The Los Angeles Angels have already been active this offseason, adding players like Jorge Soler and Kyle Hendricks in the hopes of improving their postseason odds in 2025. But they have made it known that they aren’t done yet, and one player that could be of interest is another starting pitcher in Yusei Kikuchi.
Kikuchi, 33, is a free agent following his sixth MLB campaign. He was an All-Star in 2021 and is coming off of an incredible second half of the season after being traded to the Houston Astros from the Toronto Blue Jays. In 60 innings over 10 starts for Houston, he posted a 2.70 ERA and 0.933 WHIP with 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
It was a big improvement over where he was in the first half of the season with Toronto, and that alone has garnered him potentially league-wide interest. The Angels are among six teams that Jeff Passan of ESPN mentions could have interest in the veteran starter.
Yusei Kikuchi, left-handed starter: He’s awfully popular, too, after shoving for Houston following a maligned trade from Toronto. The Astros want him back, and other teams expected to operate in the midtier pitching market — the Cubs, Dodgers, Angels and, if they whiff on the bigger names, Blue Jays and Orioles — could compete for the 33-year-old’s services.
The Astros, coming off of their worst season in their recent era, could be looking to keep Kikuchi after a strong second half. But teams like the L.A. Dodgers and Blue Jays are always a threat to outbid. And with Kikcuhi’s familiarity with both Houston and Toronto, that could give them an advantage.
But if the Angels aren’t willing to pay the price tags associated with some of the major free agents, that might force them to slightly overpay for the midtier starters if they truly want to compete in 2025. So far, Kikuchi is one of the only free agents that the Angels huave had any sort of loose connection to.
Perry Minasian not ruling anything out for Angels
While the Angels won’t have the same budget as 2023, the Angels are intentionally transitioning to buyers with the hopes of competing for the postseason in 2025. And with a full free agent and trade market still on the board, the Angels could be looking to make more additions.
After welcoming Hendricks to the Angels, Minasian spoke about the winter meetings and his plans for the Angels and how there is still much to be done to improve the team.