A great moment in Angels history...

Nolan Ryan's 4 no-hitters.
Winning the team's first division title in 1979.
Mike Witt's perfect game.
Jim Edmond's catch.
Winning the World Series in 2002.

And now, to this list of team highlights, we can add January 21, 2010: the day Gary Matthews, Jr. finally left the team by virtue of being traded to the New York Mets.

Well, I guess I should temper my enthusiasm a bit, given that the Angels will be paying nearly all of his salary for the next two years. Still, paying $21.5 million to get nothing is better than paying $23 million to get less than nothing (literally: Little Sarge was below replacement level for each of the past two years).

I also like the deal for a couple of other reasons. On an intangible level, it's nice to be rid of a constant reminder of what was, without a doubt, one of the 25 worst contracts in baseball history. I mean, "Thank god he's gone" is a better thought in my head than "Why is he still here?", right? This factor may not affect the team on the field, but it does give me some satisfaction as an Angels fan, which is worth something.

The other reason I like the deal is that is frees up a spot on the roster for a young player to get a chance at the big leagues. Let's be honest: with the Matsui signing, GMJ wasn't going to play much this year. His ability to hurt the team would have been very limited. Nonetheless, he would have been taking up one of the 25 active roster spots, preventing someone like Chris Pettit or Terry Evans from getting a chance to show what they can do. Maybe they're big league material, maybe they're not, but it will be more fun to see them get their chance than to see GMJ suck up at-bats. Again, this will not have a big effect upon the product on the field, but it makes my fan experience a little better.

By the way, the Angels actually got a player in return for Little Sarge. His name is Brian Stokes, and he's a replacement level right-handed middle reliever. I know, be still my beating heart. Those guys are hard to find, you know. He'll be making essentially league-minimum this year because he is not yet eligible for arbitration, but he appears to be out of options. So, he either makes the team or is sent on his way. Matt Palmer is the only guy in the pen whose job may be in danger as a result, but the Angels may decide to keep 7 guys in the pen, in which case both Palmer and Stokes would presumably stay.

Fangraphs likes the Piniero signing

Dave Allen over at Fangraphs has run the numbers, and gives his seal of approval on the Joel Piniero signing. While some regression is expected (given the unsustainably microscopic walk rate Piniero posted in 2009), he should be worth the 8-million per year he will make over the life of the contract. Let's hope the Angels infield will be up to the task of fielding all of the ground balls Piniero's sinker will generate.

Angels Sign Piniero

Piniero signing finalizes 24 spots of 25 man roster

With today's signing of former Cardinal starting pitcher Joel Piniero, we can now identify 24 of the 25 players who will be traveling with the team to Anaheim to start the season, barring injuiries:

SP Jered Weaver

SP Scott Kazmir

SP Joel Piniero

SP Joe Saunders

SP Ervin Santana

RP Brian Fuentes

RP Scot Shields

RP Fernando Rodney

RP Kevin Jepsen

RP Jason Bulger

RP Matt Palmer

C Mike Napoli

1B Kendry Morales

2B Howard ("Howie") Kendrick

3B Brandon Wood (or Maicer Izturis, but both will make the 25 man roster)

SS Erick Aybar

LF Juan Rivera

CF Torii Hunter

RF Bobby Abreu

DH Hideki Matsui

C Jeff Mathis

UT Maicer Izturis

OF Gary ("Still Have 2 Years Left") Matthews Jr.

OF Reggie Willits

Conceivably, Palmer might not make it, but it is highly unlikely after his capable performance in both starting and relief roles in 2009. Everyone else pretty much has to make the team due to salary reasons, past performance or lack of options.

I would imagine the final roster spot will go to an infielder, possibly Freddy Sandoval. With GMJ and Willits already on the bench, and with a nominal outfielder (Matsui) serving as the primary DH, there does not appear to be any room for a Chris Pettit or Terry Evans to make the team (as much as fans - and I'm sure the Angels' front-office - would love to see GMJ replaced). With either Brandon Wood or Maicer Izturis as the only spare infielder, it would seem prudent to have one more infield option available.

The Angels could also go with a 12th pitcher. While the marginal value of a 7th man in the bullpen is low, it seems all the rage these days in MLB, and I could definitely see a Rich Thompson or one of the Rodriguezes starting the season with the team.

What all this means is that there is likely to be little drama in Spring Training in Angels camp. The team is basically set. While I'm not confident that the team is good enough to fend off the Rangers (barring a breakout performance by Wood), it is what it is and now is the time to hope for the best.

Another baseball blog? Yes, but give me a chance...

After reviewing all of the various Angels baseball blogs out there, it seemed to me that there was some room for a sabermetric-focused blog devoted to the Angels. I've been following the team since I was a kid in the 80s, all the way through the Von Hayes/Hubie Brooks dark era, through the Disney-led resurgence in the late 90s, and through now to the Golden Age of Angels Baseball. I've seen a lot of bad baseball through the years, so I've come to appreciate what first Disney and now Arte Moreno have created this decade: a team that nobody is embarrassed to declare their fandom for.

As I said before, my sensibilities lie with the sabermetric crowd, so there will be no gushing over how great Darin Erstad and David Eckstein were. I appreciate hard work and hustle as much as the next fan. However, those attributes are supplements to baseball talent and performance, not substitutes for them. That's why I am a big fan of the Teixeira-for-Kotchman trade - while I love homegrown players, the skill set that Kotchman possesses as a first baseman (moderate on-base skills, below-average power for the position, great glove) is easily replaceable both on the open market and from within the organization, even if the Angels fail to resign Teixeira. More on that trade later, though.

Anyway, I hope this will be a fun ride, for both me and for all of you readers out there!