D6 THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS
get to see your family as
much as you would like,
getting to hug your mom
after the game is nice.”
For an Angels-Cole pair-
ing to produce Hallmark
moments in 2020, however,
the Angels must do some-
thing they have never done:
dole out a nine-figure con-
tract to a pitcher.
The two biggest con-
tracts the Angels have
awarded pitchers are the
five-year, $85-million exten-
sion Jered Weaver signed in
201 1 and the five-year, $77.5-
million deal C.J. Wilson
signed as a free agent before
2012.
Cole, who will turn 29 in
September, could command
a deal in the $200-million
range, and not just because
his agent, Scott Boras,
rarely settles for less than
top dollar or offers home-
town discounts.
Cole will be the class of a
thin free-agent pitching
crop heavy on older left-
handers such as Hyun-Jin
Ryu, who will be 33 next
season, Madison Bumgar-
ner (30), Cole Hamels (36),
Rich Hill (40) and Wade
Miley (34). The top right-
handers will be Zack
Wheeler (29) and Tanner
Roark (33).
“We haven’t secured
one,” Angels general man-
ager Billy Eppler said
Wednesday of a nine-figure
deal with a pitcher, “but
that doesn’t mean we
haven’t explored one. There
is not a philosophy or a
directive in our organization
to avoid sizable investments
in pitching. The circum-
stances need to warrant
such an investment.
“The player, all the vari-
ables that surround a player
such as the aging curve,
health, track record, the
player’s interest in playing
[here], the needs of the
team, the expected win
probability that we would
realize if we were to make
such an acquisition ... all of
those things play into it and
lead us to a certain deci-
sion.”
It’s risky to sign a power
pitcher approaching age 30
to a long-term deal. How will
Cole adapt to an inevitable
decline in stuff as he nears
35?
Cole has shown no signs
of slippage. He’s actually
gained velocity on his fast-
ball, which has jumped from
an average of 95.2 mph in
2016 to 97 mph this season,
according to Fangraphs. His
slider has increased from
87.7 mph in 2016 to 89.2 mph
this season. He also throws
a curve and changeup.
Teams often overpay for
top free-agent starters,
hoping the peak perform-
ance delivered in a pitcher’s
prime will offset the high
cost in the final years of a
massive contract.
The Angels have gone
the low-budget, quick-fix
route for years, attempting
to plug rotation holes with
the likes of Matt Harvey,
Trevor Cahill, Ricky No-
lasco and Joe Blanton. It
hasn’t worked.
It’s extremely difficult to
piece together rotations in a
division headed by the
powerhouse Astros, who
flexed financial might by
acquiring Zack Greinke,
who is owed $32 million a
year through 2021, at the
July 31 trade deadline.
The Angels pursued free
agents such as Patrick
Corbin, Nathan Eovaldi and
J.A. Happ last winter but
wouldn’t go much past $100
million for Corbin, who
signed a six-year, $140-
million deal with Washing-
ton, and fell short in bids for
Eovaldi (four years, $68
million with Boston) and
Happ (two years, $34 million
with the New York Yan-
kees).
With a current rotation
that ranks last in the major
leagues in innings (481^1 ⁄ 3 ),
28th in ERA (5.46) and 27th
in strikeouts (452) entering
a four-game series at Bos-
ton, it remains to be seen
whether the Angels empty
the coffers for Cole.
“The market this winter
will have some pitching on
it,” Eppler said. “I’m sure
we’ll be sitting with [free
agents] and seeing if some-
thing can be worked out.”
Despite having two of the
highest-paid players in the
game in center fielder Mike
Trout and Albert Pujols,
whose 10-year, $240-million
contract expires in 2021, the
Angels could afford Cole.
They have five players —
Trout, Pujols, left fielder
Justin Upton, shortstop
Andrelton Simmons and
infielder Zack Cozart —
under contract in 2020 for
$116 million; six players for
$130 million if they pick up
right fielder Kole Calhoun’s
$14-million option.
The 10 or so arbitration-
eligible players — such as
pitchers Andrew Heaney,
Cam Bedrosian and Hansel
Robles — they are expected
to retain will add about $20
million, bringing their 2020
commitments to about $150
million with Calhoun.
The balance of the roster
could be filled by players
earning near the major
league minimum, which
would add about $10 million,
bringing the 2020 payroll to
about $160 million with
Calhoun. The team’s proj-
ected 2020 payroll for Com-
petitive Balance Tax pur-
poses, which is based on the
average annual value of
multiyear contracts and
includes benefits and sala-
ries for 40-man roster play-
ers, is about $164 million.
Not only would the An-
gels have room under the
$208-million luxury-tax
threshold to add Cole, they
could sign another quality
starter to a short-term deal.
Such upgrades would push
Heaney, Felix Pena and
youngsters Jaime Barria
and Griffin Canning to the
middle and back of the
rotation, where they belong.
The Angels have a solid
collection of young and
affordable relievers led by
Robles, Ty Buttrey and
Bedrosian. Keynan Middle-
ton, who had the stuff to
close before his 2018 elbow
surgery, is expected back
next season.
A lineup led by Trout, the
best all-around player in
baseball, Upton, Calhoun,
Pujols and Simmons could
receive a boost if top out-
field prospect Jo Adell
reaches the big leagues in- Pitching again would
be the weakness, although a
Cole-powered rotation
might fuel a playoff push.
Which circles back to the
central question: Would the
Angels give a long, lucrative
contract to a starting
pitcher?
HOUSTON PITCHER Gerrit Cole is 14-5 with a 2.87
ERA. He could command a $200-million deal.
Michael WykeAssociated PressIt would take big
bucks to get Cole
[DiGiovanna,from D1]
As a pass floated toward
the far corner of the end zone
on Wednesday, one day after
the NCAA granted his
waiver to play this season at
USC, Chris Steele kept
stride for stride with his tar-
get, clinging as tightly as
possible to veteran wideout
Tyler Vaughns.
Tootightly, as it turned
out. After knocking the ball
away, Steele saw a streak of
yellow behind him. The side-
line official had thrown a flag
for interference, one of sev-
eral he’d seen over the first
few days of camp. Steele
threw his hands up in frus-
tration.
“Give me five!” new de-
fensive backs coach Greg
Burns blurted from the side-
line, as the highly touted
freshman transfer at corner
dropped into a set of half-
hearted up-downs.
Amid all the hype of
Steele’s arrival and subse-
quent clearance by the
NCAA, it was a reminder of
how far the young corner still
has to go.
But on the day Steele fi-
nally put his lengthy recruit-
ing saga behind him, he
could be forgiven for being a
bit overzealous. Since leav-
ing Florida following spring
ball, setting into motion a
hectic few months during
which he committed to Ore-
gon, then returned to USC
where he first committed
last year, the four-star fresh-
man’s status has been left
mostly unsettled.
Now, with the NCAA’s de-
cision official and one of the
prized recruits officially in
the mix ... well, there’s still a
lot to be settled in USC’s sec-
ondary.
Steele, who was not made
available to reporters, is one
of several young USC de-
fenders in the mix for a start-
ing corner spot, both that re-
main open through the first
week of camp. Sophomore
Olaijah Griffin and redshirt
freshman Isaac Taylor-Stu-
arthave taken most of the
reps with the first-team de-
fense, but both played only
sparingly a year ago. Red-
shirt sophomore Greg John-
son, who has also rotated in
as a starter, is basically the
sage of the group.
Talent is not in short sup-
ply. But that inexperience
has meant some inconsis-
tency at the cornerback po-
sition through the first week
of camp.
“It’s coming along,”
Burns said. “It’s too hard to
assess. There’s a good day
and a bad day.”
Steele, Burns noted, has
shown “a different comfort
level” with the level of play,
given the spring period he
spent in Gainesville. But
both Burns and defensive
coordinator Clancy Pender-
gast suggested that Steele
still needs time to get ac-
quainted with USC’s de-
fense. So far, he has mixed in
mostly with the second-
team defense.
“We obviously really liked
him coming out of high
school,” Pendergast said.“We spent a lot of time re-
cruiting him. We’re obvi-
ously excited to have him
back. He’s catching up to
learning the scheme, learn-
ing the techniques, which
are new to him. He’s worked
hard to understand those
things.”
Steele may still have
plenty to learn before carv-ing out his place in USC’s
secondary. But in a group of
cornerbacks composed pri-
marily of young and talented
freshmen and sophomores,
he’s certainly not the only
one.Etc.
Left tackle Austin Jack-
son returned to full action,after working his way back
from surgery he underwent
to donate bone marrow to
his sister. ... Running back
Vavae Malepeai was present
but did not participate in
practice. ... USC practiced in
full pads for the first time on
Wednesday, following the
NCAA’s required four-day
acclimation period.USC REPORTNewest Trojan Steele looks
to find spot on the corner
By Ryan Kartjesputtered when Tagaloa sat
out the first three games to
serve a suspension for an
undisclosed violation of ath-
letic department policies
but were humming by sea-
son’s end, collecting at least
400 yards in five of their final
six games.
Continuity along the of-
fensive line heading into 2019
gives UCLA hope for more of
the same.
Tagaloa is part of a line
that will have back four of
five starters, including
guards Michael Alves and
Christaphany Murray, and
right tackle Jake Burton.
The departure of left
tackle Andre James for the
NFL created the only open-
ing. That spot has been filled
in the early portion of train-
ing camp by redshirt fresh-
man Alec Anderson, who,
because of college football’s
new redshirt rule, did not
lose a year of eligibility de-
spite playing in three games
last season.
Anderson will have to
hold off a challenge from her-
alded freshman Sean
Rhyan, who has impressed
teammates with his de-
meanor after his arrival on
campus this summer.
“Me being a sophomoreand looking at the freshmen
come in,” Murray said, “you
can definitely tell who’s com-
ing here to play around. ...
But you can tell he’s come
here with a motive and a
sense of trying to get better
and to get coached.”
Perhaps the surest sign
that the six newcomers are
holding their own, said
Tagaloa, is that offensive
line coach Justin Frye has
been yelling less than usual.
Tagaloa also praised back-ups Sam Marrazzo and Jon
Gaines II for helping him im-
prove his ability to read cov-
erages and make calls.
“They’re really bright
guys, they help me out a lot,”
said Tagaloa, who was re-
cently added to the watch
list for the Rimington Tro-
phy, which goes to the top
center in college football.
A year ago, UCLA’s offen-
sive line was struggling just
to hike the ball. Now it could
be considered the strengthof what might be one of the
Pac-12 Conference’s break-
through offenses.
“This season, I want to
say we’re ready,” Murray
said. “We have a certain chip
on our shoulder just because
of the trials that we went
through, and now we’ve seen
what we need to fix and we’re
ready to do that.”
Nobody seems as pre-
pared to dominate as the
man in the middle of it all.
“He’s fast, he’s explosive,
he’s strong,” running back
Joshua Kelley recently said
of Tagaloa. “I think he’s one
of the best centers in the na-
tion, and he should get more
recognition.”Kelley is back
Kelley made his first ex-
tended appearance on the
practice field since suffering
a right knee injury last week.
He rode a stationary bike
before going through a series
of lunges and knee lifts with
receivers Theo Howard and
Michael Ezeike, who also
wore yellow jerseys to signal
they were recovering from
injuries.
Kelley wore a knee brace
that appeared far less bulky
than the one he wore last
week in the days after the in-
jury.Tagaloa is a force at center of UCLA’s line
[UCLA,from D1]BOSS TAGALOAis on the watch list for the Riming-
ton Trophy, given to college football’s top center.UCLAup with another 12-0 regular
season and American Ath-
letic Conference title. But in
the season finale against
South Florida, star quarter-
back McKenzie Milton suf-
fered a horrific knee injury
that not only ended his sea-
son but will keep him out for
all of 2019.
Milton’s injury made sure
there would not be a second
straight UCF-claimed na-
tional championship —
Louisiana State ended the
Knights’ 25-game winning
streak in the Fiesta Bowl. It
also opened the door for a
new Group of Five team to
push against the sport’s
establishment this fall.
Even without Milton,
UCF will be tough to unseat.
Brandon Wimbush, a gradu-
ate transfer from Notre
Dame, slides into the start-
ing role and will be sur-
rounded by high-end skill
position talent.
But the AAC may end up
being one of the most fun
conference races to watch.
Houston was able to coax
coach Dana Holgorsen fromWith the College Football
Playoff era offering so few
surprises among the field of
four, one of the most enter-
taining subplots each year
has been watching teams
from the largely forgotten
“Group of Five” conferences
fight for one spot in the
sport’s six crowned bowl
games.
Two years ago, Central
Florida crashed the party to
a level unseen since Boise
State upset Oklahoma in the
2007 Fiesta Bowl. The
Knights, playing an exciting
brand of football that
launched Scott Frost to the
Nebraska job after the sea-
son, went wire to wire and
knocked off Auburn in the
Peach Bowl. They printed
T-shirts that crowned them-
selves national champions, a
brazen and warranted salvo
at the system that kept them
out of the playoff despite an
undefeated record.
Under new coach Josh
Heupel, UCF followed thatWest Virginia and returns
the dynamic D’Eriq King at
quarterback. He passed for
36 touchdowns and ran for 14
last season.
The Cougars will have two
huge chances to grab the
nation’s attention — a Sept. 1
Sunday night, opening-
weekend game against Okla-
homa, and in a Sept. 13 Fri-
day night home game
against Washington State.
Cincinnati is coming off
an 11-2 season and begins the
year with UCLA visiting in a
Aug. 29 Thursday night
tone-setter for the AAC.
Memphis has been dan-
gerous the last two seasons,
winning a combined 18
games, but the Tigers unfor-
tunately hit their stride at
the height of UCF’s domi-
nance.
It would also be a mistake
to forget about Boise State.
The Broncos haven’t cracked
the New Year’s Six since
defeating Arizona in the 2014
Fiesta Bowl, and they are
worth keeping an eye on if
the power-hungry AAC
happens to cannibalize itself.17 DAYS
TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Leading up to season-opening games on Aug. 24, The Times examines the top 2019 story lines.UCF, Houston most likely to be major-bowl crashers
By J. Brady McColloughD’ERIQ KING,who passed for 36 touchdowns and ran for 14 last season, returns
to lead Houston. The Cougars open the season at Oklahoma on Sept. 1.Tim WarnerGetty Images