Escobar injury instant analysis

In SG’s latest Diamond Mind projections blowout, a composite projection built from six different projection systems projects the Angels to about 88 wins on average, about eight more than the A’s and a few more than that over the Mariners. Assuming, say, that Escobar is projected to be about three wins above replacement, missing a third of the season could cost the Angels a win or so. Probably not even that much, given that THT’s projections have Joe Saunders, his likely replacement with a 4.60 ERA, which is a significant downgrade but still better than replacement.

So ultimately, this shouldn’t be a big deal in the grand scheme of things other than narrowing their margin, both in terms of performance and ability to absorb injuries. This is a pretty different situation than the Red Sox with Josh Beckett, as they have a much smaller margin over the Yankees to begin with.