Angels: 4 players predicted to sign with LA this offseason

Marcus Semien

With the Angels likely to see long-time defensive wizard Andrelton Simmons leaving the team, the Halos need to find a steady replacement for him at shortstop. While moving David Fletcher to shortstop full-time is certainly an option, the Angels would be better suited bringing in a short-term guy to fill the void. Enter another Marcus S. in Marcus Semien.

After a career year in 2019, Semien fell off a bit in 2020. His 2019 included an elite 7.6 WAR to go with a 137 wRC+, 33 home runs, and 10 stolen bases. He was one of the best hitters in the sport just two seasons ago. While nobody can truly replace Simmons’ defensive production holistically, Semien is an excellent defender in his own right. He combined for 26 defensive runs saved from 2018 to 2019. For comparison, Andrelton Simmons posted 35 defensive runs saved in that same time span.

While Semien has been the definition of a league-average hitter across his major league career, there is some hope he could regain his 2019 form while providing extraordinary defense.

MLBTR projects Semien to receive a one-year, $14 million deal from the Halos this winter, a very fair valuation.

We will see what direction the Angels go in, but going with a pair of Marcus’s could be the move.