Cherubic

Do you believe in Angels? Yes!

The Anaheim Angels scored the coup of the baseball offseason, landing marquis free agent Vladimir Guerrero, who signed a five-year deal worth a reported $70 million.

You don't realize what a monumental steal this was. Here was the consensus number-one player on the open market, a legit five-tool player just entering the prime of his career and superstardom. All rumors had focused on the Baltimore Orioles as the clear frontrunners in the Vlad sweepstakes. Recently the New York Mets had surfaced as potential suitors. And as recently as Saturday the World Series champion Florida Marlins (an odd phrase, I know, but we've had to use it twice in the past half-dozen years) emerged as contenders.

But when I awoke this morning and saw the headline -- Guerrero signs with Angels -- I was stunned. (Or is the correct expression "shocked and awed"?) Stunned because the Angels had never been rumored as a dark horse candidate, not so much as a long shot.

Yet, here they were, landing the biggest fish of them all, probably (deservedly) with smug looks on their faces.

Keep in mind what a banner offseason it had already been.

The Halos first signed Kelvim Escobar, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays, a solid starting pitcher capable of eating a lot of innings, for three years and $18 million. Not a top-shelf arm, but someone you'd be happy to pencil in as a second starter on your staff.

Then it got really interesting when the Angels landed Bartolo Colon, the top pitcher available, for four years and $51 million. Colon was arguably the second-best free agent out there, and a real horse. We're talking bonafide staff ace, someone you want taking the ball in a big game, and someone you can trust to pitch a lot. That was a significant heist in its own right, considering that the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees, had been gunning after him, among several teams. Anaheim was winning the offseason arms race.

Right around Christmas, the Halos gave their lineup a boost by picking up Jose Guillen, a 2003 surprise slugger, for two years and $6 million. Not a difference-maker, per se, but a definite upgrade to the offense and a strong outfielder with a lot of upshot.

Beyond that, it looked like the Angels might make another trade. They had been rumored to be interested in Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, a SoCal native, had the proposed A-Rod/Manny megadeal gone through. Later, the Angels had been mentioned as possible employers of Rafael Palmeiro, a slick-fielding, smooth-swinging, 500-homer man and Viagra pitchman. A good acquisition, he'd be, though at 39, not quite someone you'd get as a franchise cornerstone. So I didn't get too disappointed when that deal started to fall through.

But Vlad! Undeniably a great pickup. Especially when you consider what the Halos are looking at for 2004. The acquisition of Guerrero means Guillen shifts to left, moving MVP candidate Garret Anderson from left to center and gamer Darin Erstad from center to first. Franchise posterboy and all-around good guy Tim Salmon had already moved from occasional right fielder to full-time DH with Guillen's acquisition.

Just for kicks, because it's more fun when it's more than mere fantasy, I've been kicking around Opening Day lineups for the Angels in my head. Here's what I've come up with:

1. David Eckstein, SS. (If he can return to 2002 form, the Angels will be among the AL leaders in runs.)
2. Darin Erstad, 1B (Moving out of center should help keep Erstie healthy for a full season.)
3. Vladimir Guerrero, RF (Pure and sweet -- and arguably the strongest outfield arm in baseball.)
4. Garret Anderson, CF (He put up an MVP-type season in '03 without much support around him -- the sky's the limit in '04.)
5. Tim Salmon, DH (Should be more productive and healthier not having to play the field anymore.)
6. Troy Glaus, 3B (Less pressure on him means greater probability of returning to the form that saw him win a home run title a few years ago -- and he's still only 27.)
7. Jose Guillen, LF (Came out of nowhere in '03; more likely to repeat his success in this lineup.)
8. Bengie Molina, C (Solid bat in the bottom of the lineup and an excellent receiver behind the dish.)
9. Adam Kennedy, 2B (Showed some power in '03; will be asked to hit for a high average like in '02, when he was among AL's top 10.)

Damn, that's potentially a run-producing machine, from one through nine. Sure, you could probably upgrade it in places, or have a little more lefty-righty balance, but it still has the potential to be potent. And defensively, it should be rock solid. Not to mention that the rotation is greatly upgraded, and the bullpen should be great as always. It's going to be sweet to watch the Halos this year. Maybe I'll get to update my 2002 World Series Champions collection.