The Los Angeles Angels have a unique situation with two of Major League Baseball’s premier talents as everyday players in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, but the spots around them have been the true catalyst. General manager Perry Minasian has recently said he needs to improve on building out his roster, and with free agency upcoming, the guys are out there who could fill some holes.
The Angels got hit with the injury bug, managerial turmoil bug, losing streak purgatory, and an early vacation in Tulum in the 2022 season. However, the silver lining is that their fortunes began to change at the back portion of the year in terms of health, and with some decent chunks of payroll to spend, Minasian has the means to retool and move forward.
After losing David Fletcher and Anthony Rendon to injuries that sidelined them for most of the year, making sure they’re more equipped to absorb a blow like that has already been a vocalized priority for the winter.
The free agent class showcases a few productive veteran players who could fit the bill as everyday guys, or rotational pieces, but as far as the outfield, internal options are still on the table, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
The Angels could look to add a versatile infielder like Brandon Drury or Donovan Solano to the mix. As for the outfield, the Halos are set with Mike Trout in center and Ward in right but are likely to add a veteran to compete for the left field job with Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak.
Drury, 30, is an intriguing option for the Angels, after posting a career-best .855 on-base plus slugging with 20 home runs and 59 RBI in 92 games with the Cincinnati Reds, he was dealt to the San Diego Padres as one of the deadline’s more underlying performing bats. His second half wasn’t as elite, but nevertheless, he’s a player to watch because of his turnaround with the Reds.
Solano is a bit older, 34, and has been a bat-to-ball, contact guy for the majority of his career, but in three years with the San Francisco Giants from 2020-2022, he carried a .308 batting average in 236 games. He would be more of a Fletcher clone, but you can never have enough veteran players who value base hits.
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