#2 Staying Healthy
In 2018, like the many years before, the Angels were once again hit big time by the injury bug. The starting rotation was hit the worst, as the team was never able to have a consistent group of guys to rely on. Not only was their depth hurt, but their stars took time off as well. Both Trout and eventual Rookie of the Year Shohei Ohtani missed long periods of time, with Ohtani being restricted to designated hitting in 2019.
While the Angels have made moves to provide depth should injuries occur, keeping their roster relatively healthy in 2019 will be a big step towards returning to the playoffs.
#3 Trim the Fat
Now is the time of year where we all look in the mirror and see that little extra holiday pudge on us. However, for all of us, that little extra pudge does not cost us $87 million over the next three years… at least I hope not.
Yes this “pudge” is the surefire Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. With so much salary space directed towards Pujol’s negative impact, the Angels need to find a way to get free of the worst contract in MLB history this year.
While Pujols is in the team’s plans going into next season, the 2019 offseason should be more focused on reducing the impact Pujols has on the Angels’ wallets than anything else.