Tony Capitelli was on The Drive with Jeff Biggs on AM830.

Click here to listen.

Tigers(66-58) v. Angels(74-49) @LA 7:05pm TV:FS-West

Pitching Matchup:

Jarrod Washburn(8-7 3.18 era) v. John Lackey(8-6 4.00 era)

Both the Angels and John Lackey look to bounce back tonight after previous difficult losses. Both, however, showed some promise. John was great in his last outing until some bad luck late in the game, and the Angels nearly came back from a 10-0 deficit. Another great game to watch.

Team Matchup:

It was seven months ago, Christmas was right around the corner and the Angels were in the midst of an off-season in flux. General manager Tony Reagins was too busy to be sitting around drinking egg nog in a Christmas sweater with family and friends. It had only been eight weeks since the Angels were bounced from the post-season by the playoff nemesis Red Sox. This off-season posed big questions about the roster and his A job required him to tighten up his GM chinstrap and come up with answers.

After setting the single-season saves record in 2008, Francisco Rodriguez took his violent delivery to the Mets bullpen in the Big Apple. Two days before Christmas, the Angels other marquee free agent, Mark Teixeira, joined Rodriguez in New York, signing an eight-year, $180 million contract with deep-pocketed Yankees. Missing out on two premium free agents, Reagins began piecing together answers.

He started by deciding to let life-long Angel Garret Anderson seek employment elsewhere for the first time in his career. Reagins quickly filled the void by inking then platoon outfielder Juan Rivera to a three-year extension. A week and a half later, he replaced the electric Rodriquez with mild-mannered three-time All Star, Brian Fuentes.

Reagins and the Angels’ brass felt confident moving forward with Kendry Morales as the everyday first baseman. The opportunity for Morales was much anticipated, as the buzz of his pure ability had been swirling ever since the Cuban defector’s signing with the Angels in 2004.

The final piece was added shortly before spring training would begin. Making perhaps the best bang-for-your-buck signing of the off-season, Reagins added the disciplined Bobby Abreu with a $5 million, one year deal. Abreu’s professional, consistent approach at the plate has been instrumentally infectious in the Angels’ lineup in 2009.

Losing Teixeira to free agency essentially altered the direction of the organization for the next decade. By allowing the Yankees to outbid him, Reagins was able to use the money allotted for Teixeira to improve the club in several areas, while maintaining much more financial flexibility in the coming years. That flexibility will likely prove to be extremely valuable come November and December, as the Angels are faced with the free agency of a number of their core players (Chone Figgins and John Lackey among them). It’s also worth mentioning that the financial flexibility will also be a factor in possibly acquiring a front-line player via trade - ala Halladay.

Essentially, the Angels added Morales, Abreu, and Rivera to the everyday lineup in exchange for letting Teixeira sign the more lucrative deal with New York. The way all three players have performed thus far, seeing Tex head east has been much easier on Angel fans than expected. Morales’ ceiling is sky high and has established himself as the team’s first baseman for years to come, as he has posted 20 HR’s and 60 RBI’s before August. Rivera has provided a steady power source in the middle of the order. And there’s no question that Abreu’s professionalism has rubbed off on the entire team, resulting in the team scoring the second most runs in baseball.

For an organization that has seemingly done little wrong over the last decade, it appears the trend will continue. Tony Reagins found the answers he was looking for. This 2009 Angel team has fans throughout Southern California saying, “Mark who?”

By: Blake Warren