Kuzul

Following Monday night’s loss to the Cleveland Indians, the Los Angeles Angels announced that Triple-A players Mark Trumbo and Hank Conger have been called up to the big club. Both players will be available for action on Tuesday.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Conger, the Angels released reliever Brian Stokes. Stokes, who had been acquired last offseason in the trade with the New York Mets involving Gary Matthews Jr., had clearly struggled this season, posting an 8.10 ERA through 16 appearances.

Trumbo, the Angels’ 18th-round pick in the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft, was leading the minor leagues in home runs with 36. He has been on a tear since the All-Star break, hitting .352 with 16 HR and 52 RBI.

Conger, the Angels’ first-round pick in 2005, was hitting .300 with 11 HR and 49 RBI with Salt Lake. He was last seen at Angels Stadium during the All-Star break, when he powered the U.S. Team to a 9-1 victory over the World Team in the Futures All-Star game, collecting the MVP award with his three-run homer.

In other moves, the Angels recalled utility infielder Kevin Frandsen, pitcher Matt Palmer, and pitcher Bobby Cassevah. All three players have seen limited action with the big club this season.

Trumbo’s name had previously been mentioned as a possible replacement for Kendry Morales when he went down for the season with a broken leg suffered during a celebration of a walkoff grand slam home run in late May. But the opportunity for Trumbo never came to pass.

“He’s certainly one of the top power prospects in baseball. He opened up a lot of eyes with the year he had at Salt Lake,” Halos manager Mike Scioscia said. “Crossing over to the big leagues is obviously the next step. Sometimes for guys with bigger swings, it takes longer.”

“I think whatever opportunity Mark gets for us right now isn’t going to define him as a player. It’s not going to be a huge look. …You’re not going to make a determination in the amount of time he’ll get a chance to play up here, even if he played everyday.”

Given the disappointment that the 2010 season has delivered thus far, the opportunities for both Trumbo and Conger to impress management in the next few weeks will certainly go a long way toward their future involvement with the Angels in 2011 and beyond.

You can follow Doug on Twitter, @desertdesperado.

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Like a kid finding socks beneath the brightly colored wrapping paper on Christmas morning, Angels fans once again felt short-changed on Saturday after baseball’s trade deadline passed.

Since 2005, it seems Los Angeles has been in the market for another big bat to bolster their lineup. Only once did they succeed.

In 2008, Tony Reagins made a splash in his first year as general manager when he landed the highly prized Mark Teixeira for first baseman Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher.

The move was seen as a bold step, not to make the playoffs, but to get deeper into them.

At the time of the acquisition, the Angels were already 10 games up in the AL West.

This year, they are eight games back of the Texas Rangers, perhaps the reason for their unwillingness to do what it takes to bring another Teixeira into the mix.

Because, although Tex himself was not on the block this year, there was certainly no shortage power-hitting, game-changing names out there, ripe for the plucking.

Before we examine the trades this team could have or should have made, it must be said that one guy is not all that’s missing from the Angels’ lineup.

Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, Juan Rivera, and Jeff Mathis all have to step up at the plate before the Angels can hope to make the playoffs.

Still, the threat of a little pop in the batting order couldn’t hurt.

It also should be noted that Reagins did come through with a big trade before the deadline, swapping Joe Saunders for Dan Haren. He’s a tremendous addition to the rotation and has a career batting average over .300.

Too bad pitchers in the American League don’t hit.

With that, I give you the top five trades the Angels failed to make at the 2010 MLB trade deadline.

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The Texas Rangers are going to the playoffs, and it is clear they are not going to be happy with just “being there.”

Texas’ nine-game lead in the AL West appears to be safe as the fledgling Angels search in vain for answers.

With the addition of Cliff Lee, most of baseball realizes the Rangers will be able to hang with any team in the playoffs, but Texas is clearly not interested in just “hanging.” They are out to win their first world championship.

This is what going for it looks like, Angels fans.

Not satisfied with winning the biggest pitching prize at the trade deadline, Texas has kept busy acquiring key playoff pieces like Bengie Molina—a World Series champion catcher and clutch veteran leader.

Still not done, the Rangers acquired Jorge Cantu and his 54 RBI to help out at first base.

Their All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler goes on the disabled list, and boom! The Rangers waste no time in picking up two-time All-Star middle infielder Christian Guzman today to fill in.

So now they’re done, right?

Wrong.

Today, the Rangers offered the Florida Marlins their top three prospects for pitching ace Josh Johnson and are still reportedly in the running for Adam Dunn.

Clearly Texas is making moves they feel they need to make in order to compete with the New York Yankees—not the Angels.

Granted, these players are no Alberto Callaspo, but something tells me baseball fans in the Lone Star State are willing to live with that.

Obviously, the Dan Haren move was nice for the Angels, but once again, it is too little, too late at the trade deadline.

It’s a good thing the Angels did not make any short-term moves to try to save this season because it wouldn’t have done any good. They would have hurt themselves long-term in the process.

In fact, Angels fans should be sending thank you cards to Derreck Lee right now for saving Angels GM Tony Reagins from himself.

However, it makes one wonder what the Angels could have done if they would have traded their prospects to supplement the key pieces they already had in place a few years ago—pieces that are now scattered across the baseball landscape.

Texas is doing what most Angels fans were screaming at the top of their lungs for then-Angels GM Bill Stoneman to do.

Stoneman balked at the idea—touting virtually every Angel prospect as an un-tradeable future Hall of Famer.

So, instead of having Alex Rodriguez and possibly a few more rings, the Angels instead retained the services of their “future Hall of Famers” Brandon Wood, Howie Kendrick, Jeff Mathis, and Erick Aybar.

They also refused to trade baseball greats Casey Kotchman, Dallas McPherson, Joe Saunders and Kevin Jepsen.

When they finally did part with a few of these individuals, some acted as if they had parted with Mickey Mantle.

Ask yourself this, Angels fans. Is there any talent in that group of eight that you couldn’t acquire on any given year in free agency at a very reasonable price?

Then ask yourself, how often do you get the chance to make a trade for Babe Ruth? Because that is exactly who you passed on, Stoneman.

Texas understands that concept, despite having one of the top-ranked farm systems in baseball.

The Angels should have understood that, but they were too preoccupied falling in love with the fantasy of an impending dynasty that never materialized.

Instead, the Angels became to this decade what the Atlanta Braves were to the last—a very good team that never took the next step to greatness.

Now the Angels find themselves in a quagmire of underachieving, untradeable disappointments. They will now have to buy themselves out of this situation through free agent purchases during the offseason.

Not only have their prospects underperformed, they have managed to turn a team on the verge of greatness into nothing more than a .500 ball club.

As of now, and hopefully before the trade deadline, Reagins should consider nobody un-tradeable.

In the meantime, Angels fans will be gazing enviously toward Texas to see if their gamble pays off. If it does, Angels fans will continue to wonder about what might have been.

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July is an early month to give up on a team like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but Tuesday night’s lackluster performance may have been the final nail in this season’s coffin.

The Angels scored just two runs against John Lackey and the Boston Red Sox, the second consecutive game they failed to score less than three.

In fact, in July alone, the Angels have scored four runs or more only eight times in 23 contests, contributing to a miserable 8-15 record this month and an 8½ game deficit in the AL West.

Prior to that, the Angels had averaged close to six runs per game in the month of June and remained competitive after a slow start to the season. But after all the hard work it took to claw their way back to respectability, they now stand just one game over .500.

Now, every team goes through its peaks and valleys in a given season. It’s difficult for any player or squad to maintain a consistently high level of play over the course of 162 games.

But unfortunately, the Angels have timed their downfall rather poorly.

While they suffer in the midst of a prolonged slump made of spotty pitching, sluggish defense, and inconsistent offense, the division-leading Texas Rangers continue to surge forward, putting miles of ground between themselves and their divisional rivals.

What’s more, the inverse paths of these two teams have given the Angels a problem no outside force can solve.

Where once it looked like the addition of another heavy hitter in the lineup would make the Angels contenders again, it now looks like they are too far back for any bat acquired in a trade to make a significant impact.

This is because the problem is not the lack of one guy, but rather the missing production of several.

Despite Bobby Abreu’s two home runs against the Red Sox this week, he is still batting .210 in July and has only five RBI in his last 10 games.

Hideki Matsui’s magical playoff run for the New York Yankees last season that culminated in a World Series MVP may have been the last violent flicker of a candle that’s all but burned out. His .253 average is not what the Angels had in mind with they gave him a one-year deal this offseason.

Juan Rivera is starting to emerge from his season-long slump and heat up here in the second half, as is his MO. Still, he is far from the consistent power threat this team needs him to be.

In the infield, Alberto Callaspo has yet to adjust to his new old surroundings, while Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar are swinging well below their capabilities.

As a whole, the Angels struggle like mad to find hits with men in scoring position, produce extra-base hits, get runners in motion with stolen bases and hit-and-run plays, or show any confidence whatsoever at the plate when trailing late in games.

Only Torii Hunter continues to be a reliable source of offense, and even he is starting to show signs of frustration at the plate, arguing with umps as he watches called strike threes go by.

Surely, his knees are buckling under the full weight of the team he carries on his back.

Meanwhile, Manager Mike Scioscia stubbornly clings to the notion that the run-on-contact play—where the runner on third with less than two outs breaks for the plate when the batter makes contact with the ball—is still a good idea with the infield pulled in.

Ridiculous. Because if the ball gets through the defense for a base hit, the runner can practically walk home. But if the ball is hit at an infielder, the runner is a dead duck at the plate, just as Rivera was on Tuesday.

And now it seems the Angels’ disturbing lack of offense is finally starting to affect their defense. There is simply no other excuse for talented veterans and brilliant youngsters to play as poorly as this.

Abreu and Rivera, age aside, have no business stumbling around the outfield like rookies playing out of position. The infielders aren’t immune either, making spectacular grabs but still faltering where teamwork is involved.

Even Kendrick, who has improved his defense by leaps and bounds at second base, still manages to commit mental errors like the one on Tuesday, when he threw a ball to no one in particular and resulted in a run for Boston.

These kinds of weak errors, this frightened and anemic offense, not to mention the unaccountable bullpen—they aren’t just costing the Angels games, they’re costing the season.

And they’re not the kind of issues that a Ty Wigginton, a Jorge Cantu, or even an Adam Dunn can help this team address.

At this point, the Angels are a sinking ship and one more bucket, no matter the size, just isn’t going to do much to bail them out.

General Manager Tony Reagins has already pulled off his annual big-time trade and he may well have a few more calls to make before Saturday’s trade deadline.

But if he hopes to save his team from the nightmare of a lost season in July, the call must come from inside the house.

Scioscia lit a fire under his team last season when the Angels were scuffling at the .500 mark in mid-June, threatening to send each and every man down to the minors if something didn’t change.

The Angels finished the season with 97 wins and a franchise record for runs scored.

This year, the motivation might be too little too late, but it must come all the same.

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On Sunday, the Angels acquired right-handed pitcher Dan Haren from the Arizona
Diamondbacks in exchange for Joe Saunders, minor league pitchers Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez, and a player to be named later (apparently left-handed pitcher Tyler Skaggs).

In this emotional sound clip, Joe Saunders speaks with Chris Myers after the Angels’ announcement that he had been traded, along with three others, to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Dan Haren.

Saunders pitched for six seasons for the Angels, compiling a 54-32 record with a 4.29 ERA.

Tony Reagins gives his explanation about how the acquisition of Dan Haren effects the ballclub, not just for 2010 but for the future.

Click here for LA Angels Insider Podcast – Joe Saunders and Tony Reagins

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The Angels had the second best record in all of baseball for the month of June.

The problem is, the Texas Rangers were the only team better, and they are the team the Angels are trying to catch.

July has not started out with as much promise.

The Angels now find themselves 5.5 games back in the AL West after being swept by the Chicago White Sox during a four-game series in Chicago for the first time in 27 years.

Many are ready to push the panic button and start the fire sale. However, all is not lost with the Angels. One major move, accompanied by some minor tweaks, could manage to save their season.

Here are five things the Angels need to do going forward.

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The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim stand at a very precarious spot in the season.

At 46-41, just slightly past the halfway point and 5 1/2 games behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers, they must make a decision: give up and tough it out with the players they have, or make a move and wrest back control of a division they’ve owned for the better part of a decade.

The Angels are in a bad spot right now, particularly where their offense is concerned. In the last seven games, they’ve gone 2-5 and have scored more than two runs only once, thanks to a seven-RBI day from the team’s only consistent player, Torii Hunter.

That was also the last game in which any Angel hit a home run.

How did they ever win two?

After securing a key series victory over the Rangers, it looked as though the Angels were back on track and headed in the right direction.

The starting pitching slowly came around, the patchwork infield was starting to mesh, and even the bullpen hadn’t blown any leads in awhile.

Since then, however, it’s been a steady downhill slide. Errors, poor pitching—especially from the relievers—and a stagnant offense like we haven’t seen from this team in years, have all joined forces to put the 2010 season in serious jeopardy.

Because, well, where do you go from here? The Angels are certainly not out of contention by any means. After all, it’s only July. Even the Baltimore Orioles have a shot to make the postseason.

Technically.

But the ways in which the Angels can turn the season around right now are few and far between. It is more likely they will make their big moves in the offseason, when guys like Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford hit the free-agent market.

Still, the Angels can’t be content to trudge along with what they have in the meantime. Paul McAnulty, Cory Aldridge, Robb Quinlan, Brandon Wood, Reggie Willits—these are not intimidating names in any lineup.

Couple that with the dismal slumps of supposed run-producers like Hideki Matsui, Juan Rivera, and Bobby Abreu and the Angels aren’t going anywhere this season. Not without a little outside help.

Over the last month, the rumor mill has been buzzing around the Big A pretty loudly. Paul Konerko was surely going to be the next Angel. Then it was Adam LaRoche and Hank Blalock. Last week, Adam Dunn was all but a lock in Anaheim.

This week, the rumors have faded and the buzzing silenced. The only sound around the Big A now is the soft echo of brooms sweeping up in preparation for the coming All-Star festivities.

This can only mean one thing: Tony Reagins is making calls instead of just taking them.

L.A. has always been a tight-lipped organization, jealously guarding its hand like Doyle Brunson at a no-limit hold ’em table. Sure, sometimes a card or two gets spotted by some enterprising reporter or MLB insider.

But when the chips are down and the season hangs in the balance, the Angels clam up.

If that’s the case here, then the Angels have to be addressing at least one of the holes on their team and the most glaring one of all is the offense. The bullpen certainly needs help, but fewer options are available there than at the plate.

The Baltimore Orioles have already hung the “For Sale” sign on the 2010 season and are making available pretty much everyone not named Adam Jones. Ty Wigginton or Miguel Tejada would make fine additions in Anaheim.

The Houston Astros, Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, and Milwaukee Brewers are all on the verge of doing the same thing. Each has at least one player the Angels could reasonably deal for.

Even the Boston Red Sox could be willing to deal Victor Martinez if the price is right. The once-mighty BoSox have been bitten by the injury bug this season and are in desperate need of fresh bodies in the field.

If the Angels do make a move, it likely won’t come until after the All-Star break, which should give them just enough time to consider their options as they stand at the precipice of a season that could be very good, or very bad.

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Garret Anderson just finished what will likely be his final trip to Anaheim—and his first

as a member of the visiting team. But a new G.A. could be waiting just over the horizon.

With the Baltimore Orioles’ acquisition of Jake Fox from the Oakland A’s this week, Garrett Atkins will be in line to join a new team very soon.

And the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have need of a power-hitting corner infielder.

The A’s-O’s swap has all but sealed Atkins’ fate, destined to be designated for assignment by the worst team in the majors. His .219 average with one home run and nine RBI in 137 at-bats might have something to do with that.

It might not be a match made in heaven, but the Angels still have use for a guy like Atkins.

The former UC Irvine Anteater can play both corner infield positions, where the Angels would like a little stability. Not to mention a little power.

The left side of the Angels’ infield in particular has been an unfortunate mess.

First, it was Brandon Wood, who couldn’t hit a beach ball with a tennis racket. His replacement, Maicer Izturis, was playing admirably until a left forearm strain put him on the 15-day disabled list.

Over on the right side, the primary source of run production for the Angels was lost for the year when Kendry Morales broke his leg, ironically in celebration of a walk-off grand slam.

Since then, the daily lineup around the horn has been a mixed bag of subs and guys playing out of position. Oh, and Wood, who is only on the field because the Angels literally have no other option.

Atkins could help alleviate some of these issues. Particularly, the Angels’ infield power outage.

Despite his poor showing at the plate this year, Atkins spent seven terrific years with the Colorado Rockies and is still batting .285 for his career, while averaging 20 home runs and 97 RBI per season.

The Angels, meanwhile, have four total home runs from their four third baseman this year. Izturis and Wood both have two.

Robb Quinlan and Kevin Frandsen are still looking for their firsts, though that hasn’t discouraged Frandsen at the plate—he is hitting .354 coming into Friday night’s contest.

Over at first, Mike Napoli is tied for the team lead with 12 big flies, but the career catcher is playing well out of position, and although he seems to be getting better on defense, a little backup never hurt anyone.

Atkins could easily easily provide that, spelling both Frandsen and Napoli on defense, giving Hideki Matsui a break at DH, and inserting a veteran presence into the Angels’ patchwork lineup.

Best of all, Atkins’ numbers this season, coupled with the fact that he is on a miserable team, all but guarantee a low asking price from Baltimore, a point that could hinder trades the Angels might otherwise pursue.

Ty Wigginton, another Orioles infielder, is also being shopped this month. But Baltimore has already asked for a young shortstop in return, a hefty price tag for many teams but not entirely unreasonable given Wigginton’s performance this season.

Over in Chicago, Paul Konerko is also swinging the bat surprisingly well, and with his White Sox climbing back into contention in their division, it would likely cost far more than the Angels are willing to pay to retain his services.

Angels general manager Tony Reagins and his predecessor, current team adviser Bill Stoneman, have never been the type to mortgage the future for a shot at success in the present.

Guys like Wigginton and Konerko, as well as other trade targets like Lance Berkman and Adam LaRoche, would cost at least a couple of top-flight prospects to help rebuild their respective franchises.

But not Atkins.

Once he hits the waiver wire, the Angels could easily pick him for a lesser-known prospect or two without risking bigger names like Mark Trumbo or Hank Conger.

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Who’s on first? Who cares?

The timeless Abbott and Costello comedy bit about baseball has become a real-life drama for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Since Kendry Morales’ break heard ’round the world on May 29, fans and baseball pundits alike have wondered aloud in a unified voice: Now what are they going to do?

But the answer may not come as quickly as some have anticipated. And it may not be the one most would like.

Morales, the Angels’ rising superstar first baseman, was leading his team in batting average, home runs, and RBI before he broke his left leg celebrating a walk-off grand slam against the Seattle Mariners. He underwent season-ending surgery on Thursday.

Without their biggest offensive threat, the Angels looked dead in the water, a pitiful end to a struggle-filled season.

Except that it wasn’t.

In the wake of that devastating injury, new players have done a miraculous job filling the void and, incredibly, the team is playing its best baseball of the season without its best player.

Without Morales, the Angels are 8-3 with 81 runs scored in that time. Names like Mike Napoli, Robb Quinlan, and Michael Ryan have become synonymous with clutch-hitting and timely quality at-bats.

And don’t look for that to change any time soon, especially with Jeff Mathis’ imminent return to the lineup in the next week or so.

When that happens, he will likely resume his starting catcher duties, leaving Napoli and his big bat to take over at first base, with Bobby Wilson backing up both men.

That may not be the most threatening lineup in the league but it will suffice for the time being, and that’s really all the Angels need.

The question for this team isn’t “who’s on first,” but rather “who’s going to help us the most?”

The next three to four months will be tough without a significant threat like Morales to anchor the offense. However, as manager Mike Scioscia pointed out to the press this week, this team is not interested in a short-term rent-a-player.

The Angels already suffered through one of those when they acquired Mark Teixeira at the trade deadline in 2008, and the breakup after was messier than either side had hoped.

This time around, they’ll be looking for a player that can help in the future, and that means potentially addressing the other huge hole in their infield: third base.

Morales’ injury was a disaster, but Brandon Wood has been a catastrophe.

His sub-.200 average, non-existent power, and astonishingly high strikeout rate forced the Angels to place him on the 15-day DL in hopes that he just needed a little time to get his head right.

So far, nothing has changed.

Wood’s rehab stint in Triple-A is going about as well as his major league tryout this season. He’s not hitting, he’s not walking, he’s not even making contact with the ball.

At this rate, by Spring Training he’ll be milling around local beer leagues.

In the meantime, the Angels are stuck using subs to fill in at the hot corner. Kevin Frandsen and Maicer Izturis have both done well so far, but neither appears to be the third baseman of the future. Or even for the rest of this season.

Frandsen’s defense leaves much to be desired and Izturis, while smooth as silk in the field and clutch at the plate, is far more valuable as an everyday utility player, bouncing from position to position as the team sees fit.

To fill their needs, the Angels may try to kill two birds with one trade.

Despite the dynamic offense that Paul Konerko or Lance Berkman could bring to a roster, they are fairly limited on defense, solidly anchored to first base. That might be okay this season, but remember, the Angels are looking to the future.

Morales’ defense has improved by leaps and bounds and, barring any contractual power plays from agent Scott Boras, he will remain the Angels’ starting first baseman. It is unlikely the team will look to acquire anyone for him to compete with.

A guy like Mike Lowell probably fits better with what the Angels are trying to do.

His numbers aren’t too spectacular this season, most due to his limited and inconsistent at-bats, but he is still a highly coveted threat in the middle of any lineup and his glove is stellar at both first and third.

Of course, the Angels are not going to want to give away too much talent to a team they regularly face in the playoffs, a point that will certainly affect any future trade talks.

Still, something has to be done. And with the July 31 trade deadline slowly approaching, GM Tony Reagins will have to make his move soon. 

The only question is which corner of the infield he’ll move toward.

The Angels have been able to beat up on the weaker sisters of the league (Royals, Mariners, A’s) without their brightest star, but a replacement will have to be found before tougher competition risks turning the lights out on this season.

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Losing Kendry Morales was just about the worst thing that could have happened to the lackluster Los Angels of Anaheim.

Or, at least, that’s the way it seemed.

However, since Morales broke his leg celebrating his walk-off grand slam at home on May 29, the Angels have gone 5-1 with 37 runs scored.

More importantly, though, is that they’ve been included in numerous trade rumors as they look to add more power to the lineup―something that desperately needed to be done prior to their big slugger going down.

At the time of his injury, Morales lead the team in batting average, home runs, and RBI.

Even with their first baseman in the middle of the order, the anemic Angels still ranked right around the middle of the American League in nearly every major offensive category.

Now without his primary source of power and production in the lineup for the foreseeable future, General Manager Tony Reagins is searching high and low for a suitable replacement, someone who can get the job done but won’t butcher the position on defense or stick around long enough to cause a logjam at first.

At least for now, there are no such options in-house. Robb Quinlan is a nice utility guy, but can’t match the production Morales provided. The same could be said for Kevin Frandsen and Michael Ryan.

Mike Napoli is the most logical choice at the moment. With his bat finally starting to heat up, it will be important to keep him in the lineup as often as possible.

But his defensive abilities behind the plate are questionable enough, to say nothing of his lack of experience in the infield.

And speaking of lacking experience, Angels first base prospect Mark Trumbo is hitting well in Triple-A but has yet to make his major league debut, so it is unlikely he will be called upon to shepherd the big club through its sudden power outage.

A trade, then, is the only reasonable option left.

Several names have already been tossed around by various sources and while some have already been refuted, others remain intriguing possibilities.

Here are the top five most likely options for a trade to fill the Angels’ gap at first this season.

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