LA Angels: Grading GM Perry Minasian this offseason (Part 2)

It feels like the Angels are secretly ran by Maddon with these additions. Another pitcher with ties to Maddon is right-hander Alex Cobb, who was acquired from the Orioles via trade. The Halos sent their No.7 ranked prospect, Jahmai Jones, to Baltimore.

To some, Angels gave up a lot to get Cobb considering that Jones was their seventh-best prospect, but Jones is far from being fully developed as the Orioles may look to progress him further at second base. This mainly has to do with the Orioles taking on the remaining $10 million of Cobb’s $15 million salary for the 2021 season.

The Angels are hoping Alex Cobb can return to his previous days as a starter for Joe Maddon.

Cobb is coming off a decent 2020 that saw him make all ten starts, posting a 4.30 ERA with only 38 strikeouts in 52.1 innings of work.

Cobb is finally getting out of the AL East, something the Angels are banking on that benefits him—having to face offensive-minded teams such as the Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays, and his former team, the Rays. The 33-year old had an ERA+ of 106, which is just barely above average. However, from 2018-2020, his ERA+ drops to 86 with an ERA of 5.10. He’s a pitch-to-contact type of pitcher, which means he gets many batters to hit ground balls, which plays to the strong defense the Angels have in their infield.

This is another low-risk, high-reward type of move the Angels made with the hopes a solid defense and leaving the AL East will make Cobb a better starting pitcher in Anaheim.