Angels Rumors: Stan Kroenke could immediately fuel an ambitious Tarik Skubal pursuit

After collecting various league titles over the years like they're Infinity Stones, Stan Kroenke turned his attention to Major League Baseball by agreeing to become the new owner of the Los Angeles Angels. With his eyes now set on adding to his championship trophy case, he will look to turn the Angels into a contender sooner rather than later. 

He just might accomplish this by throwing money around and adding some of the best available players in free agency. And this offseason, Tarik Skubal will become the belle of the ball, likely attracting some eye-popping offers from numerous teams around the league. With the deep pockets of Kroenke, the Angels could become one of the most surprising teams to pursue Skubal in free agency. 

As reported by Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, Skubal is set to become the highest-paid pitcher in the league by the time he inks his next contract. Who he signs that contract with will probably be influenced by who is willing to spend the most. As of now, Skubal is projected to land a contract worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $355 million for eight years. Kroenke may be willing to match that number or even exceed it if it means landing a game-changer like Skubal. 

From the Denver Nuggets to the Los Angeles Rams, Kroenke-owned teams have certainly not been shy about spending money on their rosters. There's no reason to believe that the Angels wouldn't operate with the same mindset under Kroenke. There's no guarantee that Skubal would even sign with the Angels, regardless of the money thrown his way. But it is certainly fun to consider how monumental it would be for the organization. 

Tarik Skubal could turn the tide for the Angels

After following in the footsteps of the less-than-stellar track record of Arte Moreno’s ownership, Kroenke doesn't have much of a bar to clear in order to be viewed as a success by fans. But if the Angels shocked baseball and landed Skubal, Kroenke would not only signal a changing of the guard to fans, but he'd put the American League on notice. 

Since the AL West has become the laughing stock of baseball, the division will remain up for grabs until proven otherwise. This means that the Angels could realistically jump from worst to first in the matter of 12 months with some splashy signings in free agency. Skubal would obviously be the splashiest of them all. 

With Reid Detmers coming off of a career year, the Angels could immediately possess one of the most potent one-two punches in all of baseball. Add in the emergence of Walbert Ureña and all of a sudden the Angels could have an elite trio of pitchers for the foreseeable future. The potential of pitching dominance alone could inject enough energy into the team to really make a statement.

Throw in a handful of other solid free agency signings and the Angels could become a scary team to deal with in the blink of an eye. From Teruaki Sato of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball to Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, there are a number of viable solutions to improve the offense and help turn the Skubal-led Angels around. 

As we've seen with Steve Cohen and the New York Mets though, Kroenke won't be able to transform the Angels into a winning club just with money. But with his penchant for championships and a willingness to remain hands-off with his teams, Kroenke could build a winner with the Angels. And it could start with Skubal. 

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