Should The Angels Give Marco Scutaro A Look?

Free agency is quiet right now. Things will heat up once we go past the Thanksgiving holiday and yes you will see players sign before that. It appears that Torii Hunter will do just that in the next couple of weeks as he said earlier today. We’ve talked about the Angels outfield here before, but Hunter was the number two hitter in the lineup between Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. So who hits number two? How about signing Marco Scutaro to play third?

Oct 28, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro hits a RBI single against the Detroit Tigers in the 10th inning during game four of the 2012 World Series at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

Could they sign him and non-tender Alberto Callaspo and then maybe try to re-sign him after? Sure. It’s a question of what Scutaro wants in free agency. Scutaro picked a great time to have a great postseason. He’s 37 years old and his previous contract was for $17 million over three years. How many years does he want and at how much? You have to think he’s going to want more money than he got in his last deal, but at 37 it’s a gamble.Scutaro, is also a right handed hitter, something the Angels already have plenty of. Callaspo is a switch hitter, something the Angels don’t have a lot of except for Kendrys Morales. I can’t help but think of the kind of damage that Scuatro could do behind Trout and ahead of Pujols. He makes good contact and is just one of those guys who is a total professional. He’s a good defender at third and can play second and short in a pinch if necessary.

I don’t think the Angels will sign Scutaro. The Angels focus will be on filling pitching holes and then maybe making a tweak here and there with hitters. I think Scutaro may be out of their price range as well. Unless a trade out of nowhere happens, I believe the infield will be the same as last year’s team.