Checking in on the other Team in Los Angeles
At the beginning of the offseason, in one of the first articles I wrote for this site, I contemplated spending Arte Moreno’s money and getting Mike Trout to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
My analysis of the Angels concluded that:
- The Offense is solid, but could be easily improved by playing Pujols less and getting another bat or better bats in the OF/SS/C
- The Angel’s relievers are average at best
- The Angel’s starting pitching is atrociously bad
The summary of my suggestions? Moreno should spend about $100 Million and add approximately 12 WAR to the team to patch these holes.
Here are the players I suggested – and where they are now:
Marcus Semien – signed by Blue Jays 1 Year – $18 Million
Jason Castro – Signed by the Astros – 2 Year – $7 Million
Masahiro Tanaka – Signed by Rakuten Golden Eagles 2 Years – $17.2 Million (Approx.)
James Paxton – Free Agent (Hope!)
Jake Odorizzi – Free Agent (Hope!)
Brad Hand – Signed by the Nats – 1 Year – $10.5 Million
Total: $52.7 Million
Clearly, Arte did not read my article. I’m currently 0-4 on predicitons, with a strong possibility of going 0-6.
However, 4/6 have signed for much less than predicted and were affordable. Additionally, Paxton and Odorizzi are still available and are projected to be better than or as good as the rest of the current Angel’s rotation. So there’s still hope.
But this article is covering what HAS happened, not what will.
GM Perry Minasian has gone a very different route than I suggested.
Below are the players that were acquired so far and are expected to be on the Opening Day Roster – as well as their WAR projections.
Jose Iglesias (Trade) – 2 WAR
Raisel Iglesias (Trade) – 1 WAR
Alex Claudio – 0.3 WAR
Kurt Suzuki – 0.5 WAR
Jose Quintana – 1.5 WAR
Alex Cobb (Trade) – 1 WAR
Dexter Fowler (Trade) – 0 WAR
Total WAR acquired: 6.3 WAR
To start off, it’s clear that the Angels were working with a very limited budget. The Angels were never seemingly in on any of the major free agents and after the signing of Anthony Rendon last offseason, it appears the purse strings are very tight. All of the trades that the Angels have made involved the other team eating significant money or sending money along to help offset the salary differences.
One of the biggest boons of free agency is that to acquire a player’s services, usually it is only money and time that is sacrificed. When trading for a player, naturally something has to be sent back in return, and the Angels have sent some real prospects away in these deals, most notably Jahmai Jones, their #7 prospect. However, a GM is only as effective as the owner of the team allows them to be, so this is no fault of Perry’s.
So now let’s evaluate the moves and see where the Angels stand now.
- Jose Iglesias – had the best offensive season of his career in 2020, largely thanks to an unsustainable BABIP of .407. Iglesias has always possessed high contact skills but little to no pop. The defense is still very good. His projections for 2021 are almost exactly the same as Andrelton Simmons, whom he is replacing.
Verdict: No change, simply a cheaper replacement
- Raisel Iglesias – the Reds decided to get rid of anything that wasn’t nailed down and Iglesias was the first if not one of the first casualties. He has been among one of the best closers in the game since 2017, posted a career high K/9 in 2021 and gives the Angels a legit closing option for the first time in years. They gave up Noe Ramirez, a middling swingman type and a prospect to make this trade.
Verdict: This is a win. Iglesias gives the team legitimate late game security. Good job Perry.
- Alex Claudio – a soft tossing lefty that outperforms his peripherals and has experience closing. As long as he can continue sneaking 85 MPH heaters past guys, this is a solid move.
Verdict: Good move. Not exactly Brad Hand, but much cheaper, which appears to be the MO.
- Kurt Suzuki – Suitable back-up whose defense has been slipping as he ages (he is now 37). The bat is the carrying tool as he has mustered a WRC+ of over 100 the last 4 seasons. Fine compliment to Max Stassi who had an uptick in EV and BB% in 2020.
Verdict: Good move. The starting job is clearly Stassi’s and Suzuki will compliment him capably.
- Jose Quintana – Consistent and Healthy. A boring signing almost, except this is the Angels. They’re pitching staff every year is a hodge podge of “what can go wrong now”. Quintana is not going to wow you or be a guy you want in a Do-or-Die game, but he has made 30+ starts every year since 2013 (2020 notwithstanding). He will give the Angels durability and consistency, which their staff sorely needs.
Verdict: Great move. 1 year deals are hard to dislike, and he not only fills an area of need, but fills it at an inexpensive rate that allows for further roster flexibility.
- Alex Cobb – This trade was a bit perplexing. He is a veteran coming off 200+ “Meh” innings with a 4.50+ ERA. He’s never thrown 200 innings nor made 30 starts in a season. He doesn’t strike out anyone – 6.54 K/9. And the Angels gave up their #7 prospect to acquire Cobb and $5 Million. Just strange. Cobb will now be the highest paid pitcher in the rotation and the one with the worst projections.
Verdict: Bad move. Cobb is expensive (for the Angels’ taste this offseason at least) and with little to no upside. If the team was going to take on $10 Million in salary, they could have done it without giving up a solid prospect in Jahmai Jones.
- Dexter Fowler – This was a salary dump without the dump. The Cardinals sent $12.75 Million along with Fowler for a PTBNL or cash considerations. Effectively, the Cardinals needed the 40 Man Roster spot and paid the Angels to take him. If Jo Adell’s debut had gone better last year, this trade probably does not happen. But it did. He’ll keep the seat warm for Adell and provide some veteran presence, but there’s no way to really quantify that.
Verdict: Neutral move. Angels took a flier on a player that may or may not be finished. His defense has been bad the last 5 years and his Exit Velocity has declined precipitously. He could give this team solid ABs, but he’s probably a bench guy at this point, if that. If he’s bad they can DFA him, so he doesn’t hamstring the roster. This doesn’t move the needle much in either direction.
Overall, this isn’t a bad offseason so far.
The team has gotten better in the areas most lacking. As currently constructed, the team’s WAR projection is 10th in MLB. This isn’t a bad team, it may even be a good team if the pitching is just average instead of its usual crash and burn routine.
But Mike Trout, for as great as he is, is not ageless. And it looks as if another prime year will be spent tip-toeing the line of “Well we’re not that bad.” The Astros are still decisively better than them. The A’s are a solid team despite losing their entire bullpen to Free Agency. The Mariners may be on an upswing. Who knows what the Rangers are doing. The time to capitalize is in the next few years as the Astros reign dies down and the A’s cost conscious ways dictate a rebuild.
The Angels have a lot of financial flexibility going into next offseason with over $50 Million coming off the books. That money should go to a shortstop and an “Ace” at minimum. Maybe they continue to go the bargain bin route. Maybe they read this article and splurge.
For Mike Trout’s sake, I hope the latter.
