confusion, derision

I was obviously disappointed when CC signed with the BoSox.

I was obviously frustrated when Beltre signed with the Rangers.

But I am completely out of my mind now that the Angels have acquired Vernon Wells.

(No disrespect to Wells. It's not his fault that the FO got swindled.)

I'd say that I'm pretty even-kneeled when it comes to criticizing the FO. There's no doubt that I was skeptical about their offseason moves, but I generally give them the benefit of the doubt. But then again, the FO isn't known to do such epically inexplicible things that even I, a common observant baseball fan, know is foolish.

Napoli and Rivera are useful pieces, to a degree. I'm not a particularly big fan of either. I know that Naps is getting expensive and that Rivera is moderately priced. I know that Vernon Wells is a useful piece. He had some good years before a string of bad years, but he rebounded nicely last year. Oh, the asterisk? He's massively overpaid to the tune of $86/4Yrs remaining - widely regarded as one of the most unmovable contracts in baseball.

I had a bad morning and well, just had a feeling that some Angels trade news was waiting for me at home. I was thinking that Tony traded for someone to upgrade the LF situation. So I was excited to hear that Naps was being traded. I was even optimistic when it was revealed that Wells was the one coming to Anaheim. I could have accepted a trade that brought cash along with Wells, to offset his ridiculous contract. But its unbelievable that the FO would bring in that contract without any compensation. The Angels FO is doing the Jays and AA a very big SOLID by not only bailing them out, but by paying them Naps and Rivera! I don't see the reason, Tony, I don't!

This all just smacks of desperation. The FO trying to do something this offseason just to do something. The Halos just don't know when to cut their losses and run. After the CC debacle, Arte exasperated things with his comments about needing to raise ticket prices to pay one player more than $20M/Yr. (Guess how much Wells makes? >$20M/Yr). It came across as cheap, hollow, and even a bit disingenuous. It was obvious to me that Arte, Tony and the FO lost a significant amount of fans' trust and goodwill. Losing out on Beltre, therefore, wasn't as much as a shock (though the potential pricetag made me uncomfortable, Beltre was the best option). I had long resigned to the fact that 2011 was going to be a tough year - a bridge year - and that the Halos would be lurking on the outskirts of contention. But the FO passed from inaction into stupidity. At least before I could've said that the FO hadn't really done anything that would hurt the future.

Perhaps the worst thing (yes, worse than adding $86M to the payroll), is the prevalance of the questions surrounding the FO. Do they really have a plan? Are they being operated competently and efficiently? I would've preferred to recieve prospects for Naps. At least then I would know that the Halos intended to restock and build around Mike Trout. I would know that 2011 and 2012 would be tough, but that there was hope because the organization was executing a plan. If the Halos got peanuts back for Naps, I would be upset that they didn't cash in his value, but I would know that they were scaling back payroll to perhaps sign Weave or KMo to an extension or make a run at FAs next offseason. I would know that 2011 would be tough, but there would be hope because the organization was executing a plan. But there is no prospects in the deal, only a tremendous financial commitment. Perhaps the FO's plan is to go for it this year - to be competitive, to fill butts in the seats and to satisfy the (recently) rebelling fanbase. The problem with that plan is that Vernon Wells does not make the Halos a contender. He makes them marginally better (and even that's disputed). If the plan is to compete in 2011, the FO did not execute.

The Angels FO is known to be stone-cold - they make good, calculated decisions like letting KRod, GA, and Lackey walk. They stick to a budget and don't offer FAs past the amount they "feel comfortable with." That's generally minimized bad contracts, though its also minimized the big FA that come to Anaheim. And hey, I might not exactly agree with how they deal with FAs and believe that they need to roll the dice once in a while, but not on VERNON WELLS for $86M. I might not have been pleased that Tony struck out with CC and Beltre, but I could understand why they didn't want to spend that money. What I can't understand is why the FO would pay Wells more per year than CC and Beltre when Arte complained about their prices. Did Arte waffle again?

This trade has made the Angels the laughingstock of the baseball blogosphere. And they deserve every bit.

I've never been more embarrased to call myself an Angels fan.

I never thought the FO could disillusion me this easily. But then again, I never thought that the FO could be so stupid.

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In the beginning months of the hot stove season I wrote:

Of course, if the FO does nothing, it would be just as bad as signing another overpriced bullpen arm.

I was wrong, oh so wrong. The FO would've been better off doing nothing.