Angels: Revisiting 3 rumors from offseason that never came true

Rumor: Gerrit Cole interested in joining California team

At the end of October, Buster Olney reported, “some Astros teammates believe that [Gerrit] Cole will sign with a team in California, and there is an industry expectation that Cole will land with the Angels, who play in a stadium less than 10 miles from where he played in high school.”

The idea of Cole signing close to where he grew up was something Angels fans had been considering for a while in hopes that it could lead the three-time All-Star pitcher to sign in Anaheim.

There is nothing the Angels need more than starting pitching. Last season, their starters ranked 29th, next to last, in team ERA. Halos starters have ranked near the bottom of the league in ERA for every season since 2014.

Cole would have given Joe Maddon a legitimate number one starter to pair with a healthy Shohei Ohtani. After dealing with some injuries early in his career, the right-hander has started at least 30 games over the past three seasons. He was an amazing 20-5 last year with a league-best 2.50 ERA and eye-popping 326 strikeouts.

He ended up signing a nine-year, $324 million deal with the big, bad Yankees, with agent Scott Boras revealing that he gave the Angels serious consideration before choosing to chase a World Series in New York. Cole will turn 30 this September, so the back-end of that contract could look ugly, at which point, we might be writing about why we are glad the Angels didn’t sign him. But for a team desperate for starting pitching and looking to compete before Mike Trout becomes an old man, this is one rumor Angels fans have to wish came true.

Rumor: Angels show interest in Zack Wheeler

The Angels were one of the first teams to show interest in free agent pitcher Zack Wheeler over the winter. MLB Network’s Jon Paul Morosi was the first to connect the Halos with Wheeler. The logic was pretty simple. If Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, the two elite free agent pitchers available on the market, proved unattainable, perhaps Wheeler could be the consolation prize.

The tall, lanky right-hander, who missed the entirety of the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to Tommy John surgery, ultimately signed with the Phillies on a five-year, $118 million deal.

While the Angels are in desperate need of starting pitching, I, for one, am happy this rumor never gained actual traction. Wheeler started 31 games last season in New York, his highest total since 2014. And while he has been effective over the last two seasons, his health just can’t be trusted.

Wheeler pitched to a 3.65 ERA / 3.37 FIP over the last two seasons, striking out 8.0 per nine innings, while walking only 2.5 every nine. Those numbers look good, but for a pitcher who turns 30 this season, they might represent a high point, which makes it difficult to justify a $100 million plus price tag over the next five seasons.

Wheeler rejected the Mets’ $17.8MM qualifying offer, meaning the Angels would have also needed to forfeit draft pick compensation to sign the starter who has yet to reach an All-Star game or prove he can be a top-of-the-rotation starter.

After striking out on big name free agents, the Angels added Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran on one-year deals. Don’t be surprised if one of them proves to be an effective starter if the season is played. Neither make up for the fact the Angels couldn’t close the deal on Gerrit Cole, but compared to Zack Wheeler? The return on investment might be close.

Rumor: Angels had interest in Yasmani Grandal

After owner Arte Moreno announced in October that “payroll will go up next year,” Angels fans were ready for the team to spend big on improving their lineup and fixing a long broken pitching staff. One name that they were linked to early in the offseason was catcher Yasmani Grandal.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Angels were one of a handful of teams to show the most interest in the Cuban hitter. The Halos entered the offseason in need of improving their catching position, an area of weakness since Chris Iannetta left after the 2015 season.

Following Rosenthal’s report, there wasn’t a lot of fuel added to the rumor that the Angels could sign him, mostly generating buzz from writers and fans picturing him as a good fit for the team.

The 31-year-old, who smacked a career-best 28 home runs in 2019, ended up signing a four-year, $73 million deal with the White Sox. This took the top catching target off the market, leaving the Angels with Jason Castro, who they signed to a one-year, $6.85 million deal in December.

Castro is known for his pitch framing ability, which should help a pitching staff that lacks any major addition from the offseason. If a season is played in 2020, the 32-year-old will provide a stop-gap solution to the backstop position. And the Angels eventually found their slugger in Anthony Rendon.