That big bat the Angels craved for years finally materialized last July 29, when the team that always seemed reluctant to pull the trigger on a trade deadline deal acquired slugger Mark Teixeira from the Atlanta Braves.
And what do the Angels have to show for it? Nothing, really. They led the major leagues with 100 wins and had a nice middle-of-the-order threat to pair with Vladimir Guerrero, but the Angels lost to the Boston Red Sox -- again -- in the first round of the playoffs.
Now Teixeira is gone, having spurned the Angels' eight-year, $160-million offer to sign an even richer deal with the New York Yankees, and in his wake is the burning question for 2009:
What do the Angels have to add to their current club to return to the World Series after falling short the last five years, a span that included four division titles and a trip to the AL Championship Series in 2005?
"Nothing," Torii Hunter said.
Nothing?
"I would add nothing at all," the Angels' center fielder said. "Down the line, if there's an injury, you can add something. Right now, we're fine. You tell me what we need for this team."
How about a hitter like Teixeira?
"That's my point," Hunter said. "Big bats aren't always the answer. If something is missing, please tell me, because we had the big bat last year, and we didn't win it all.
"The chicks-dig-the-long-ball era is over. You want athletes, guys who can play and stay healthy, and that's what we have."
Then how about a pitcher like Jake Peavy?
"The Angels, with Kelvim Escobar, have the best rotation in the game," Seattle pitcher Jarrod Washburn said. "They're still the team to beat."
Washburn's quote, of course, presumes that Escobar will come all the way back from shoulder surgery and that the elbow injuries that have sidelined John Lackey and Ervin Santana won't be long-term.
That's the irony for the Angels, who open the season Monday night against Oakland. A team that for years has been rich in pitching and short on hitting enters 2009 with far more questions about its rotation than its offense.
With good health, the Angels appear strong enough to win the division, maybe challenge for the pennant, but barring a big trade-deadline move, there are at least three keys to their having a shot of reaching the World Series for the first time since 2002:
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Get well soon
