Next Year's Champs

The Angels don�t want to win this year. That is the only explanation for the Angels unwillingness to deal for Mark Teixeira. The holdup in the deal is prized rookie Brandon Wood (right), a can't miss prospect in the mold of Dallas McPherson and the apple of Bill Stoneman's eye.

You remember McPhereson, right? He was the guy the Angels had to rush to the majors, pushing Troy Glaus and a shot at the 2005 World Series out the door. The inability to include Wood in a potential probably cost the Angels the World Series this year.

The common refrain is that trading Casey Kotchman, Joe Saunders and Brandon Wood would create too many holes. Really, where? Teixeira starts at first base. Dustin Mosely takes Saunders spot in the rotation. Then just roll the dice with Nick Adenhart at the final spot of the rotation. He can�t be worse than Ervin Santana. Besides, the playoff rotation is set with John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Jered Weaver. The Angels line-up needs some punch, and having a 1b/3b combination with a combined 10 home runs isn't going to get it done.

Instead, the Angels are left adjusting their cups while the rest of the American League gets better. They might as well change the phrase from Standing Pat to Standing Bill. The Angels GM is like that fantasy baseball owner in your league that demands a king's ransom, but it unwilling to part with anything of value.

Oh well, there's always next year.