Angels To Sign Hisanori Takahashi?

 Angels Close In On Signing Takahashi

Wow! So apparently Tony Reagins was reading Halo Hangout yesterday. ESPN LA  is reporting the Angels are nearing a deal with lefty reliever Hisanori Takahashi. As I said earlier this month  I’m all for this move. Takahashi was lights out for the Mets last year as soon as he was moved to the pen ( 2.04 ERA, 9.4 K/9 , in  57 1/3  innings of relief ).He  was so good in relief that he was the choice to take over as the Mets’ closer once K- Rod went medieval on his girlfriends dad. Hisanori went on to go  8-8 in save opportunities. Takahashi is reportedly headed to LA to take a physical so this appears to be a done deal assuming he’s healthy.

More on this potential move when and if it becomes official. But at any rate thanks for reading Tony.

* Update Takahashi deal official.  2 years at 8 million. So what does it means for the Angels pen?

Overall the Hisanori Takahashi signing will give the Angels a much needed lefty out of the pen. Takahashi also will afford the Halos with versatility. He can be a late inning setup guy, a lefty specialist , a closer and even potentially the 5th starter if needed. I wouldn’t go anywhere near the 5th starter thing though ( 4-4 record in 12 appearances as a starter with a  5.01 ERA).  Kind of a small sample size but the issue is Takahashi was frequently battered around on the second and third trips through the lineup, proving he is suited for relief work.

 The apparent bargain that had most Halo fans stoked about this deal when initially reported was not the case. Initially the deal was reported at 2 years for 5.5 million which would have been virtually a steal. However once the official paper work from the league came back the deal was actually for 2 years at 8 million dollars which is probably more than what was needed to get the deal done.

At any rate I still like the move. Takahashi should go a long way towards  addressing one of the Angels biggest flaws from last year, but lets hope he’s only one small piece of the emerging puzzle.