LA Angels: 3 offseason moves the Halos desperately need to make

The same movie the LA Angels have been playing since 2015 is getting old.

The best player in the MLB for 10 years running, some would argue, has made the playoffs one time in the past decade, getting bumped from the playoffs in the ALDS against the Royals.

The Angels have had talent, and have made obvious efforts to put winning teams on the field since 2014.

However, since that playoff birth in 2014, the Angels have proceeded to put one -yes, one – winning team on the field, going 85-77 in 2015. The Angels records for the following years were:

2016: 74-88

2017: 80-82

2018: 80-82

2019: 72-90

2020: 26-34 (60-game season)

2021: 77-85

For a team with the best player in the world, and now another generational talent emerging in Shohei Ohtani, that is downright unacceptable. Although ERA doesn’t tell the whole story, it is a good indicator of how a staff is performing, and how well a bullpen is shutting down high-leverage scenarios. The Angels ranking in the MLB by team ERA since 2016:

2016:  21st (4.28)

2017: 12th (4.20)

2018: 19th (4.15)

2019: 25th (5.12)

2020: 25th (5.09)

2021: 22nd (4.68)

Clearly, the front office addressing the Angels pitching staff and bullpen is long overdue. Here are 3 moves that the front office needs to make to address the team’s pitching woes.

1st move the LA Angels desperately need to make: Add a proven closer

LA Angels’ Raisel Iglesias was dominant in 2021 for the Angels, tying Josh Hader at 5th in the MLB with 34 saves.

The Angels had lacked production from the closer position for a number of years. That is until Angels General Manager Perry Minasian pulled off a fleece of a trade, sending Reliever Noe Ramirez and cash to the Reds for Closer Raisel Iglesias in the 2021 offseason. Now a free agent, it is obvious amongst Angels fans that Raisel needs to be back in an Angels uniform to provide much-needed assurance at the back end of their bullpen. However, Iglesias or not, the Angels need to lock up another back-end of the bullpen guy. Other notable free agent options include Collin McHugh, Kenley Jansen, Ryan Tepera, and Kendall Graveman.

3rd move the LA Angels desperately need to make: Sign a shortstop, without committing to one of the ‘Big 5’

The LA Angels have given Luis Rengifo a look at consistent playing time since 2018, and it is time they cut the chord.

Rengifo has gotten regular looks from the Angels staff since 2018 – and he has done nothing to prove his stay at the big league level. In 195 major league games, Rengifo has hit .216 with a .293 OBP, putting up a total fWAR of 0.1. Partially thanks to Rengifo’s struggles, the Angels have lacked production from the shortstop position for years, and with so many big names on the free agent market, it is going to be tempting for the front office to submit competitive offers on some of them.

However, it is vitally important for the Angels to allocate the majority of their resources to their pitching needs, and stay away from the nine-digit contracts these free agent shortstops are bound to demand. The ‘Big 5’ of the offseason shortstops are Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Javier Baez, and Marcus Semien. Some options outside of these five, via free agency or trade, are Chris Taylor, Jonathan Villar, and potentially Ahmed Rosario.