The Los Angeles Angels didn’t have many nice things to gush over during the 2022 regular season, aside from Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and perhaps a fresh view with owner Arte Moreno likely on the exit path, their young starting pitching group was a huge bright spot. However, as they head into free agency, they could certainly benefit from a veteran starter, like Tyler Anderson who is on the open market.
Anderson had a special season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, posting career lows in ERA(2.57), and FIP(3.31) while walking just 1.71 batters per nine innings. His ability to limit hard contact made him one of Major League Baseball’s most surprising breakout players, and his 15-5 record was a cherry on top.
The Angels shipped off veteran starter, Noah Syndergaard to the Philadelphia Phillies at the deadline, and aside from Ohtani, they have a grip of youth in their rotation. According to Jon Morosi, the Angels are interested in Anderson now that he’s available:
Sources: #Angels and #RedSox among teams showing interest in free agent LHP Tyler Anderson, who could receive Qualifying Offer today from #Dodgers. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 10, 2022
The one large wrinkle is the Dodgers extended the qualifying offer to Anderson, which is a one-year, $19.65 million deal. Players have until Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. ET to accept or reject it.
General manager Perry Minasian could bank on his breakout year and give Anderson a short-term deal and provide the Angels with a veteran to stabilize the rotation.
Angels could target Brandon Drury or Donovan Solano in free agency
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.
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