Angels willing to pass luxury tax threshold
By Matt Fisher
The Angels, as they have for the past two years, look pretty good on paper.
With Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Mike Trout headlining their offense and Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Tyler Skaggs, and Hector Santiago attempting to anchor their pitching staff, the Angels are once again favorites to contend in the AL West. Recent trends show otherwise though, and it would appear that more must be done to get them to surpass Oakland and Texas in the division.
General Manager Arte Moreno, in speaking with multiple Los Angeles media outlets on Friday, indicated that the Hot Stove season may not be over yet for his team.
On top of revealing that he did, indeed, make a 4-year, $52 million offer to Garza (which was turned down by Garza to go to Milwaukee at 4-years, $50 million), Moreno said that he’s not shying away from the luxury tax threshold.
Arte Moreno also said he'd be willing to pass $189M luxury tax threshold if "right player" becomes available in trade. #Angels
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) February 14, 2014
Moreno said he wouldn't be opposed to going over the luxury-tax threshold ($189M) if he's confident it would put #Angels over top.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) February 14, 2014
Moreno did say, however, that he would want to make sure that any further moves by the team would have to definitively enhance the team. The Angels have finished third in the AL West in the last two seasons.