The LA Angels have had a quiet offseason so far. However, they made their first big move on Wednesday by signing first baseman Justin Bour to a deal, per Jeff Passan.
The LA Angels have been hinting at a big signing for days now, however, most fans were not expecting Justin Bour to be the first name the team added. Nonetheless, Bour can be a solid addition to the Halo offense.
Bour has been in the MLB for five years now, spending his entire career with the Miami Marlins until a midseason trade to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018. The Angels bring in a 30-year old left-handed slugger, who will have an obvious role in 2019.
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Bour was signed on a one-year contract, making $2.5 million in 2019. Considering he was likely to earn $5.2 million in arbitration, this is a value deal for the Angels. Obviously, the Angels have a lot of money tied up in first base with Albert Pujols, but this could be best for both players.
Before Halo fans get excited about a possible Pujols release, don’t get too far ahead of yourselves. Bour has struggled mightily against left-handed pitchers in his career, so this creates a natural platoon for him alongside the right-handed hitting Pujols.
For his career, Bour has a .260/.344/.466 slash line in his five years. However, when he faces right-handed pitching, Bour’s stats elevate to .269/.354/.499. For spending most of his years in an extremely pitcher-friendly Miami Marlins’ stadium. He could be a huge benefactor of the lowered right field home run line.
In the end, the Angels are at least showing life. This type of signing is not what Halo fans were hoping for, but it might just be what the team needed.
The biggest and best takeaway from this signing is that Billy Eppler and the Angels are no longer content with allowing Pujols to start at first base every day. After years of disappointing numbers (and even more disappointing replacements), the Halos have finally gone out and found a guy who can contribute at a high level.
If anything, this signing is just the beginning of a strong Angels showing at the Winter Meetings.