- The Story: The Angels signed GM Tony Reagins to a long-term contract extension. The Monkey Says: Reagins gets little publicity, but he has a great track record in both free agency as well as with making trades, something his predecessor was knocked for never doing. Whatever the terms of the deal are, it seems the Halos made a good investment here.
- The Story: Halos Heaven profiles Angel prospects Dillon Baird, Robert Mosebach, Peter Bourjos and Trevor Bell. The Monkey Says: I think everyone should be concerned if Mosebach is really their 8th best prospect. Nothing against Mosebach, but he profiles no better than as a good middle reliever and was someone the Angels thought little enough to expose him to the Rule V draft last year.
- The Story: Darren Oliver has already decided to play in 2010 and likely beyond. The Monkey Says: It is great to hear the DO has decided against retiring, but I have the feeling that if he pushes for a multi-year deal, he might end up playing somewhere besides Anaheim next year.
- The Story: Sabermetric guru Bill James establishes that the Halos are the most efficient team in baseball on a regular basis, and that is why they always contend. The Monkey Says: The best part is that even James admits that he has no idea exactly how the Angels do it, but he refuses to believe it is luck. Finally, some love from that stat geek crowd for the Angels.
- The Story: Jon Heyman thinks the Angels will pursue Adrian Beltre if they lose Chone Figgins in free agency. The Monkey Says: If that is true, then they are dead set on never using Brandon Wood who is probably already better than Adrian Beltre and a lot cheaper and less injury prone.
.jpg&w=244&h=193&zc=1 "Mike Trout and the sophomore slump that wasn't")
.jpg&w=244&h=193&zc=1 "Why the Pujols contract isn't as bad as you think")
