The problem with the Pujols signing is that it's an indication the Angels are now in a financial position where they can buy their way out of mistaked. Recent reports have their new local TV deal at as much as 3.25 Billion over 20 years which means they have 150 per in pure revenue in the books before they even try to make a dime. They draw well, they own their own radio station and the national TV deals are supposedly good for another 70 Mil to every team, meaning they arent dependent on ticket sales or marketing in order to break even.
I think the bigger problem is that both the Rangers and Angels now seem to have very strong saber minded front officers. The guy that built the Rangers farm system was hired away to join the Angels so its possible the Rangers have been hurt some but, we are talking about a team that has been doing a very strong job of infusing talent into their roster.
Texas and LAA will both spend, both seem intent on focusing on their farm system and both have very strong TV deals. We can talk about being smarter all we want but unless we are willing to go through ten years of last place finishes ala TB we will need to pony up and start spending some money. That said, there really isn't anything worth spending a lot of money on left except Fielder, so that decision may have been made for us.
The Angels situation is a bit scary to me. They have a lot of money coming off the books, a lot of money being added to their revenue and their lower level prospects have a lot of people taking notice. As usual, it's not the hyped guys, its their second level guys that seem to be sneaking up on people. Texas is going to have to start paying all their guys soon, so they may be in a position where they have to be a bit more reserved. The Angels by comparison have to be looking at their books and thinking the worst of it is behind them. They also have their 4/5ths of their rotation locked up through the next two seasons.
I hate saying this but Im sort of hoping Kendrys Morales' leg continues to ache because if he comes back and is anything like the hitter he was showing to be that entire lineup looks much stronger. Wells and Hunter become secondary players with very little pressure on them.
Texas is in my opinion still the team to beat but the Angels have closed the gap and really made a case for it being a two team division. If Feliz can make the transition to the pen that Ogando did, then they too have a GREAT rotation and their offense is awesome. Not sure if Napoli is going to be the player he was the second half of last year moving forward or the same old Mike Napoli from the second half. Unfortunately, either version is a pretty good hitter.
My fear now is that if the Rangers fail to land Darvish then they may turn to Fielder and create an all out "arms race" with the Angels. Luckily there arent any real impact FA's that will likely be available next offseason, but moving forward it could be a AL West version of the Yankees and Red Sox tug of war.
If that happens then, us and the A's appear to be nothing more than the mud pit between the two powerhouses.
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