After Season From Hell, the LA Angels Enter Biggest Offseason In Years

Last offseason, the LA Angels sat idly by as they watch multiple players ink big-time contracts. However, this offseason must be different.

Last year, the LA Angels were never going to sign Manny Machado or Bryce Harper. While every Angels fans secretly was holding out hope, there was a less than 1% chance of them signing either superstar. Basically, it would have taken Machado or Harper to tell the Angels they wanted to play for them, and would take a discount to do it.

So, the Angels went out and signed one-year deals. Those deals, as we all know, did not work out. However, Billy Eppler made those deals a single season for a reason. He knew the offseason after the 2019 season was going to be vital, and now he has to prove himself in one final phase of being a general manager.

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Billy Eppler has done well drafting, rebuilding the Angels farm system. He has also consistently made solid trades since taking over. Eppler has even proved efficient at working the waiver wire and finding solid contributors. He has also extended his own players, including Mike Trout, and landed Shohei Ohtani in shocking manner. However, he has yet to have an exceptional offseason from start to finish.

That has to change now.

Gerrit Cole.

Madison Bumgarner.

Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Maybe even Stephen Strasburg.

There has never been a better time for the Angels to spend big in free agency than now. They have the makings of a legitimate playoff contender, but need the pieces in their rotation to truly take the next step towards October baseball.

They have the funds to do it, now Eppler has to deliver. The Angels made a statement not extending him this year, leaving the possibility of 2020 being Eppler’s final year at the helm of the Angels. His future is unclear, but if he can deliver Gerrit Cole and some more rotation depth to the Angels this offseason, Billy Eppler will complete the final task that thus far has evaded him as general manager of the Angels.

So the time is now. Brad Ausmus is (unfortunately) out as the scapegoat for a cursed season. If Billy Eppler doesn’t want to follow him, a successful offseason is a must.