"Big market" team

As Boston signs yet another multimillion dollar contract, the Angels lose out on a premier free agent once again.

The repeated failures to acquire top free agents despite constant promises to improve the team by all means possible are just as demoralizing as losses on the field. You expect the Nationals to have to overpay talent to get players to Washington - you don't expect the same from the Angels. Figuring out why players don't want to play in Anaheim or learning to overpay for elite talent* must be top priorities for the Angels front office.

I'm also convinced that MLB needs a salary cap, but that's a discussion for another day.

*Elite talent is not the same as good talent. Overpaying good (Hunter) and mediocre (Matthews Jr.) talent is not smart business practice, but overpaying for Teixeira or Alex Rodriguez or Cliff Lee might be. I don't think Crawford is elite, and I think overpaying for Crawford would've been a mistake. But there is a time and place for an above-market contract.