Let the Deals Begin

Well we kicked off the baseball season with many trades and signings. Jon Garland for Orlando Cabrera (ooooh)! Jason Kendall signing with the Brewers (aaaah)! But today marks the first acquisition that many (and by many, I mean me) didn't see coming: Torii Hunter signing with the Angels.

If you look at ESPN Rumor Central and SI's Trade Rumors everyday like us here at Sons of Steiner, then you're kind of taken aback by this. The last reports I heard were that Hunter was very interested in signing with either the Dodgers (please god please please please), the Rangers (what? Are you serious! Get out!), or the White Sox (dumb move, but whatever). And then I get into LA this morning for Thanksgiving and look at the front page of the sports section, and BOOM! He's an Angel.

Fuck the Angels. And yes, I said that. Quick geography lesson: I'm from Los Angeles. Not Anaheim. The Angels are from Anaheim. Not Los Angeles. There is only one baseball team in Los Angeles: The Dodgers. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim? No dude. Come on.

So now with this deal, fuck them even more. They've got two power bats now in Hunter and Vlad Guerrero (no, Garret Anderson is never going to be a power bat again), and a decent pitching staff with the Jon Garland trade. Plus they already have a center fielder in Gary Mathews Jr., so wtf! I expect now that my boys in blue will step up their efforts and sign Aaron Rowand to lock up a center fielder (because Juan Pierre is more a toddler than baseball player).

Finally, I am excited about this deal because it may change up the Miguel Cabrera hunt. The Angels have more protection for Guerrero in their lineup, so they may be less-willing to trade for Cabrera, freeing up the chance for the Dodgers (the other frontrunners). However, since the Marlins are demanding youngin's, I have a bad feeling the Dodgers will make a bad move and sell away their entire farm system for him.

Oh well. I still love the Baseball Offseason.