LA Angels: Why Archie Bradley should be of interest

Archie Bradley has been non-tendered by the Cincinnati Reds which makes him fair game for all. The Angels should take their shot.

The Los Angeles Angels have made some quiet moves already this offseason with the non-tendering of players and signing shortstop, Jose Iglesias.  While these are good moves and it is only December, it is time to start looking at pitching options.  Archie Bradley would be a great fit for this bullpen and likely won’t last long on the market.

Why the Cincinnati Reds non-tendered Archie Bradley is the million-dollar question.  More like a five-million-dollar question really.  Anyway, Archie held together a sub 3.00 ERA in 2020 and was one of the most sought-after relievers at the trade deadline last season and now he is available again.

Truthfully, I think 29 other teams would have held on to Archie for his last year of team control but the good ol’ Cincinnati Reds just love saving a buck and striving for mediocracy.  Archie immediately helps a pitching staff that has struggled mightily the past few seasons with the last two years of the team having a plus five ERA.

Make no mistake about it, Archie Bradley will not be the savior of the Angels by any means but the more upgrades the team gets on the mound the better chance they have of making the playoffs.  The lineup is strong and defensively they are set for the most part. The Astros look like they are on the cusp of a mild rebuild, the Mariners are probably another year or two away, the Rangers are irrelevant, and the A’s will be without Billy Bean in the front office from now on and that is worrisome for a market like Oakland who relies so much on scouting and analytics.

Believe it or not, the Angels do have a window and it really all just comes down to what they are willing to spend on pitching both starting and the bullpen. Ideally, Archie could act as the closer, but will and can do anything the team asks.  In 2019, he put together 18 saves and had 87 strikeouts over 71.2 innings. With Hansel Robles being non-tendered, Archie could slide right in and become an immediate upgrade.

While Archie Bradley isn’t a super flashy signing, relievers usually aren’t.  The fact that he was non-tendered and just able to walk into anywhere he wants is just mind blowing by the Reds front office.  By no means should this be the biggest offseason move for the Angels this year, but it should be one.  Pitching, pitching and more pitching should be the primary focus right now.

The window is there, and I don’t care if you agree or not.  Whenever a team has stars like Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout in their prime with rise up stars like David Fletcher and hopefully the continuation of what Jared Walsh did last year, you’re in a window.  To not at least attempt to sign Archie Bradley would be irresponsible as he would be a steal for any team right now.