Q: I can't believe how much the non-deal for Miguel Cabrera is bothering me. My coping mechanism is to look and hope for another power-hitting third baseman. I wanted to know what you thought about the Angels getting Scott Rolen?Hasan Syed
A: Entering the off-season, it was clear Cabrera was the Angels' top trade target, and Baltimore's Miguel Tejada was Plan B. I got the sense Rolen, the St. Louis Cardinals veteran, was a distant Plan C or D, and my feeling now is that if the Angels were serious about acquiring Rolen, whose feud with Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa has lowered his trade value, they would have done so by now.
One reason the Angels zeroed in on third base as a position for a potential power upgrade is they could have kept Chone Figgins, who played third last season, in the leadoff spot as a utility player or designated hitter. Once they signed center fielder Torii Hunter, committing to a plan in which Guerrero, Anderson and Matthews will man the corner outfield and DH spots, that eliminated the option of using Figgins at DH. Because Kendrick wasn't sent to Florida for Cabrera deal, Figgins can't move to second base.
And Figgins isn't exactly expendable. Despite missing all but one game last April and hitting .156 in May, Figgins hit .330 with 81 runs, 24 doubles, 58 runs batted in and 41 stolen bases last season and was baseball's most productive leadoff batter after May.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-spw-angelqa28dec28,1,7130003.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports&ctrack=1&cset=true
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