until the middle of 2017, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. 

Left-hander Andrew Heaney opted to rehab his UCL instead of having Tommy John surgery, but he’s on the 60-day disabled list. C.J. Wilson has been on the disabled list since spring training with a shoulder problem. 

The Angels’ official depth chart only listed three starting pitchers—Jered Weaver, Hector Santiago and Nick Tropeano—before the acquisition of Chacin. The 28-year-old has struggled so far this season with a 5.40 ERA in five starts, but he does have 27 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. 

Right now, the Angels just need healthy bodies to try and make it to the summer months without completely wearing down their bullpen. Chacin isn’t a difference-maker, but he at least gives manager Mike Scioscia someone to work with every fifth day. 

Stats via ESPN.com. 

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The Los Angeles Angels‘ Albert Pujols has been many things in his brilliant MLB career: a three-time MVP, a 10-time All-Star and two-time world champion.

Now, he may be adding another, far less flattering label: albatross.

At age 36, Pujols is a shell of his former self. And—jamming salt deep into the wound for the Angels—he’s not quite halfway through the 10-year, $240 million deal he inked with Los Angeles prior to the 2012 season.

To put a finer point on it: In 2021, Pujols’ age-41 season, the Angels will pay him $30 million.

This is the part where phrases like “sunk cost” and “dead money” enter the conversation, and where Halos fans with sensitive stomachs might want to quit reading.

In February, ESPN.com’s Dan Szymborski put Pujols’ pact atop his leaderboard of worst contracts in baseball, calling it “a gigantic long-term drag.”

After a month-plus of action, Pujols is making that sound like an understatement.

The big man can still crack the ball out of the yard, as his six home runs attest. And he can still provide the occasional historic moment, like when he passed Reggie Jackson for 13th on the all-time home run list in April.

The rest of the numbers, however, are ugly bordering on atrocious.

After going 0-for-4 in an 8-1 loss Tuesday against his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols owns a .183 average and .611 OPS. His wins above replacement (WAR) is mired in negative territory.

He’s not the only reason the Angels sit at 13-19. The roster has been depleted by injuries to pitchers Garrett Richards, C.J. Wilson, Andrew Heaney and Huston Street, as well as shortstop Andrelton Simmons. And outside of franchise cornerstone Mike Trout, the lineup is mostly punchless.

But considering how much payroll Pujols is chewing up, the Angels need him to give them something.

“Sometimes when [the hits] come, they come in bunches,” Pujols said April 24 after breaking an 0-for-26 slump with a two-run homer, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. “When you struggle, you just struggle. The main thing is to stay positive all the time. I’ve been in this situation before. I know how to get out of it.”

Maybe. We are talking about a surefire Hall of Famer who was once the most feared hitter in the game—a baseball-punishing machine who left opposing pitchers trembling in their cleats.

On the other hand, even the great ones fade eventually. Yes, Pujols launched 40 home runs in 2015, but he also hit .244 with a career-low .307 on-base percentage. There were signs of his decline.

Now, he’s looking less like a one-dimensional masher and more like a fallen star. Home runs are nice, but they can only mask so many flaws.

Again, if this were the final year of Pujols’ deal—or if he had one or two years remaining—it wouldn’t be such a debilitating problem for Los Angeles.

But Pujols is going to sap the franchise’s resources for the next half-decade, plus a 10-year, $10 million “personal services” contract after that.

Add the fact the Angels have MLB’s worst farm system, and it’s easy to paint pessimism on the streets of Anaheim.

Granted, deals like this are supposed to look bad on the back end. The idea behind decade-spanning, nine-figure mega-contracts is to get premium value now and pay for dead weight later.

The only problem is, Pujols has never been great in an Angels uniform.

During his run of dominance between 2001 and 2011 with St. Louis, he averaged 7.9 WAR. His best mark with the Angels was 4.8 in 2012.

Now, he’s a downright liability. And his contract has gone from bad to embarrassing.

It’s gotten to the point where DiGiovanna suggested, with a seemingly straight face, the Halos should consider trading Trout in a year or two and attempting to tack on Pujols as a rider.

It sounds odd, but it’s also the only way the Angels could shed their Pujols liability.

Is a renaissance possible? Sure. No doubt Los Angeles will give Pujols every opportunity to rediscover his stroke and nudge his stats northward.

At some point, however, that albatross label will be unavoidable. And while it won’t erase the greatness of Pujols’ past, it will color the ugliness of his and the Angels’ future.

All statistics current as of May 10 and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com.

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Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb Sunday during his team’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He will require surgery, and it’s uncertain when he will be able to return to action.

Continue for updates.

Simmons to Undergo Surgery

Monday, May 9

The Angels announced Simmons suffered “a full thickness tear of the ulnar collateral ligament” in his left thumb and will need to go under the knife.

The rehab for a surgery of this nature is “typically” six to eight weeks, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. 

Simmons’ Absence Will Impact Angels Defense

The Angels acquired Simmons in November as the Atlanta Braves entered rebuild mode, and the move was a major win for a club that needed an upgrade at shortstop.

One of the league’s premier defensive players, Simmons posted 5.4 defensive wins above replacement in 2013 before that number dipped slightly to 3.9 in 2014 and 3.5 last year.

And while he’s never been a power hitter, Simmons established himself as a solid contributor by batting .256 with a .304 on-base percentage, 31 home runs and 168 RBI over his first four seasons in the majors.

Thus far in his first season with the Angels, Simmons is batting .219 with one home run and eight RBI. He’s also tallied a dWAR rating of 1.0.

“You want to be productive, whatever it is,” Simmons said during spring training, according to the Los Angeles Times‘ Pedro Moura. “You want to move the guy over when you have to. You want to come up with a big hit.”

With Simmons on the shelf, utility man Cliff Pennington projects as his primary replacement at shortstop.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Don’t expect the Los Angeles Angels to trade Mike Trout anytime soon, if ever.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Friday that despite losing starting pitchers Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney possibly for the year, he will not trade the former American League Most Valuable Player for prospects.

“We have no intent or desire to consider moving Mike Trout—he’s not moving,” Eppler said, per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. “He’s an impact player, a huge piece in a championship core.”

Trout signed a six-year extension worth $144.5 million in March 2014 prior to his fourth big league season. The four-time All-Star also has a no-trade clause in his contract, per Rosenthal, so he could decline any trade even if the Angels wanted to move him.

Los Angeles (13-15) entered Friday in third place in the American League West behind the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners. Tommy John surgery may soon be on the horizon for Richards, per ESPN.com’s Michael Eaves, and Heaney has a torn ulnar collateral ligament, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

The Angels are in need of pitching depth, but they also need help with their farm system. Baseball America ranked them dead last in terms of minor league talent—the third year in a row they’ve ranked 27th or below.

“This team was up against a lot of adversity last year and fought to the end,” Eppler said, per Rosenthal. “We’ve got a lot of character, a lot of the same guys on the club. They will not back down from a fight.”

Trout is on his way to his fifth consecutive All-Star appearance. He came into Friday batting .317 with seven home runs. His talent at the plate and in center field doesn’t come around often. While Trout would bring in a major haul in return, the situation would need to get much worse for the Angels to even entertain the thought of trading him.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Even with Garrett Richards atop their rotation, the Los Angeles Angels were in trouble. Their lineup wasn’t deep enough, and neither was their starting rotation.

But Richards was not just any other arm. He was the Angels’ unquestionable ace, pitching to a strong 2.34 ERA with 34 strikeouts in just 34.2 innings.

He was 28-16 in the previous two seasons, too, and was considered a 2014 Cy Young candidate before a freak knee injury ended his season that August.

So what chance do the Angels have now, with the news Friday morning that Richards needs Tommy John surgery (first reported by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports)?

“Zero,” said one National League scout who has seen them.

Harsh. But are you going to argue with him?

Good teams come back from serious injuries. The St. Louis Cardinals lost ace Adam Wainwright right about this time last season and went on to win 100 games.

The Angels aren’t the Cardinals, even if both teams wear red and both have employed Albert Pujols. The Cardinals have been finding ways to win for years. The Angels have been making the least of having maybe the best player in baseball in their lineup.

As my Bleacher Report colleague Scott Miller asked in a column last month: “Are the consistently underachieving Angels blowing it by failing to take advantage of the prime of [Mike] Trout?”

Trout has finished first or second in American League Most Valuable Player voting in each of his first four full seasons, an incredible start to a career. The Angels haven’t won a single postseason game in that time (they were swept by the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 Division Series), which is almost as incredible.

You can understand why Joel Sherman of the New York Post would ask new Angels general manager Billy Eppler if he would consider trading Trout to rebuild and restock (as Sherman reported on Twitter on Friday morning). You can also understand why Eppler would “defiantly” say no.

Eppler told Sherman he would win with Trout, which makes perfect sense for a team with the Angels’ resources. Craig Edwards of FanGraphs estimated last month that the Angels were second to the Los Angeles Dodgers in local television revenue, at $118 million this year.

All that money, and the Angels never did get that left field bat they so badly needed over the winter. All that money, and even before the Richards injury their depth chart on MLB.com listed just four starting pitchers.

Now it’s three, led by Jered Weaver. And not the 2011-12 version of Weaver, who won 18 and 20 games and finished second and third in Cy Young balloting. This Weaver has a 5.40 ERA, a 1.624 WHIP and a fastball that averages 81.9 mph, according to FanGraphs.

The Angels are paying C.J. Wilson $20 million this season, but he’s still trying to come back from shoulder trouble and isn’t even throwing off a mound yet. They have Andrew Heaney, but Passan reported he might need Tommy John surgery too.

They had pitching prospects Chris Ellis and Sean Newcomb, who are off to good starts in the minor leagues. But they’re in the minor leagues with the Atlanta Braves, where Eppler traded them to get shortstop Andrelton Simmons.

Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reported on Twitter that the Angels will likely call up right-hander Matt Shoemaker and left-hander Nate Smith from Triple-A Salt Lake. Shoemaker won 16 games as a rookie in 2014, but he had a 9.15 ERA in five starts earlier this season.

Smith is one of the team’s top prospects, but even that’s not as good as it sounds. MLB.com says if he maximizes his ceiling, it’s probably as a fourth or fifth starter.

Meanwhile, the Angels are off to a start that should look familiar. Trout has his usual numbers (seven home runs, .996 OPS), while his team is struggling to hang on around .500 (13-15 through Thursday).

They play in an American League West that for now doesn’t include a dominant team. The Seattle Mariners, hot lately, lead the division at 17-11.

But the Angels showed little sign of being able to take advantage, even with Richards.

Without him?

After the NL scout told me they had “zero” chance now, I asked the same question to another scout who works for an American League team. What chance do the Angels have now?

“None,” he texted back.

Harsh. But hard to argue.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney has started just one game this season, and a report Friday suggests his availability for the remainder of the 2016 campaign could be in jeopardy.

Continue for updates.

Report: Heaney Attempting to Avoid Season-Ending Surgery

Friday, May 6

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, multiple sources said Heaney has damage to the UCL in his elbow, which is an injury that could require season-ending Tommy John surgery. Heaney is “rehabbing with hopes of avoiding Tommy John,” per Passan. 

“Opting for conservative care like other pitchers have done,” Angels general manager Billy Eppler said, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

The 24-year-old lefty has been on the disabled list for much of the season with a strained flexor muscle, but Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reported on April 25 that the team was happy with his progress:

Based on Passan’s report, however, there is a chance the Angels may be forced to carry on without Heaney for the rest of the season.

That possibility is made even worse by the fact Passan also reported Angels ace Garrett Richards is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Heaney is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA on the season after impressing to the tune of a 6-4 mark with a 3.49 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 78 strikeouts in 105.2 innings in 2015.

The Angels acquired Heaney in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 that sent second baseman Howie Kendrick to the National League.

While the Oklahoma City native was seemingly developing into a reliable, middle-of-the-rotation starter, the Angels are now left searching for answers.

With Heaney, Richards and C.J. Wilson all on the shelf, L.A. must find some starting options in the minors to go along with Jered Weaver, Hector Santiago and Nick Tropeano.

Although the Angels are just four games out of first place in the AL West, they have struggled to the tune of a 13-15 record, and digging out of that hole will be extremely difficult without many quality arms at their disposal.

If Heaney is out for an extended period of time or perhaps even the entire season, Los Angeles’ only hope of keeping pace in the division may be executing a trade for a replacement starter.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Garrett Richards will reportedly undergo Tommy John surgery and is likely out for the season. 

Continue for updates.

Richards Reportedly Tears UCL

Friday, May 6

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported Richards tore his right ulnar collateral ligament and is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery. 

Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com added Tommy John is “inevitable” due to the grade of the tear.

Richards Among Angels’ Best Starters 

Richards was one of the Angels’ best starters last year, which is simultaneously an endorsement of the 27-year-old right-hander and an indictment of the team’s starting rotation. According to FanGraphs, the Angels finished 21st in starting pitcher WAR (8.4) and 19th in starter FIP (4.26).

The 2015 season was a bit of a mixed bag for Richards. He failed to capitalize on his breakout 2014 campaign, as his earned run average climbed from 2.61 to 3.65. His 3.3 walks per nine innings were also tied for 12th-highest among qualified starters, per FanGraphs. It’s impossible to ignore his major knee injury in August 2014, though:

There was a good chance he’d bounce back in 2016. Richards didn’t have the benefit of a full offseason to prepare for Opening Day last year, as he was recovering from his injury. That wasn’t a problem this spring.

He pitched 207.1 innings in 2015, and his velocity didn’t register a significant drop—97.1 mph fastball in 2014, 96.1 mph fastball in 2015—following his knee surgery, per Brooks Baseball. Both factors point to his knee surgery playing little role in his performance going forward.

Manager Mike Scioscia has a few different options to replace Richards. Nick Tropeano has starting experience in MLB and would be a good replacement on an interim basis, as would minor leaguer Tyler Skaggs. 

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