Angels Rumors: Jon Heyman connects LAA to Pete Alonso; deadline closing for KBO star

MLB's hot stove is cooooooling off, and baseball insiders are doing whatever they can to keep fans engaged. In an incredibly on-brand move, the New York Post's Jon Heyman speculated that the Angels would want to sign Pete Alonso away from the New York Mets. It appears Arte Moreno and Steve Cohen are in a bidding war for Alonso's services! What a battle that will be!

OK, Heyman's potential rumor-mongering feels like complete conjecture. On these B/R Live segments, Heyman cranks through every news break and rumor as fast as he can for a half hour. Often times, it appears as if he is flying by the seat of his pants and frantically saying things just for the sake of saying them. Obviously, he is an insider with great connections. Having said that, the concepts of Alonso wanting to join the Angels, super-fan Steve Cohen letting Alonso walk, the Angels having serious interest in Alonso given previous signings, Arte using his remaining free agency on Alonso, and the team giving up on Nolan Schanuel as a starter already...extends beyond belief.

Heyman is seemingly alluding to the Albert Pujols signing when he says "that's what they've done in the past"? A giant contract for an aging, and appearing-to-be declining, first baseman occurred under Jerry Dipoto and not Minasian. The franchise is trying to get away from Dipoto and Billy Eppler's methods, given that their Pujols and Anthony Rendon deals buried the franchise.

Time is running out for Hye-seong Kim

Hye-seong Kim has one week to decide if he will sign with an MLB team, and is reportedly garnering serious interest from the Angels. Kim clearly addresses an area of extreme need, as he's an exceptional defender at second base and the Angels have a plethora of pitchers who generate ground balls at extreme rates. The Angels desperately need help at either 2B or 3B (not at 1B, Heyman!), and Kim makes so much sense for the club at this point in time. While he will not add any power at the plate, he is fast and an exceptional baserunner which the Angels also desperately need. Can the Angels outbid San Diego and Seattle this next week?

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel predicted that his salary would be in the range of 3 years, $16.5 million ($5.5M AAV), plus he ranked Kim as his 39th best free agent in this year's class (ahead of position players like the Dodgers' Michael Conforto, the Rangers' Joc Pederson, and fellow free agent Yoán Moncada). Signing Kim would not get the Angels close to the luxury tax, bring in a young player with promise, and mercifully get Anthony Rendon one step closer to getting cast off the roster entirely.

Signing Kim also represents a fork-in-the-road moment for the Angels. They are weighing their options for 2025, but Kim would be a move more for 2026 than '25. While Kim would fortify their infield defense and baserunning, the 26-year-old will likely need some time to adjust to a 162 game season and major league pitching. Bringing in Kim would show that they are committed to their young nucleus all growing together, and not taking huge financial risks on "win-now" players who will be in their 30s soon.

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