Will Los Angeles Angels Buy or Sell at the Trade Deadline? Kenley Jansen Wants to Stay… and Win!

Will Los Angeles Angels Buy or Sell at the Trade Deadline? Kenley Jansen Wants to Stay… and Win!

On this episode of Locked on Angels, Ken Jansen said that he came to the Angels to get them to the playoffs and that’s his goal. So, don’t trade me. So, what should the Angels do with Kennley and others at the trade deadline? And should they go all in or should they be sellers? We’ve got a lot to talk about. It’s time to get locked on with Mike and John and this is Locked on Angels. You are Locked On Angels, your daily Los Angeles Angels podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Thanks for making Locked On Angels your first listen of the day. You can find us anywhere you get your podcast, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, and SiriusXM by searching Locked on Angels. And if you’d like to give back to the Super Halo Bros for all the Super Halo content, here’s some things that you can do. Leave us a rate and a review on Apple Podcast. If you’re watching on YouTube, hit that thumbs up button. And if you’re not subscribed already, what are you waiting for? Time to subscribe and become a locked on every day. And whether you’re watching or listening, come over to YouTube and leave a comment. It’s one of the best ways to get in touch with us and be a part of the conversation. And this episode of Locked On Angels is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can get $150 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. Happy Friday to you. Thanks for being here for this episode of Locked On Angels, where it’s your team every day. You’ve got the Fresh Brothers here with you, aka the Super Halo Bros. My name is John and that’s my brother Mike. And my name is Mike and that’s my brother John. Hey, we’re here 5 days a week talking Angels baseball with you Monday through Friday every single weekday. On today’s show, should the Angels be buyers or sellers? We’re going to get into that conversation. What should the Halos do about the fifth spot in the starting rotation and we’ll share our ideas on that. But first, Mike Kenley Jansen wants to win and he wants to win with the Angels. Let’s talk about it. Yeah, here’s a crazy stat, John. Kinley Jansen has been on teams that have finished above 500 in 14 of his 16 big league seasons. So, he’s only seen success since he became a big leager. And he said he signed with the Angels to be a part of turning things around. So, if he gets traded at the trade deadline, he told the Athletic, “Not finishing here would be disappointing. I came here to try to help this team turn around, at least get a wild card spot. And then when asked about this team, Kenley said, “There’s more in the tank of this team of what we’re capable of doing. I feel like we should at least be six games over 500. The next couple of weeks are going to be important. I want to do something special here, and I want to turn this team around.” Yeah. Trade deadline is a time when everyone, you know, takes stock of their direction, what they’re going to do. Now, the athletic continued as Sam Blum wrote this article. Have the the Angels have improved, but are they good enough to justify prioritizing a playoff push over everything else? Ray Montgomery said that he believes the team could make the postseason. He said, leaving spring training, I said this is the best group that we have had in terms of camaraderie and the way guys interact and the work that’s being done. Preseason projections don’t take into account what happens on the field going forward. Yeah. And Mike Trout was asked about the team and the playoff desires and if the front office are going to support them in that. Remember we did a whole show about what happened in 2023 and how the players felt about all of those guys coming into the the locker room. They were like this is exciting because they’re they’re believing in us. And so Trout was asked about that and if the front office wants to make a push like the players want to make a push and he said I think they know they’re down here and they see it and they feel it. They know the guys that we got in this clubhouse. It’s a fun time to come to the ballpark. Now, Zach Neto shared some of the same thoughts. He said, “We’ve said it since spring training. We’re going to shock a lot of people and that’s not for uh that’s not for what people think of us. It’s a just a matter of what we believe in. We believe that we’re going to make the playoffs.” And then when it comes to the trade deadline, veteran Kyle Hendricks said, “We don’t want to subtract. We love everybody in here and we want to make a run here with what we’ve got. If they want to add to it, we’re going to support that. We think it’s great. Currently, Fan Graphs has the Angels sitting at the time of this writing at a 5.2% chance of making the postseason. One of the reasons they give for that are the predictive stats, Mike. So, for example, we’ve talked about the Angels having a negative run differential. There’s also many, many teams vying for the three wild card spots in the uh in the in the American League. And so far, the teams that have be have been the most competitive are like the Rays, the Yankees, and the and the Red Sox all of a sudden, right? The Red Sox went on a 10-ame tear. Uh the Blue Jays went on a 10-ame tear, and they got into first place against the Yankees. So, uh kind of went the way I thought it was going to go when we talked about what’s a path to the playoffs for the Angels and I said, well, I think that, you know, Red Sox are going to be pretty good. Yankees are still going to be up there. I actually thought that the Central would be a little bit better between the Guardians and the Royals. Uh I thought the Royals would take a step up honestly. Um but the Tigers have just dominated that division. So really it comes down to the next three weeks, right? Phillies, Mets, Mariners, and the Rangers. Uh plus the Angels have the seventh most difficult remaining schedule this season. So getting to the playoffs is going to be pretty tough. And that’s what Fan Graphs takes into account as well, the strength of schedule. In addition, yeah, Kenley said he knows all of that, John. And he said, “That’s why I wanted to come to Anaheim. That’s why I want to stay in Anaheim. I came here with one goal to try to help turn this organization into a successful organization.” And then he said this about Mike Trout. He said, “I believe in Mike Trout and I believe Mike Trout should play in the postseason. He deserves that. If some days you feel like you don’t want to do it for yourself, then do it for Mike and do it for others. Do it for the fans. That’s my mission. My mission is the angels. So, John, couple questions just in regard to what Kenley said and what the other players said. And uh it’s kind of a convoluted question, so I’m going to I’m going to lay it out for you and then I would love to hear your thoughts. Uh so obviously the point of the the season is to get to the playoffs. That’s why teams are playing right now. They want to get to the playoffs. Sounds like the players obviously want to get to the playoffs. So, shouldn’t the Angels try and make that happen? And what if it’s successful and not a repeat of 2023? Don’t Don’t the fans want a playoff run? Give me your thoughts about that list of questions. Yeah, I think that when it comes to the point of the season, well, to me, the point of the season is to win it all, right? To win the World Series. That’s the attitude that you should come in as an owner, as a front office, and as a team. Not everyone can do that. So, your second goal is get to the playoffs, right? And for the Angels, man, we’ve talked about how just being 500 at the end of the season would be a success. You’ve mentioned that. I feel like this team has enough talent and started with enough talent to sneak into one of those wild card positions. And so over the course of the season, you have to take into account the fact that um you know how how has it gone so far? Like Kenley said, we should be six games over 500, right? And there’s a lot of moments and things here and there that we’ve seen in the nuance of the game where it’s like, man, that could have been a win. That that could have been a an easy victory, right? You know, losing losing a a sweep to the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend in Anaheim, like just not great, right? or there was a sweep at some point or just not winning those series is just the idea here. So, if the point is to get to the playoffs and the players want to go to the playoffs and they want to get there and Kenley Jansen says, “I want to turn help turn this organization into a successful organization.” I admire that and I’m glad that we have a guy like that on the team and he doesn’t seem like he’s the only one who feels that way. Like you think about Kyle Hendricks and Zach Neto and Mike Trout. So the guys are on board, but the problem is is is the front office on board? Is Arie Marino on board? And I asked that question because have they done enough and will they do enough? And will they be smart enough to recognize when they should go for it or hit the eject button? Because we know in 2023 the reason why they wanted to go for it was because they thought they were getting Trout back. They thought, you know, at some point they could have Renone back. they really wanted to get Otani to the playoffs. They wanted to show him that, hey, we really care about getting you to the playoffs and we want to support you in that as an incentive to, you know, possibly bring him back over the offseason. Obviously, that didn’t happen. And so, if it’s successful, Mike, and not a repeat of 2023 and they go for it and get into the postseason, I think that’s a win. I think that’s a huge win. In fact, that’s what I’ve been hoping for since before the season started. Like I said, feel like this team is talented enough and obviously they have their flaws that need to be addressed, whether that is through the trade or a callup or what have you. The problem is is that they’re walking this really tight rope of buyers and sellers. And when it comes to somebody like Kenley Jansen, it’s difficult because look no further than what I just brought up. Trying to get Otani to the playoffs. Well, you didn’t trade him at the half season, you know, of the half season you had left with him. And we’ve heard names like Junior Camro. We’ve heard names from the Padres’s, like Jackson Merrill, right, as part of deals that would have brought them here to Anaheim. Now, I’m not saying Kenley Jansen is Show Otani, but we’ve been burned before. We’ve been burned in this situation and in this type of uh this type of moment. So, I don’t know. It’s it’s risky, man, because I think the Angels have a lot of profit to gain from some of the pieces that they could sell. At the same time, Mike, I don’t think you’re going to get much for Tyler Anderson. I don’t think you’re going to get much for Luis Renifo. I don’t think you’re going to get much for if they decide to go that route, uh, Kyle Hendricks, right? You’re So, there comes a point where you have to look at the return and find out if it’s even worth it to trade away and sell. is something better than nothing or is it worth going for it? And if you can’t get everything that you want in the world for selling Reano and Monata and and uh and Tyler Anderson, then maybe that’s what you consider as you get offers for Kenley Jansen. So, those are my thoughts. I would love to see them make the postseason. How do you feel about it? The Angels have to decide if they’re going to honor their players and the pursuit of the playoffs that they have this desire for or if they’re going to build for next year. The problem with the Angels is they just don’t think about tomorrow, right? We don’t think that far ahead is the phrase that we’ve heard them say multiple times. And so they have to make a decision here, right? And and the fan in me, the longtime Angel fan is going to go nuts if they make the playoffs. I’m going to be excited about that because it’s been 11 years. I’m going to be thrilled about that. And and I get it. We have this bad taste in our mouth from 2023. And everybody thinks that that’s what’s going to happen again. And and the truth is is that I would go nuts. I’d go nuts for a couple of reasons, John. One reason is just because I’m a fan of this team and they haven’t been there in 11 years. Two, I this is just personal brother to brother and every day to every day. I I just want to make the playoffs. So, some of the really annoying, idiotic fans that are out there that are just negative all the time, that just can never celebrate anything good, that are always like, “Well, well, I I want them to make the playoffs just just so that we can at least get them quiet for a day cuz they’re so freaking annoying, right? They’re so freaking annoying.” It’s not even just like fans in the fan base. It’s it’s all over baseball, right? You know what the most frustrating thing was about uh doing research on the draft and doing research like pre-season and you know things like that. It’s just, well, the Angels always do this, so they’re just going to do that. And the Angels, who knows what they’re even doing, right? Or I saw somebody’s power rankings that was like, you know, teams who could make it, and then like halfway down teams who couldn’t make it, and right there in the middle, it was like the Angels because they didn’t have an opinion on what the Angels were going to do because they’re just a a joke to people. And so, and and in a lot of ways, rightfully so, but it would be nice to shut that narrative down. Here’s the bottom line is that this has already been a narrative shifting season like you and I have talked about. It’s already been a narrative shifting season because this is not the same team that they were last year or even two years ago. It’s a very different team with a lot of young talent infused on this roster. Are they great? No. Are they bad? No. They’re kind of in the middle. They’re neutral, right? And maybe they can infuse it with some more talent. The thing that I’ve said on this show and you’ve said on this show when it comes to the trade deadline is please don’t trade the future. Don’t give up big pieces so that you can get somebody right now. Now, we’ll talk about some of those possibilities in the next segment. But I looked back at 2023 and some of the trades that they made when they got CJ Cone and Randall Gritchuk. They didn’t give away much. They didn’t give away much at all. Right? Some of those guys aren’t even playing anymore. And the biggest piece was Edgar Carro and Kai Bush when they traded them to the White Socks, right? and they got Lucas Gilito and and uh and they got Ronaldo Lopez and so yeah, we would love to have Edgar Carro around. Kai Bush has been hurt, right? It’d be great to have those guys on the team still, but bottom line is that this team has to make a decision on who they’re going to be and they have to think a little bit further ahead than just like, hey, if we’re in this race, then we’ll make a trade, right? Like they have to decide. I think they have to make that decision right now. Now, what they communicate to us may not be what the decision is because that’s not what they do. But they have to decide right now, here’s what we’re going to do. Here’s how we’re going to do it. Here’s the the the way we’re going to do it. And Perry should be on the phone making those phone calls. The one thing that I struggle with as a fan is that Perry hasn’t done great in making trades for other Major League Baseball players. He’s done really great in trading some of our assets right now for future assets, right? He’s done really great that way. So, if we’re going to move in any direction that fits Perry’s mode, I would rather have him move in the direction of trading a Carlos A Seves for two really great pitchers from the Phillies, right? Kenley Jansen for somebody. So, bottom line again, they need to make a decision on what they’re going to do. And instead of staying in this kind of mediocre neutral status, they need to go, here’s what we’re going to do. We’ve made that decision and we’re moving full, you know, all gas, no brakes. That’s how we’re moving forward. It would be great. And I’ll I’ll bring this up in our second segment so we can talk about it there. But it would be great if Perry Manosian was able to make a trade on the level of Ohapy for Brandon Marsh, but with a Taylor Ward or Luis Ranifo where it’s a mutually beneficial guys we need right now on the major league club. I’d take that. I’d take that and and see how it goes. So we’ll we’ll get into that in the second segment. Thanks for making Lockdown Angels your first listen of the day. Coming up, who should the Angels target if they do decide to go for it and make a run? We’re going to share all of that coming right up. FanDuel is the best way to make every game more exciting. And if you’re already following the action, why not make it a little bit more thrilling with FanDuel? You can get in on the game with your friends and with your family members, and you can win some money. I’ve been using FanDuel to track my favorite matchups in the app. It keeps it fresh with new daily promotions and fun ways to bet. It’s so easy to use. I use it, so I know that you can use it. Fast payouts, and it makes even regular season baseball games feel like mustwatch events. And you could even make a same game parlay. Take all your bets, put them together, and ride that maybe into the ninth inning and win some big money. And FanDuel is going to help you do that. If you’re new to FanDuel, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. So download the app today or visit the website fanduel.com/lockedon to get started. This is the Locked On podcast network where it’s your team every day. Thanks for making Locked on Angels your first listen of the day. So if the Halos make some trades, who could they trade away? Who should they trade away? Who could they try and acquire? Now we talked a little bit about this. You got guys like Renifo, Yan Manata, Kinley Jansen, Kyle Hendrickx, Tyler Anderson, even Taylor Ward, right, could get you a bigger return because he’s got a year and a half left as opposed to an expiring deal. Um, there was even a suggestion from OC Register that, you know, Joe Adell or Reed Deetemers, you could sell high on those guys, but that would be a selling situation, right? And so, um, not that not that the expiring deals wouldn’t be a sell situation, but you’d be really selling if you sold Demmer’s and Joe Adele. So, Mike, if the Halos decide to make a run, Mike Diovana of the OC register said that the following players could be options that the Halos could pursue. Zack Gallon and Mel Kelly of the Diamondbacks, Andrew Heene of of the the Pirates. No. Yeah. Right. Uh, Hermman Marquez and Aaron Seali. So Marquez is from the Rockies. So Volvali, oh my gosh, he was on the Brewers. Yeah. Wanted out. Got traded to the White Sox for Andrew Vaughn. Now the Brewers are on a tear. They’re they I think they finished the the right before the All-Star break like one game behind the Cubs in the Central. And even uh uh Savali going to the White Sox, not great. Andrew Vaughn, he’s been pretty good for the Brewers. like not like a superstar, but he’s had some clutch moments, which is kind of funny. Uh there’s uh Dennis Santana, David Bettinar, those guys are in Pittsburgh. Jake Bird is also uh a reliever in Colorado. Kyle Finnegan uh from the Nationals. And then Shelby Miller, who is somebody that I wanted a couple of seasons ago, um he’s with the Diamondbacks right now. They could even swing big according to DGA uh and go for somebody like Aueno Suarez who has been tearing it up over at third base for the Diamondbacks and had that four home run game earlier this season. I think he finished the first half with 31 home runs. So those are some of the names that were suggested. I have my thoughts, but Mike, I think the first question we should get to is what would you like the Angels to do? I want them to be smart, John. Yeah. I want them to be smart and and talking about playoffs is exciting and making a run is exciting. I just we haven’t seen it for so long. So, if they make the moves, a lot of us are just going to go, “Okay, okay, what does this mean?” Right? Like, and we’re going to overevaluate. We’re going to overanalyze. And then if they lose like a couple in a row, there going to be people that are going to be like, “Oh, great.” Right? You know, and so I want them to be smart. And so I really think that they should target bullpen. They need to really stack that bullpen because the Dodgers proved it last year. They they wouldn’t have made it to the World Series even with that rockstar lineup without their bullpen, right? And they need to target the bullpen. They need veterans in that bullpen. They need guys that can go more than one inning. They need guys that can support Deet at the end, that can support Kinley Jansen at the end. I’m a big fan of Ryan Zephr John, but he has proven that right now he’s not ready for the high intense role. If he can throw his his fastball and stop throwing the cutter uh and throw the fastball more often, then I would have more faith in him. But he just doesn’t seem to be very confident in that pitch. He likes the cutter a whole lot more and and and that’s what’s really gotten him into a lot of trouble. There’s a whole show about that on Locked on Angels, so you can check that out. But I would love them to go after bullpin pieces, John. I would love for them to maybe perhaps if they can swing it, get another starter, somebody that can eat some innings, somebody that isn’t I like Kyle Hendris, but Kyle Hendrickx is is so like how’s this inning going to go? Right. Oh, it’s two outs or we gave up a walk or it’s two outs and or we gave up a single. Okay. Uh how’s it g right? Like I I’m confident and you say Kikuchi. I would even say I’m confident in Tyler Anderson. I think Tyler Anderson would go out there and be a gamer, right? Like he might struggle but he’s still gonna fight through. But then after that, I’m not really confident in who the pitching the the starting rotation might be. You need three really good starting pitchers for the playoffs. But you need a full bullpin to make sure that you can continue to get through the playoffs and you can make the decision to pull a guy in the second inning and not have to worry about your bullpen being worn out. So that’s what I would like the Angels to do. What about you? Yeah, it you mentioned uh somebody like Kyle Hendricks. Mike, this is a a pure fan thing, so don’t hold me to this, but let me just say I feel like postseason Kyle Hendris would be a different animal. Sure. Because it’s been there before. I feel like kind of how you felt about Tyler Anderson. I feel like Kyle Hendricks would be a different animal. Not that not that his stuff would be any different, but I feel like the mentality would change or at least the the energy would change and having his veteran presence in the postseason would be pretty cool. Um, and most of the starters go four innings, five innings in the postseason anyway. So, you’re right. It’s like get some guys who can fill out the back end of this bullpen or at least give you a couple of innings of middle relief. You could even uh you could count on Kyle Hendricks and Tyler Anderson to at least give you the four or five. And normally we’re like, what a what a short start. That’s annoying. But in postseason, that’s usually how it goes with all of these guys. So, that’s a really interesting aspect of it. But, uh, what would I like them to do? Man, it’s really hard to say because we’ve got a tough schedule ahead before this trade deadline. Uh, again, we’ve got the Mets and the Phillies, Mariners, Rangers again, I believe. And so, um, it could you could have a lot of questions answered here in the next five days, right? Like that would be a huge part of it. So, so let me ask you this, and I know I interrupted you, apologize, but let me ask you this. So, they’re 500 at the trade deadline. Mhm. So then they should go for it or they shouldn’t go for it? What What’s the number What’s the number for you? What’s the record for you? I I would like them to be maybe three games over 500. Like that’s that’s my that’s my reasonable floor, right? Like 500 is tough because you try to go for it and man, I don’t know. I mean, half game out of the third wild card spot or maybe holding the third wild card. Maybe that’s a better way to look at it rather than like what’s the record. It’s true. No, I want to know how close they are to a wild card spot because so far, Mike, they’ve been around 500 and they’ve been below 500, but yet we still go, well, but they’re only two games out of a wild card spot. So, that to me is a better way of looking at it is is Yeah. Is just to is just to say, okay, well, how close are they? Because And then how many more opportunities do you have against somebody like the Mariners who are vying for a wild card spot? Because if you can beat them, and we all know they can. If you can beat them and and flip the script and flip the schedule and flip the standings, I should say, on them, that would be great. But I think the bigger question here is what do you think they’re going to do? H I I really I really don’t know. Like this is obviously going to be a big guess because they haven’t really given us any any Well, I take it back. They have given us an indication. They have said unless we’re completely out of it, we’re going to go for it. And so I I don’t think completely out of it is two games under 500, John. I think if they’re three, three and a half, four out of that third wild card spot, I think they’re going to go for it. I don’t think that they’re going to mortgage the future, though. I don’t think that they’re going to do a huge trade. Unless they get like a Suarez from the Diamondbacks, then I I think then you’re going to see like maybe a Kaden Dana or a Sam Aligiri and a George Clawson. I would be heartbroken if that happened, right? I would be so frustrated if that happened. But the way people talk about them, like Angels fans, it’s like, would you really miss him or would you like, you know what I mean? I know they’re they’re all struggling, but doesn’t seem like we’d really miss them. I mean, at least some fans wouldn’t really miss them, right? True. And so that’s and and that that’s a great point because remember last year when they traded away Kai Bush and then um I’m blanking on the catcher’s name for Edgar Caro two years ago. Two years ago. Yes. Thank you. Everybody was like, “Oh, Edgar Caro. Oh my gosh.” Right. And you were like, “You didn’t even know his name before this trade deadline. You didn’t know he existed.” Well, Angel fans did, but but the uh the commentators uh non- Angel fans were like, “You guys gave up Edgar Carro?” It was like, “You didn’t know who that was last week.” You had no idea. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so that that’s that’s what I feel like is may happen even with Angel fans. They know Dana and Al Giri and Clawson, but the way that they’ve talked about them recently, I mean, just check out our comments on YouTube. People are like, “Well, these guys are right.” Like, so if we did trade them away and we got a great bat, then maybe that’s a win for the Halos. I’m a I’m a fan of those guys. I think they’re going to be great for us in the future and I don’t want to wave the white flag, but if I if I’m going to choose to believe what the Angels are going to do, I’m going to I’m going to believe what they’ve said to us and they said we’re going to go for it unless we’re completely out. And I don’t think completely out for them is a few games under 500 and maybe even five games back from that third wild card spot. I would like to see them do something along the lines of, hey, add for now, but also get stuff for the next couple of years. one thought that’s been bouncing around my head and I know we talked about Kendley Jansen. I would love to see him be part of the reason why this team goes for it and and makes a run. Um, but I did play around with this idea and I would I’m going to get into it more on our substack, our super Halo substack. Uh, somebody like Emtt Sheen from the Dodgers who is a starter, but he’s probably going to lose his spot because Glassown’s back and Snell’s coming back and basically there’s no room for him, right? And so if basically it’s one of those borderline guys. Conor Norby with the with the Marlins, right? Yeah. On the on the Orioles last year, blocked positionally, goes to Miami, gets a full-time spot. Kyle Stouter, same thing. Yeah. Um I would love to see the Angels use an asset of value to get a return on somebody like a Sheen who can slot right into our rotation. Guy doesn’t have to worry if he’s going to bounce between the majors or AAA. I know he had Tommy John surgery and he’s coming back from that. That’s just a that’s an example. I would I don’t know if I would actually make that trade, but what I’m saying is let’s get somebody who can help the Angels right now and in the future. So, if you were to uh trade for somebody like that, it’s got to be it’s tricky because it’s got to be somebody who maybe doesn’t really have a spot on the team that he’s currently on and could really benefit the Angels later on. So, that’s something I would like them to do. But, as far as what they will do, I think I’m with you, Mike. I I think it’s going to come down to whether they consider themselves out of it or not here in the next couple of weeks. Jack Hadawitz was optioned to Triple A on July 11th. John, ironically, he made his debut in 2024 on July 11th. So, that’s a good day and a bad day for him. Jake Eater, of course, was called up to take his place. He’s really struggled. John Conowitz is 3 and9 this season. His last nine starts 0 and3 with a 571 erra. Gave up 37 earned runs in 44 and innings uh one-third innings pitched. And his his demotion has has been needed, right? And Ray Montgomery said we want him to work on some things. In fact, he said anytime you’re having issues and you’re having a lack of success, you have to discuss everything. And we have a responsibility to everybody here to make sure that we talk about everything with Jack. Jack said over his season, especially his last few starts, he said, “I’ve just been bad. I haven’t been good at all.” In fact, his words were this. I didn’t make the adjustments that I needed to. It’s frustrating. Obviously, I got to throw the ball better. I try to lean on my sinker. When that’s not working, it’s kind of tough to pick and choose when to go away from that approach. They singled me to death. This was his last start. They singled me to death today. Sometimes it’s the long ball. It’s just trying to figure out what their approach is and figure out my best way around that. So, a lot of questions about what he should work on. Before we get to that, John, I just want to make a point. I know he’s not been great, but his last start before the All-Star break, the Angels really let him down. They let him down because they were were playing that shading kind of defense. And there were three there were three singles that should have been easy ground balls if they were playing straight up. And it would have led to a double play. It would have led to an out. So all the runs he gave up, I get it. He gave them up. I get it. They found holes. But if the defense was playing straight up, they would have gotten to those balls and they would have gotten those those outs. And that isn’t the first time that that’s happened to him this year. That’s No, you’ve been saying that all season long about defensive shading. That’s been the problem with Jack Ahanoit specifically is he’s getting ground balls right at guys. The problem is is they’re shading to the right or to the left depending on if it’s a right-handed hitter or left-handed hitter. And I get that what the analytics say is you should do that. But I think with Kahanovich, you almost have to throw that away and play straight up. And and his last start was a perfect example of that. That’s not to excuse his performance. I get it. Like the numbers are the numbers are what they say that they are. But they have really let him down. So, it I I felt like I needed to say that. What do you think he needs to work on? Because he certainly doesn’t have that swing and miss pitch that helps him to get out of really bad situations. And so, if you were talking to him, what would you tell him? He’s got it, Mike. He’s got the he’s got the fast ball. He’s got the sinker. He’s got uh the I think the the breaking ball is what he really needs to work on that slider. Um, but the fact is it’s it’s to hear him talk about, you know, when the sinker’s not working, I’m not really sure like when to go away from that. I’m not really sure when to lean into it. That’s all a between the ears kind of thing, right? And and that’s where the coaching needs to step in and and give him some direction. So, it’s uh interesting to see that he’s going to be down in the minor leagues. Um, of course there is a waiting period before they can bring him back up unless there’s an injury. But, uh, when it comes to Barry Enright, you kind of wonder, all right, what what direction has he been given on in terms of how to start uh, and when to go to that sinker and when to get away from it. Mike, I’ I’ve often said on the show, throw that fast ball at the top of the zone. Get those guys to look down and and with your sinker and your change up and even the slatter in a dirt and then throw that fast ball at the top of the zone because that’s where you can get them. Don’t throw it in the zone. Throw it at the letters because they’ll swing right through it. Right. Yeah. So, that’s an approach, but it’s only one approach. Um, but for him to say, I’m not really sure what my approach is when something isn’t working. That tells me everything I need to know. And that is, okay, this guy needs some time away. Needs some different different looks, different coaches, different voices to help him out with that. Also, I just want to say the amount of time that he’s had in this rotation where he’s been allowed to not be so good. And like you said, a lot of that’s on the defense and the shading and whatnot. That’s how long these things take. Yeah. When when Jackanowitz or Kyle Hendricks has one bad start, you we can’t go DFA, send him down. Pitchforks and axe, right? Like Yeah. This is how long in baseball time it t like dog years, right? in baseball in baseball years, Jack Kohanoitz having as many starts as he’s had and now being sent down right before the All-Star break. That’s how long these things take. And if you go back and and and and I should say that’s how long these things take for good teams. They don’t abandon ship on on players like the minute they start to struggle, they let them work through these things. That’s actually refreshing to me to see the Angels give him a chance and allow him to, you know, still work on things at the major league level and then they finally made a decision and they made it in July before the All-Star break. And so I I’m glad because I think that that shows I don’t know a different mentality. I feel like the Angels have pushed the panic button a million times on different players over the last four years. So, to let Jack Kay work on these things and and finish out before the uh the All-Star break, I think is a really good thing. And I I’m sure we’ll see him back, but I think it’s going to take different voices, different coaches, just somebody to give him a fresh look and a fresh perspective. I think he’ll be back. I think he’ll do well and uh I I’m I’m hoping that we’ll see him soon. Thanks for making Lockdown Angels your first listen of the day. Now, for your next listen, check out Lockdown MOB Game Night every game, every night, all season long. And you can find Game Night on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, be sure you give us a follow on Twitter, lockdown angels, and connect with Mike and I. Super Halo Bros on Twitter and Instagram. Whether you’re watching or listening, come on over to YouTube, find today’s show, get in the comments section because we’d love to hear from you. It’s the best way to get in touch with us and be part of the conversation. Mike, when we come back on Monday, what do we got on deck? Well, they’re playing the Phillies this weekend, so we’re going to share our takeaways. And I’m hoping that one of our takeaways is, hey, Angels won the series, and that’s a great thing, right? But it is the Phillies, and they’re really good. So, I think this is the first real big test to see what the Angels can do in the second half. We’re going to have our takeaways on Monday on Locked on Angels. We’re going to get a nice close look at Mike’s uh free agent target, Kyle Schwarber, over the offseason. Right, Mike? I would love to call. All right, friends. We hope you have a great weekend and you’ll come and join us on Monday. Until then, my name is John and that’s my brother Mike. And my name is Mike and that’s my brother John. Thanks for being here, everybody. And we’ll see you back here on Monday. They’ll sign him and then he’ll hit 190 with five home runs. Yeah.

Will the Los Angeles Angels be buyers or sellers at this year’s trade deadline? On today’s Locked On Angels, the Super Halo Bros. discuss Kenley Jansen’s comments about wanting to stay in Anaheim and help the team make it to the postseason, but is that the best route for the Halos right now? When the trade deadline arrives, what will the Halos do, and what do we think they should do? Plus, we discuss Jack Kochanowicz being sent down to the minor leagues prior to the All-Star Break and what that means for him moving forward.

#angels2025 #angels #angelsbaseball #gohalos #repthehalo

DONATE FOR CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE RELIEF – CONVOY OF HOPE:
https://convoyofhope.org/donate/disaster-services/ca-wildfires-25/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CAM-006684&utm_content=Grant&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAhP67BhAVEiwA2E_9gy3UkHtq-Dvx6rkrfz_4HjQezdS4V8KQzXJvBh7dMfJ0S_O7L35aNhoC3yYQAvD_BwE

GET IN OUR VOICEMAIL!
CALL US: (714) 409-6396
Tell us what’s on your mind!
Give us a follow @LockedOnAngels on Twitter, and for the best Angels memes around, connect with us on Instagram and Twitter @SuperHaloBros!
Read the Super Halo Bros. NEWSLETTER: https://superhalobros.substack.com/
Super Halo Bros. MERCH is available now! https://super-halo-bros-shop.fourthwall.com

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Supply House
Join the TradeMaster program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code S-H-5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com!

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONMLB at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Right now, new customers can get ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)\