After quiet Winter Meetings, Angels must make good on promise to spend big

Since the offseason began for the Angels when they traded Taylor Ward to Baltimore for Grayson Rodriguez, multiple reports have come out that the Angels are going to have more money to spend this offseason than expected. And Perry Minasian has only helped the flames grow.When news came out that the team would be attempting to buy out Anthony Rendon's final season, fans began to dream of landing one of the true aces of the offseason or lineup lead by Mike Trout, Zach Neto, Jo Adell, and Cody Bellinger (whose agent included the Angels in the list of teams vying for the former MVP's services).

The Winter Meetings were lined up to be an exciting one for the Angels, as Minasian would be in the center of baseball's universe. Instead, the Angels only move was a trade for Vaughn Grissom, a former top prospect who has yet to find any real big league success. And who knows, maybe Grissom reuniting with Minasian - who was with Atlanta's front office when the team drafted the infielder - is what he needs to find his footing in the big leagues and contribute. Nevertheless, the Angels have money to spend and the fans need to see it spent.

Angels must keep promise to spend big after quiet Winter Meetings

After consistently being linked to some of the top names on the market, the Angels have to go for it and sign one of them. Minasian's tenure as general manager of the Angels has been spent trying to find value deals on the free agent market instead of going for a star. While some of that is due to the Rendon contract plaguing his time in Anaheim, Minasian is better equipped this offseason than ever before to land a big fish in free agency.

So far, it has been more of the same. Rodriguez was a tremendous value for Ward. Alek Manoah is a former Cy Young finalist, so signing him to a cheap deal makes sense despite his fall off. Trading an eighth round pick for a former top prospect in Grissom is a solid move. Minasian can do value signings, but fans have yet to see him acquire a true superstar during his time in Anaheim, with Yusei Kikuchi's 3-year, $66 million deal the biggest contract he has handed out.

If the Angels want Bellinger (or even Tucker) or one of the top arms on the market, they are going to have to spend anywhere between three to five times as much as they gave Kikuchi. With the Rendon buyout hopefully on the way to getting finished, they have the finances to do it. And with their payroll opening up after 2027, they really only have to worry about 2026 as a season where they may be above their normal Opening Day payroll.

But Minasian has spoken a big game, and Anaheim is waiting for him to make good on the promise of big time reinforcements coming to Anaheim.