It could be a much different club next season
ANGELS
Some players, including Francisco Rodriguez and Garret Anderson, might not be back with the team, which will try to re-sign free-agent Mark Teixeira and pursue Milwaukee free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia.
BOSTON -- The day after hanging a curve that Jed Lowrie smacked into right field to give the Boston Red Sox an American League division series-clinching walk-off win Monday night in Fenway Park, reliever Scot Shields cleaned out his Angel Stadium locker, straining to look ahead because it hurt to look back.
"It's still fresh, it's going to take a while," Shields said. "We can't hang our heads too low because we played our butts off. They came out and played a little better than us.
"But you know what? We have a good team. We expect to win, and we're going to come back fighting next year. We should still be playing right now. Everybody in this clubhouse is already itching to get back [on the field]."
Don't expect them all to be on the same field when the Angels convene for spring training in February.
The Angels will make a strong push to re-sign free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, but there is no guarantee the high-priced slugger will return.
The Angels will not meet Francisco Rodriguez's desires for a five-year, $75-million deal, and the record-setting closer is expected to leave as a free agent.
There is a good chance veteran outfielder Garret Anderson has played his last game as an Angel, and it's doubtful pitcher Jon Garland will be retained, as owner Arte Moreno sheds payroll to make a possible run at free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia.
"I hope to see a lot of the same guys around," pitcher Jered Weaver said. "But the way the business works, you never know what's going to happen. It's going to be an interesting off-season."
The Angels had all the ingredients for a World Series run -- pitching, power, speed, defense -- which is why several players, especially ace John Lackey, were livid after losing to Boston.
"We lost to a team that is not better than us," Lackey said.
That may be true -- the Angels were 8-1 against Boston in the regular season -- but the Red Sox played better in this series.
Lackey had a 2.63 earned-run average in two playoff starts but was out-pitched by Boston's Jon Lester, who did not give up an earned run or allow a leadoff batter to reach base in 14 playoff innings.
Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who threw five scoreless innings and had one win and one save, out-pitched Rodriguez, who gave up a game-winning two-run home run to J.D. Drew in Game 2.
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