Five Pitchers the LA Angels Should Sign this Winter

Hector Santiago, LHP

We’re bringing back the entire former-Angels-who-have-gone-on-to-be-better-after-leaving-Anaheim club! Well, not the entire club but Chavez and now Hector Santiago could be very valuable pieces for the Angels over the next couple of years.

Unlike Chavez, Santiago has not turned into a full-time relief pitcher quite yet, but the numbers suggest he should be. At the most basic level, his ERA as a starter versus as a reliever is 6.12 and 3.75, respectively. Santiago is much better out of the pen, and as he gets older, could prolong his career by making the switch to serving strictly as a relief pitcher.

An offseason of focusing purely on a few good pitches and strikeouts rather than stamina and velocity could do wonders for Santiago, especially with the Angels’ new pitching coach Doug White, who was formerly with the Houston Astros.

Projected contract: Two years: $13 million with third year mutual option.

Hector Santiago was a fan-favorite, and has always pitched well at The Big A. While it would be nice for him to be able to be a consistent starter for the Angels in 2019, that is too much to ask of Santiago at this point of his career. Instead, he should focus his offseason on learning how to pitch out of the bullpen. While he is busy learning the finer points of relief pitching, Billy Eppler should be calling Santiago’s agent.