Whether this really ends up impacting NL Central or not, this is just tremendous news: we no longer need to feel a little strange to root for or against old friend Dexter Fowler. He is no longer a cardinal!
Fowler was negotiated with his former manager, Joe Maddon, and the Angels:
OFFICIAL: #Angels acquired OF Dexter Fowler and cash considerations from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Welcome to Halos, @DexterFowler! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/BdcYTW8a0N
– Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) February 5, 2021
The cards cause the player to be named back in the Fowler trade, so this looks like a wage dump. Fowler meets Joe Maddon.
– Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 5, 2021
Fowler, 35 in March, is in the last year of the big contract he signed with the Cardinals after leaving the Cubs, a move that didn’t really work well for the Cardinals or the Cubs. In recent years, Fowler has transitioned to a part-time outfielder with a sub-average bat and a reasonable defense. But he is undoubtedly still a bright spot at the clubhouse, still based on a good clip in 2019 and probably improves the In general mixture of external field in the Angels. If nothing else, it could give them more coverage to allow young Jo Adell more time at AAA.
I wonder if this change, which will free up some wages for the Cardinals (although I assume they are also eating), precedes some other addition. The Cardinals are rumored to be on the (expensive) starter Jake Odorizzi. UPDATING this – for sure, the Cardinals are earning a LOT of salary:
Cards are also responsible for the last two $ 1 million installments of Fowler’s signing bonus, so the total cost of the Angels for a veteran 4th oufielder is just $ 1.75 million.
– Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) February 5, 2021
This is not a big savings for Cardinals, which makes you wonder, again, if there are any very specific needs that they will soon fill with that $ 1.75 million (plus how much they still have in the budget).
For now, though, I’ll be happy that Dexter Fowler has finally left St. Louis.
whoopsiedoodle pic.twitter.com/6hEOmRguo6
– Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) February 5, 2021