[Bob Nightengale] The Angels continue to have strong interest in Britton if his price-tag drops, but they are not pursuing free agent catcher Gary Sanchez.


Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2023/01/29/mlb-umpire-malachi-moore-trailblazer-compton-youth-academy/11141564002/

Other Angels-related notes from the article:

On Moreno:

> It was no surprise to Angels owner Arte Moreno’s friends that he changed his mind and decided not to sell the franchise. He recently had been discussing plans for the Angels through at least 2026.

> It might have been different, of course, is Moreno received a bid to his liking.

> Moreno was seeking at least $2.5 billion for the franchise, and hoping for $3 billion. Yet, he never received a single proposal that interested him since he announced last October that he was putting the team on the market.

On Ohtani:

> Those close to Shohei Ohtani predict he’ll stay out West when he becomes a free agent simply because of his lifestyle. He rarely ventures out, his friends say, and thoroughly enjoys his privacy.

> When he was a free agent coming out of Japan in 2017, he narrowed his choices to seven teams: The Angels, Padres, Dodgers, Mariners, Giants, Rangers and Cubs. The Cubs were the lone finalist not in the NL West or AL West.

On the WBC:

> GMs have informed MLB officials that it will be impossible to abide by the unwritten rule of having at least five regulars play in spring training games.

> Simply, with so many stars playing in the World Baseball Classic, lineups will be consisting of mostly minor-league players for much of the spring.

> The Angels will have 15 players participating in the WBC, including their entire starting rotation and catcher, while the Mets will be without their entire starting infield.

> “It’s going to be a mess,’’ one GM said, “but what are you going to do? You just hope everyone gets their work in and comes back healthy.’’

On remaining free agent pitchers:

> Michael Wacha, who was terrific for the Red Sox last season with an 11-2 record and 3.32 ERA, remains the best remaining pitcher on the free-agent market. Yet, teams still are unwilling to meet his request for a two-year, $30 million deal.

> Left-handed relievers Andrew Chafin, Zack Britton and Matt Moore also remain on the market. They are each seeking about $9 million in their talks with teams.

8 comments
  1. >The Angels will have 15 players participating in the WBC, includingtheir entire starting rotation and catcher, while the Mets will bewithout their entire starting infield.

    As of last week the only Halos known to play were Shohei, Trout, Panda, Fletcher, Barria, Urshela, Rengifo, Weiss with Detmers only a possibility to play for the Netherlands or USA. Wonder who the others players are.

  2. It’s Nightengale, so I’m not totally shocked, but the stuff on Arte runs pretty counter to every report out there. He’s saying Arte never got a potential bid he liked, while every other report has indicated that all potential buyers were in that $2.5-$3B range Arte was hoping for….

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