CINCINNATI — Two weeks into the season, the Angels are 6-7, which is reasonable compared to how they look on paper.
It’s still too soon to know what they are going to be. Last year, the Angels were 8-5 and they ended up losing 90 games and finishing last in the AL West.
It’s not too early for readers to have lots of questions about what they’re seeing, though.
Q: Any talk of contract extensions for (Zach) Neto, (José) Soriano, (Jo) Adell, or (Logan) O’Hoppe? Seems like smart franchises lock up their young talent early. — @pkaselionis805
A: Several people asked versions of this question, so we’ll start here.
If they were going to sign anyone to an extension, I would have expected it to happen late in spring training or right around Opening Day, because that’s the normal timeframe for these deals. Once the season begins, those kind of deals are rare.
Second, the “smart” deals are typically with players who are much more certain than anyone the Angels have. The Angels don’t have any Konnor Griffin’s walking around.
Everyone else is either too close to free agency to take much of a discount or not good enough to warrant a long-term deal. And pitchers, like José Soriano, are risky because of the chance of injury.
Neto, of course, is the only one who might possibly still be in the window where it makes sense. He has four seasons, including this one, left before free agency.
There is probably a number somewhere that would offer equal risk for Neto and the Angels, but it’s possible that neither side is willing to take that risk when they can instead just keep going year-to-year and be more sure. Neto can be more certain he’s not leaving money on the table and the Angels can be more certain they aren’t overpaying.
Owner Arte Moreno has only given out two of these kind of extensions in the last decade, and neither one worked out. David Fletcher got a five-year, $26 million deal when he was four years away from free agency. Mike Trout was two years away from free agency when the Angels signed him to a 12-year, $426.5 million deal.
Considering the current TV situation and the impact on payroll, I am not expecting him to be guaranteeing any nine-figure deals to anyone.
Q: Looks like Jose Soriano, at least, seems to be benefiting from Mike Maddux coming in as pitching coach; how does the rest of the staff seem to be handling it? — @kahunadakine.bsky.social
A: Angels pitchers raved about Maddux in spring training. The catchers did too. O’Hoppe just said this week that he feels Maddux has entrusted him more to be flexible on game-planning, which Soriano and O’Hoppe said has made a difference.
Through the first 13 games, the Angels have a 3.80 ERA, which is a significant improvement from last year. There’s still a long way to go, though.
Q: With (Josh) Lowe struggling, will (Adam) Frazier get more playing time in LF? — @HaloFanChris112
A: The Angels have too many struggling players to say which one could be replaced by Adam Frazier. Lowe (.423 OPS), second baseman Oswald Peraza (.607) and third baseman Yoán Moncada (.434) could all lose time to Frazier, who can play any of those positions.
Of all those players, the one who has the least track record of success is Peraza, so it seems like he would be the one with the shortest leash.
Frazier has a .749 OPS, but it’s still just 14 plate appearances.
Q: Vaughn Grissom is about ready to finish his rehab assignment, and he has hit pretty well. Now what? Who is the odd man out? — @catonglue
A: This question rolls in with the last one. Grissom had 10 hits in the first 25 at-bats of his Triple-A rehab assignment, with a .903 OPS. His rehab assignment can only go through April 19, and then the Angels need to bring him back to the majors, because he’s out of options.
Grissom didn’t get much opportunity in spring training before he hurt his wrist. The Angels liked what they saw, even though he only hit .185 in the spring. He put the ball in play and drew some walks.
Assuming no one else gets hurt when Grissom is ready to come back, the most likely choices are to either designate Jeimer Candelario for assignment or option Bryce Teodosio, making Frazier the fourth outfielder. A lot can change in 10 days, though.
Q: Do you get the sense that the players are supporting (Kurt) Suzuki? Does he have a good handle on the clubhouse? — @morinUbargain4
A: I am confident in saying that the players love Suzuki. He’s not far removed from being one of them, so he knows how players want to be treated. Communication has been his strong suit so far.
That said, the manager can only do so much. Whether the Angels win or lose will be determined by the players, not the manager.
Q: How far away is a (Ben) Joyce return? — @halofan02
A: A few weeks ago I would have guessed he’d be farther ahead than he is now. Joyce started throwing all his pitches in the bullpen back in early March.
The Angels, however, seem to be playing this one with extreme caution. They want Joyce to be so confident in his stuff that he can unleash all of it with zero hesitation. Apparently, he’s not there yet.
They probably are also thinking that his innings were going to have to be limited after he pitched in just five games last year, so there’s really no reason to rush him.
The Angels have opted not to put him on the 60-day injured list when they’ve had a couple of opportunities, so they must feel like he has a chance to be back by May.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 1-0, 4.66 ERA) at Reds (RHP Chase Burns, 1-0, 0.82 ERA), Friday, 3:45 p.m. PT, Apple TV, 830 AM