HALOS02

This is something that most Angels fans knew was coming since last season, maybe even the season before. The Angels have made fair, market value offers for Franky the past few seasons, but obviously, nothing that bowled him over. He's a very good and still very young closer who I'm guessing will become the ML's top paid reliever after this season. I don't think the Angels will be the team to give him the dough, however.

You can't predict these things, but he looks like a candidate for arm troubles, and may already be experiencing some, as his velocity has dipped 2-4 mph this season. His violent delivery and the amount of sliders he throws has and will take their toll. The pitch that has sort of re-invented him is his changeup, that he only throws to lefties. I think it's his best pitch, as his slider has become predictable and inconsistent.

If he leaves, the Angels have a couple candidates in Scot Shields and youngster Jose Arredondo, who, if you haven't seen him, is pretty nasty. They may also try to find a cheaper option through free agency or a trade. We'll have to wait and see.

It's not so much the dollars per season I have a problem with, it's the length of the contract (probably 6 or 7-plus seasons) he's looking for that makes me say: adios Franky, thanks for the memories.