3 decisions the Angels would make right now if they were serious about contending

The Angels want to have a turnaround 2025 season, and will try to do their best impression of the 2024 Royals or Tigers. When Perry Minasian was freshly extended as the Angels general manager, he vowed to get "the Angels back to being a consistent championship contender.” It feels like the Angels have taken half measures so far, and need to take some full measures in the next few weeks to further cement themselves as a bounce-back team next year.

We are going to stick to the notion that the Angels will not pass the luxury tax barrier, so any further additions the Angels make will not be in excess of $30 million. Don't forget that back in October, Arte Moreno told the OC Register's Jeff Fletcher, "We won’t go there again. It’s just an automatic loss. If I start piling up (financial) losses, then the next year I’m going to cut” when discussing how the 2025 payroll will go up but not exceed the luxury tax.

1. Sign Nick Pivetta
2. Sign David Robertson

Let's just keep banging this drum.

If the Angels are serious about contending, they will look beyond Pivetta's qualifying offer and Robertson's age in order to add the best remaining pitchers on the market. If they offer Pivetta and Robertson all of their remaining $30 million (say $16 million AAV to Pivetta, $14 million AAV to Robertson), they could likely be the front-runners to land them.

A 1-2 punch of Yusei Kikuchi and Pivetta at the front of a rotation is not the most thrilling notion, but those two can get the job done. The critics say Pivetta's stuff does not meet his results, but he still posted fantastic a K%, BB%, xFIP, and SIERA last season. His stuff is next-level, but he still can get hit hard. Either way, you bet on stuff, not results. Angels Stadium is way more pitcher-friendly than Fenway Park, and would help alleviate his less-than-ideal 1.73 HR/9 mark from last year. Furthermore, Pivetta's playoff chops are real. If the Angels are trying to be contenders, they could use a bona fide playoff performer in Pivetta if they make it to October for the first time in a decade.

Robertson is the ideal set-up man for Ben Joyce, and could be a more-than-adequate fill-in closer when Joyce is unavailable on any given day (due to workload or injury). Robertson's cutter and curveball are next-level elite. He racked up elite strikeout numbers over 72 innings pitched, which was his career high. Stealing him from the Rangers is an added bonus. It's no secret that the Angels have yet to address their bullpen, but adding Robertson would forgive that.

The Angels added Kyle Hendricks as a model for their young pitchers, and Pivetta and Robertson fit that same ethos to a T. These veteran pitchers still have plenty left in the tank, their durability is unquestioned, and can definitely help contribute to winning both on and off the field.