The Los Angeles Angels made a few solid additions to their roster following the signing of Tyler Anderson and the acquisitions of Gio Urshela & Hunter Renfroe. They’ve been the most active team in free agency thus far and general manager Perry Minasian reiterates the club’s stance on improving on the periphery.
After finishing in third place with a 73-89 record in 2021 with two of the best players in Major League Baseball on their roster, the Angels haven’t allowed the market to dictate their direction this offseason and have gotten ahead of the league in terms of what their budget allows. There’s another way to look at it, that the Angels simply attacked cost-effective options instead of throwing money at high-priced free agents in a rather important time with ownership.
Adding Renfroe alongside Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout brings a trio that slugged a combined 103 home runs in 2022, and that doesn’t include Anthony Rendon who was activated in the final few weeks of the season signaling a fully healthy season for the first time in a while.
Minasian spoke following the announcement of the Renfroe deal reiterating the team’s plan to continue their aggressive approach via Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
“We’ll continue to look to improve,” Minasian said. “I really believe there’s different areas we can definitely use a boost, whether that’s in the bullpen, the rotation, we’ll still take a look at the infield and see if we can get better there. I feel like there’s opportunities out there and we’ll explore all of them.”
Anderson adds a veteran left-hander who was wildly productive in a breakout season for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season and earned himself a three-year deal. Renfroe adds a power bat from the right side who provides above-average defense with a rocket arm and Urshela brings infield versatility with a bat that hits for average, all boxes that Minasian set out to check when he hinted at his vision for the Angels’ offseason.
“I think we’re significantly better,” Minasian said. “I don’t think the work is done. There’s definitely areas where we can continue to improve, but I do think we’re significantly better.”
Manager Phil Nevin got his team in a decent spot once they began to figure themselves out and settled players into respective roles, but the biggest hole in the boat was their attempt to plug different injury-created spots with minor league and cast-off players while maintaining hopes to compete. There’s still work to be done as Minasian hinted at, but their aggressive approach given their resources with cash flow and prospect depth has been really solid.
Angels among teams interest in starter Kodai Senga
Reports around MLB say the Angels have shown interest in starting pitcher, Kodai Senga of the SoftBank Hawks in the NPB.
The 29-year-old will turn 30 in January, showcased his talent during the 2017 World Baseball Classic, posting an ERA of 0.82 with 16 strikeouts in 11 innings, and since that time has served as one of the aces for the Hawks. After refusing to post Senga in the past few years, he’s finally available for Major League Baseball teams to sign him as a new international free agent.
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