Angels Weave a Tangled Web
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/472/1/Angels-Weave-a-Tangled-Web.html
Justin Culver
By Justin Culver
Published on 06/22/2006
The Angels demoted prized prospect Jered Weaver despite outstanding numbers. Atomic Sports columnist Justin Culver says they took the easy way out of a messy situation.
The credentials are all there: 4-0, ERA under 1.50, other struggling members of an inconsistent Angels’ pitching staff. Yet Jered Weaver gets demoted to Triple-A to make room for the return of Bartolo Colon from the disabled list.
This move would have made sense had Weaver struggled to be consistent, or perhaps if the Bartolo Colon of old were returning, but neither of those scenarios are true. Weaver has been outstanding since his call up, prompting many to believe that Jered’s brother Jeff would be demoted from the starting rotation to the bullpen upon Colon’s return. But instead, the Angels sent down arguably their best starter over the past three weeks in place of an ERA higher than 7.00. Now I know that Colon’s ERA will drop, he’s too good for it not to, but why sacrifice a good thing in Jered Weaver? There were two other scenarios that would have made sense to the Angels rather than pulling the plug on a developing ace.
I think the number one option would have been to demote Jeff Weaver to the struggling bullpen and send down J.C Romero. This move would have kept the high priced Weaver with the Angels and would also serve to upgrade a shaky bullpen. While Scot Shields, Brandon Donnelly, and K-Rod are certainly holding down the fort, the remaining relievers are not performing up to par. This move could be in place for the remainder of the season or until another starter is injured. This option is very feasible and establishes to the fans and other players in the organization that the Angels will allow their young talent to bloom on the major league level.
Option number two could have been to drop the struggling Jeff Weaver to the minor leagues in order to figure himself out and get back into his old form. While this move would be largely debated among baseball people everywhere, it would enable the Angels to continue to look at Jered Weaver and potentially work out a trade to rid themselves of Jeff Weaver and his high priced contract with the hopes of getting a prospect who could eventually take over for the rapidly aging Garret Anderson. This would in turn leave valuable money for the end of the year to be able to bring back players whose contracts expire as well as leave available funds to look for a free agent to fit any number of positions.
Although some may argue that these options are not feasible and that there would be no way any team would engage in these sorts of practices, they still are options, and they are still available to the Angels as they continue their battle in the weak AL West. However, do not be surprised if, come the trading deadline, Jeff gets dealt so brother Jered can shine. (The rhyming was unintentional.)
Justin Culver is a regular contributor to Atomic Sports Media. He can be reached at justin.culver@atomicsportsmedia.com.
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The Angels demoted prized prospect Jered Weaver despite outstanding numbers. Atomic Sports columnist Justin Culver says they took the easy way out of a messy situation.
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The credentials are all there: 4-0, ERA under 1.50, other struggling members of an inconsistent Angels’ pitching staff. Yet Jered Weaver gets demoted to Triple-A to make room for the return of Bartolo Colon from the disabled list.
This move would have made sense had Weaver struggled to be consistent, or perhaps if the Bartolo Colon of old were returning, but neither of those scenarios are true. Weaver has been outstanding since his call up, prompting many to believe that Jered’s brother Jeff would be demoted from the starting rotation to the bullpen upon Colon’s return. But instead, the Angels sent down arguably their best starter over the past three weeks in place of an ERA higher than 7.00. Now I know that Colon’s ERA will drop, he’s too good for it not to, but why sacrifice a good thing in Jered Weaver? There were two other scenarios that would have made sense to the Angels rather than pulling the plug on a developing ace.
I think the number one option would have been to demote Jeff Weaver to the struggling bullpen and send down J.C Romero. This move would have kept the high priced Weaver with the Angels and would also serve to upgrade a shaky bullpen. While Scot Shields, Brandon Donnelly, and K-Rod are certainly holding down the fort, the remaining relievers are not performing up to par. This move could be in place for the remainder of the season or until another starter is injured. This option is very feasible and establishes to the fans and other players in the organization that the Angels will allow their young talent to bloom on the major league level.
Option number two could have been to drop the struggling Jeff Weaver to the minor leagues in order to figure himself out and get back into his old form. While this move would be largely debated among baseball people everywhere, it would enable the Angels to continue to look at Jered Weaver and potentially work out a trade to rid themselves of Jeff Weaver and his high priced contract with the hopes of getting a prospect who could eventually take over for the rapidly aging Garret Anderson. This would in turn leave valuable money for the end of the year to be able to bring back players whose contracts expire as well as leave available funds to look for a free agent to fit any number of positions.
Although some may argue that these options are not feasible and that there would be no way any team would engage in these sorts of practices, they still are options, and they are still available to the Angels as they continue their battle in the weak AL West. However, do not be surprised if, come the trading deadline, Jeff gets dealt so brother Jered can shine. (The rhyming was unintentional.)
Justin Culver is a regular contributor to Atomic Sports Media. He can be reached at justin.culver@atomicsportsmedia.com.